1991 Washington Huskies football team

1991 Washington Huskies football
Coaches' Poll national champion
FWAA national champion[1]
NFF national champion[2]
Pac-10 champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 34–14 vs. Michigan
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 2
Record12–0 (8–0 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKeith Gilbertson (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorJim Lambright (15th season)
MVPMario Bailey (offense)
Steve Emtman (defense)
Captains
Home stadiumHusky Stadium
Seasons
← 1990
1992 →
1991 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Washington $   8 – 0     12 – 0  
No. 8 California   6 – 2     10 – 2  
No. 19 UCLA   6 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 22 Stanford   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Arizona State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Washington State   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Arizona   3 – 5     4 – 7  
USC   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Oregon   1 – 7     3 – 8  
Oregon State   1 – 7     1 – 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1991 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Don James, in his 17th season at Washington, was assisted by coordinators Keith Gilbertson (offense) and Jim Lambright (defense), both head coaches themselves within two years.

The 1991 team was arguably the finest team in school history and split the national championship with the Miami Hurricanes, who were also 12–0, and won the AP Poll by four votes, while Washington took the coaches' poll by nine.[3] Washington could not have played Miami in a bowl game because the Pac-10 champion was bound by contract to play in the Rose Bowl against the Big Ten champion. The Huskies soundly defeated fourth-ranked Michigan 34–14 in the Rose Bowl; the final score differential was narrowed by a late touchdown by Tyrone Wheatley of Michigan. With a minute remaining in the game, Washington was on the Michigan five-yard line, but opted to stay on the ground and run out the clock with third-string quarterback Damon Huard leading the offense.[4]

Eleven Huskies were selected in the 1992 NFL draft, led by Steve Emtman, a dominating yet under-recruited defensive tackle from Cheney. Emtman won both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, won by Desmond Howard of Michigan. Defensive back Dana Hall was also selected in the first round.

A fantasy article in Sports Illustrated titled "The Dream Game" had the Huskies narrowly defeat Miami in a playoff.[5]

  1. ^ Written at Oklahoma City. "Football writers say Washington is No. 1". The Herald. Everett, Washington. Associated Press. January 4, 1992. p. 3D. Retrieved September 22, 2024. Washington edged Miami for the Grantland Rice Trophy by balloting by the five members of a nationwide committee. The Huskies received three first-place votes and the Hurricanes got two.
  2. ^ Written at New York. "UPI NFF Top 25 Grid Ratings". The Bryan Times. Bryan, Ohio. United Press International. January 3, 1992. p. 13. Retrieved September 23, 2024. As national champion, Washington will receive the MacArthur Bowl, given by the National Football Foundation to its champion since 1959. The UPI NFF ratings panel consists of 104 National Football Foundation members
  3. ^ "Stat sheet: football, final polls". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). January 2, 1992. p. E4.
  4. ^ "Huskies crush Michigan 34-14". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. January 2, 1992. p. 1B.
  5. ^ Murphy, Austin (January 13, 1992). "The Dream Game". Sports Illustrated. p. 34.