Husky football fans were on a "sugar high" prior to the 1993 Rose Bowl. Winning a third-straight Pac-10 championship was sweet, as was the prospect of a record-breaking, three-in-a-row victory in the Rose Bowl.
Compounding this sweet anticipation were two UW Alumni Association events held prior to the match-up with Michigan. A New Year’s Eve bash at the Anaheim Convention Center drew about 4,000 fans, a live KIRO-TV broadcast and the Husky Marching Band. On New Year’s Day about 8,500 fans came to the pre-game Washington Warm-Up held on the golf course next to the Rose Bowl.
The UW Marching Band and Rally Squad put on a show as part of the New Year’s Eve festivities.
But the success of these events couldn’t overcome the taste of defeat as the Huskies lost to the Wolverines 38-31. It was a see-saw battle that got high marks as the best bowl game of the day. Though Washington quarterback Mark Brunell had his best day ever—throwing 30 passes and completing 18 for 308 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions—it was not to be.
Michigan’s stunning sophomore Running Back Tyrone Wheatley racked up 235 yards, including a Rose Bowl record 88-yard sprint into the end zone at the start of the second half. That performance earned him the bowl’s most valuable player award. “Michigan was the best team we played all season,” Coach Don James said.
It was a 9-3 season that ranked 11th in the AP sportswriters poll and 10th in the CNN/USA Today coaches poll. When asked if he was disappointed, James replied, “I wouldn’t use that word. It’s a bad word. It’s not easy to go 12-0. And it’s hard to win a conference championship.” One Husky fan summed it up best when he wrote, “I can’t feel bad for this loss because I think the Rose Bowl was by far the best played game of the year. The way [Brunell] came back from injury the year before, I just can’t be happy enough about the Rose Bowl.”