Huskies’ Rose Bowl was won from the heart
They didn’t have the perfect record of the 1991 national championship team. They didn’t have the underdog status of the 1978 Rose Bowl champs. But the Year 2000 Husky football team had the most memorable season in the last quarter century—or perhaps over the team’s entire 111-year history.
With five come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter; an electrifying Rose Bowl contest pitting Purdue’s Heisman contender Drew Brees against the Huskies’ Marques Tuiasosopo; and the tragic injury to defensive back Curtis Williams, the four-month journey from Montlake to Pasadena was a tale fit for the silver screen. And like most Hollywood productions, this one had a happy ending, with a 34-24 victory over Purdue in the Rose Bowl, an 11-1 season and a No. 3 ranking in the final college polls, the highest Husky finish since 1991.
While winning was sweet, the most emotional moment of the season was the injury to Williams and the reaction from the team and fans. Williams suffered a spinal cord injury when he collided helmet to helmet with Stanford running back Kerry Carter on Oct. 28. Williams, 22, who also goes by the nickname “C-Dub,” spent four weeks at the Stanford Medical Center as doctors tried to assess the permanent impact of the injury. He was transferred to a rehabilitation center near San Jose, Calif., in late November and was expected to be discharged in mid-February to live at his brother’s home in Fresno, Calif.
Curtis Williams was flown to Pasadena Jan. 1, and watched the game with members of his family.
Meanwhile, his team dedicated its season to the injured defensive back, wearing his initials on every jersey. Williams, who so far has only experienced some sensation in his neck and shoulders, was determined to watch his team if the UW made it to the Rose Bowl. Accompanied by family members, a nurse and a medical technician, Williams was flown to Pasadena Jan. 1 for the game. Prior to the contest, he was taken to the locker room, where he met with teammates. There were tears in his eyes as well as in the eyes of some team members as they gently touched him on the shoulder and said hello.
“We all knew we had to do one thing,” fullback Pat Conniff said. “We knew we had to play our guts out for the guy. The guy is battling it every single day. The least we could do was go out and battle it out for four hours.”
The team made Williams its fourth captain for the game and as the Huskies marched on the field, players gestured to the press box, where Williams viewed the contest.
As he hoisted the Rose Bowl Trophy after the victory, Coach Rick Neuheisel yelled, “This was for you, Curtis.” At the postgame press conference, he added, “We had a dream to give our buddy a chance to get a Rose Bowl ring and we achieved it. I promised him after the Stanford game that we’d try to get it done. It was an absolute thrill to have him here.”
The Husky players storm the field at the end of the game to celebrate their impressive victory.
The game itself was a thrill as well. The Huskies took an early 14-0 lead, capitalizing on Purdue penalties and a bad snap to the Boilermakers’ punter that gave the Huskies the ball on Purdue’s 25 yard-line. Lead by the strong arm of Brees and the running skills of Montrell Lowe, Purdue came back and tied the score 17-17 early in the third quarter. But the Huskies put the game out of reach with a 42-yard field goal by John Anderson, an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tuiasosopo to Todd Elstrom, and a goal line plunge by Willie Hurst, making it 34-17 with only 7:25 left.
Tuiasosopo was named the game’s most valuable player, joining the ranks of other Husky Rose Bowl MVPs Bob Schloredt (twice), Warren Moon, Mark Brunell and Billy Joe Hobert. “He is a warrior. He is the epitome of what a quarterback should be,” said Neuheisel. “He is everything you would ever ask for in a person, a player or a leader.”
“This was a huge victory,” he added. “I talked to the senior class at the beginning of the season. It was always the goal of Washington to play in the Rose Bowl. Clearly they were one of the dominant programs of the 1990s. This put us back on the mantle as being one of the top college football programs in the nation.” Neuheisel himself broke Husky coaching records by taking Washington to the Rose Bowl and earning a top five ranking in only his second year as team leader.
Coach Rick Neuheisel leads fans in a rendition of “Tequila.”
While the game was the high point for the UW fans who attended the Rose Bowl, two pre-game events got the Husky spirit rolling. A New Year’s Eve Husky Bash, held at the Anaheim Convention Center, drew more than 5,000 alumni and fans to dance to the LA Beat, listen to the Husky Marching Band, enjoy free Husky souvenirs and bring in the New Year with Husky football legends Sonny Sixkiller and Greg Lewis.
On game day, more than 10,000 Huskies gathered just north of the Rose Bowl for a Washington Warm Up featuring food, the Husky Marching Band, live broadcasts by KOMO Radio and Fox Sports Northwest, and more free souvenirs. Both events were organized by the UW Alumni Association and supported by member dues and corporate sponsorships as well as by admission fees.
During the two alumni association events, $10,000 was raised for the Curtis Williams Fund through raffles and sales of Husky buttons. During his Rose Bowl visit, Williams thanked the fans for their contributions. “I miss them and I want to thank them for all their support,” he said. As of Feb. 1, more than $175,000 has been raised to cover Williams’ medical and other expenses not covered by insurance. Send donations to the Curtis Williams Fund, c/o University of Washington, 1200 Fifth Ave., Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98101.
Next year’s Rose Bowl breaks with tradition, as it won’t be held on New Year’s Day and won’t automatically pit the Big 10 champ versus the Pac-10 champ. Instead it will host the top-ranked college teams for the Bowl Championship Series national title game. The Huskies’ chances of a return visit to Pasadena are slim, but after this season, Washington fans know—anything is possible.