Washington Huskies: What if Don James never came to UW?
Don James Arrives at UW
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.
Dawgfather’s Legacy
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.
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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.