NORMAN - The once-proud program that is - was - Washington football borders on becoming something of a fond memory.
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The Huskies’ arrival in Norman for Saturday’s game against Oklahoma has prompted queries of, “Whatever happened to Washington?”
And it’s a valid question.
Since 1991, when the Huskies went unbeaten and won a national championship, plenty has happened to Washington. Little of it good.
“They’ve had four coaches since I retired,” said Don James, the winningest coach in Huskies history, who stepped away after the 1992 season. “Continuity is big in any business.”
James, like Jim Owens before him, coached 18 years at Washington, compiling a 153-57-2 record. But controversy and probation pushed James into retirement.
Since then, inconsistency defines the program.
Three fired coaches, recruiting losses, fan apathy and lagging facilities have plunged Washington into a major rebuilding mode.
The Huskies went 3-19 the previous two seasons, finishing 10th and tied for ninth in a Pac-10 Conference they used view from at or near the top. Although it won this year’s opener against San Jose State, Washington hits Owen Field as a 17-point underdog and figures to be favored few Saturdays this fall.
“For me, progress, you measure it by wins,” said Tyrone Willingham, who went 2-9 in his Washington coaching debut a year ago. “The first year, we did not have enough wins, so hopefully we’re set to improve that this year.”
Maybe the Huskies are on their way, after Saturday’s 35-29 win over San Jose State, provided the program’s first win in an opener since 2001 and its first winning record since November 2003.
Or maybe that close call was a sign of more struggle to come. San Jose State is one of the few teams projected below Washington nationally.
The Huskies averaged 70,000-plus fans from 1990 through 2003, before attendance dropped below 65,000 the past two seasons. Only 52,256 showed up at 72,500-seat Husky Stadium for Washington’s opener. Such is the fallout of losing.
A 1-10 finish in 2004 stood as the worst season in school history. Another sub-.500 season this year would make for the first three-year stretch of losing seasons since the late ’40s.
So, whatever happened to Washington?
This is a program that produced old-school greats Hugh McElhenny and Don Heinrich in the ’50s. Stars like Warren Moon, Mark Brunell, Napoleon Kaufman, Corey Dillon and Steve Emtman and more followed.
It’s a program with a 642-372-50 record all-time, eight Rose Bowl trophies and 18 first- or second-place finishes in the Pac-10 the last 29 seasons.
“It’s still a good job, a good program,” said James.
After the national title season in 1991, controversy struck Washington. There was a $50,000 loan from a family friend to quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, drawing Pac-10 and NCAA scrutiny. Four players testified they were paid for jobs they didn’t work. Another was arrested for selling drugs in dorms, although charges were later dismissed.
“Publicity gets you in a lot of ways,” James said. “There’s more press. There’s more digging. More negativity.”
No sanctions ever came down on UW players or coaches, but the Pac-10 issued a one-year probation, then later tacked on another year.
James, reacting to the harsh conference penalties, was gone by 1992.
“That’s why I left,” said James. “I said, ‘If that’s the way they’re going to treat us, after all we’ve done for this league.’”
Washington turned to Jim Lambright, one of James’ assistants. He went 44-25-1 over the next six seasons - not good enough.
Rick Neuheisel was next, with one really good year - 11-1 and a No. 3 final ranking in 2001 - boosting his four-year mark of 33-16. Then his participation in an NCAA basketball pool was considered gambling, leading to his firing.
Washington went next with Keith Gilbertson, but the 1-10 finish in 2004 doomed him.
Through all the coaching changes, Washington lost its recruiting hold in Oregon and northern California, failed to upgrade facilities and failed to hold its fan passion.
Maybe Willingham and his staff can tap into the program’s past to bring the Huskies back. Tradition and history count for something.Sooners coach Bob Stoops counted on it when he found Oklahoma in disrepair during his takeover in 1999.
“We had very little going for us at the time,” Stoops said. “We looked at our overall situation here and we did have tradition and history. We latched onto it and put it in front of our guys as much as we could.
“It helped us, I think. Our players, it mattered to them.”
Maybe Willingham can make it matter again at Washington.
“Even the good programs around the country, and in some cases great programs around the country, are going to go through ups and downs,” Willingham said.
“Hopefully it’s very minor. Hopefully it will be short-lived.”
Weakened Washington
Once a premier program in the Pac-10, Washington now finds itself in full-fledged rebuilding mode.
What’s gone wrong in Seattle:
Coaching continuity: Since Don James retired in 1992 as the program’s most successful coach, the Huskies are on their fourth try to find a suitable replacement.
The latest - Tyrone Willingham - went 2-9 in his debut a year ago. While it’s too soon to judge Willingham’s work, the school hasn’t shown great patience with their football coaches lately.
Recruiting: When Washington was a Pac-10 power, it cleaned up at home and dipped into Oregon and northern California for elite recruits.
No longer.
Conference rival Oregon has turned the tables, with six Washington players on its roster, while the Huskies claim but two from Oregon.
The Ducks have made it hurt, too, taking two top offensive linemen in C.E. Kaiser and Josh Tschirgi and running back Jonathan Stewart, who was the No. 2-ranked player in the country two years ago.
Ouch.
Fan empathy: Crowds have dwindled at Husky Stadium, still one of the great scenic venues in college football, if not one of the rowdiest.
Much of Washington’s home-field advantage has been lost.
“I think there’s still a very strong, very hearty and healthy support for the Huskies,” UW coach Tyrone Willingham said. “Can we improve it? Yes.”
The Huskies are 2-10 at home the last two years.
By John Helsley
Local take
Washington ain’t what it used to be.
And Dave Boling, a columnist with The News Tribune in Tacoma, isn’t buying the Huskies’ happy talk based on a 35-29 win over San Jose State.
An excerpt from his postgame column:
“It could not be breaking news to this man, or anybody else in the stadium, that the Huskies program is something less than it once was.
“But, with Washington having lost 19 of the preceding 22 games, these are times of minimal expectations. And the Huskies did the minimum to beat the Spartans.
“Remember, San Jose State was the only team the Huskies managed to defeat in the putrid 2004 season - and they did so by a larger margin (21-6) that year.
“But coach Tyrone Willingham labeled the outcome ‘fantastic.’
“Boosters might need to donate a thesaurus to Willingham to help him come up with the proper modifiers if the Huskies ever beat a major opponent.”
