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Inside The Huskies

How John Mills Brings The Huskies Together

The UW offensive guard makes it his responsibility to emphasize team-bonding.
Dan Raley|
John Mills has a unique look with his long hair, beard and super size.
John Mills has a unique look with his long hair, beard and super size. | Dan Rale

In another life, John Mills would be riding atop a Harley Davidson, sporting club colors and wearing steel-toed boots, looking ever so imitating while flying down the freeway with his long hair flapping in the breeze.

Instead, he easily saunters into University of Washington fall practice on foot these days, in full football body armor, and revs his own engines while making the rounds with his teammates.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Mills has this daily ritual, like clockwork, in which he turns into the Husky heartbeat.

As the starting left offensive guard, he enthusiastically greets everyone he encounters. Team headliner or lower-level walk-on, they're all the same to him.

Generally, Mills lets out a yell to alert everyone when he first arrives at the East field. Then he mingles.

"He's definitely a high-energy guy," starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. said following Tuesday's practice. "He's got crazy juice."

Two hours earlier that day, the big-body Mills and the diminutive Williams had traded a fierce chest bump.

It was like signing autographs. Everyone wanted one from Big John.

Crazy juice.

Before he could move on, Mills bumped chests with second-year quarterback Dash Beierly, as well.

He next did a choreographed crossing-arms routine with starting right offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi.

More crazy juice.

This was hard work, but Mills embraced it.

Before the actual practice got underway, he stretched out, poured water over his head and talked to his coaches.

Yet he still had more meet-and-greet responsibilities to fulfill.

John Mills speaks his mind during the Spring Game.
John Mills speaks his mind during the Spring Game. | Dave Sizer photo

Mills slapped hands with fourth-year offensive tackle Elishah Jackett.

He chest-bumped Sam Houston State transfer Kolt Dieterich, who's been working at center.

Mills wasn't quite done yet with his team-building efforts.

Under the goal posts, he stopped to slap hands with freshman quarterback Derek Zammit and share a laugh.

This wasn't something new for him either since coming to Montlake.

As a freshman, Mills stepped up and acted like the ultimate teammate from his first day.

No initiation for him with the veteran players was required. He just made the leadership thing part of who he is.

"He's probably the best locker-room presence I've ever met, from any player I've ever been around," said former UW edge rusher Zach Durfee, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

John Mills lets Beck Walker know how pleased he was by the walk-on's Spring Game run.
John Mills lets Beck Walker know how pleased he was by the walk-on's Spring Game run. | Dave Sizer photo

As the Huskies put this football team together for what could be a very promising season, it won't be lacking for cohesion or camaraderie.

Mills personally has taken it upon himself to set the tone, to interact with everyone, to bring people together, to make chest-bumping a bonding experience, to put that potential Harley Davidson life on hold.

Crazy juice.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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