Don James statue, Washington Huskies.
“You take the blue pill… the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill… you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” – Morpheus from the Matrix. In our first red pill installment, we ask What if Don James never became the Washington Huskies head coach?
Don James is the most successful coach in Washington Huskies’ history. He used to joke about him not being Washington’s first choice when they hired him to replace Jim Owens after the 1974 season. As a matter of fact, James wasn’t even number two on their list.
UW eventually hired him, and the results speak for themselves. What if one of Washington’s top two choices or another candidate took the job when offered?
Owens had a good run at Washington. In 18 seasons, he put up a 99-82-6 record and took the Huskies to three Rose Bowls (2-1). That was back in the day when teams played 10-11 games a season, and there were only a handful of bowl games. As the seasons wore on, Owens didn’t keep up with the changing times. By 1974, he’d had enough and retired from coaching.
His departure led to a national search for a new coach. Huskies Athletic Director Joe Kearney’s first choice was Green Bay Packers Head Coach and General Manager Dan Devine. Another name on the shortlist was California Golden Bears Head Coach Mike White. Also, San Jose State head coach Darryl Rogers went public and threw his name into the mix. Rodgers thought Washington was a premier job, and rather than wait for them to find him, he let them know of his interest.
By 1974, Devine was ready to leave the frozen tundra of Green Bay. Unfortunately, he passed on the Washington Huskies job in favor of Notre Dame. It might not have been the worst thing if Devine had come to Seattle.
The Fighting Irish were really good during Devine’s six seasons in South Bend. Notre Dame went 53-16-1 under his leadership. The highlight was winning the 1977 National Championship after defeating Texas and Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell in the 1978 Cotton Bowl. His quarterback that season was a young man named Joe Montana.
Would Montana have come to Washington if Devine was the Huskies head coach? We’ll never know, but landing a talent like Montana says a lot about his ability to recruit. Devine retired from coaching in 1980, so any success would have been short-lived, and UW would have needed another coach.
Dan Devine had a very successful college and professional coaching career, although he is more well known for two things. First, he succeeded Vince Lombardi as Green Bay Packers head coach after the legend died of cancer in 1970. Second, Devine was the coach at Notre Dame when the players staged a mini-revolt to let Rudy Ruettiger play in a college game.
Washington wasn’t as serious about Darryl Rodgers as he was about them. As it turned out, Rogers finally got his big-time opportunity in 1976 with Michigan State. He stayed in Lansing for four years before going to Arizona State another five. Rogers finished his career as a pro coach with the Detroit Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
He likely wouldn’t have had anything close to Don James’ success at Washington, and he also proved to be a man who wouldn’t stick around one place for very long. The Huskies were right to pass on him.
After Devine took the Notre Dame job, Kearney was serious about hiring Mike White away from Pac-8 Conference rivals, Calfornia. The 38-year-old White built back the Golden Bears program after his predecessor Ryan Willsey ran afoul of the NCAA. While he didn’t exactly dominate at Cal, he kept them competitive.
Apparently, the Washington Huskies and White were very close to a deal and had a press conference on tap. White changed his mind at the last minute and decided to stay at Berkeley. In 1975 he led the Bears to an 8-3 record (6-1 in Pac-8) and was named NCAA Coach of the Year. He might have done a great job at Washington, a school with more resources, but he had pro aspirations, eventually coaching the Oakland Raiders for two seasons.
When I look back to when the Huskies hired Don James after the 1974 season, taking over for Jim Owens as the coach. I was a year out of high school, and I only remember Kent State about the shooting that happened on campus in 1970. I didn’t know where Kent State was at; it could have been any state other than Washington.
Outside of the Huskies athletic department, I’m not sure anyone in the Seattle area knew who Don James was and how successful he was or wasn’t at Kent State. Like me, most fans thought, who is this guy?
James went 25-19 in four years at Kent State. His first season, 1971, the Golden Flashes were 3-8 overall and 0-5 in the MAC. The other three seasons Kent State, James had a winning record. This had to be why Kearney thought Don James was the right coach to take over the Huskies.
Hiring a coach from a smaller college ended up being the right choice. Don James ended up as the winningest coach in Washington Huskies history.
James did more than win most of his games as the Washington Huskies head coach. In his 18 years at UW, he went 150-18-2, a .745 win percentage. The Huskies went 10-4 in bowl games, including 4-2 in the Rose Bowl.
Among his signature wins was a 27-20 upset of then number four Michigan in his first Rose Bowl on January 2, 1978. Another Rose Bowl win against Michigan on January 1, 1992, gave the Huskies the number one ranking in the Coaches Poll. Unfortunately, Miami was ranked #1 in the AP Writers Poll, so the two teams ended up as co-National Champions.
The following year Washington lost to the Rose Bowl rematch with Michigan. That turned out to be James’ last game as the Washington Huskies coach. On August 22, 1993, he resigned after the NCAA sanctioned UW for recruiting violations.
Among his accomplishments was having the conviction to Start the first black quarterback in Washington Huskies history. Not only did James use Moon, but he also stuck with him as the starting quarterback after going 11-11 in his first two seasons. Moon rewarded James’ support by becoming the 1978 Rose Bowl MVP.
James had other outstanding players in his 18 years at Washington. All of his success is why Don James is the Dawgfather.
Do you think anyone else could have duplicated the success Don James had with the Washington Huskies? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.