Road to 1991 Perfection: Talk Was Never Cheap with These Huskies

It was a sportswriters' dream — everyone on the 1991 University of Washington football team, one hell bent for a national championship, had something poignant to say at all times.

These Huskies were confident, expressive, funny. Everything but crass and overbearing.

Among the best orators from this crew were Billy Joe Hobert, Mario Bailey, Steve Emtman, Lincoln Kennedy and Ed Cunningham.

Even the guys just getting started in the program and trying to break into the lineup served up memorable quotes.

Hillary Butler and Andy Mason, for instance.

These two were promising sophomore linebackers, guys who began turning heads in spring practice, players who would contribute to the title run, when an assistant coach suggested they might make a good story.

They still are.

"We had a pretty good team that didn't have any problems talking," said Butler, a Tacoma businessman and a former NFL player. "I think we did it classy enough. We kind of backed it up whenever we were on the field."

This is another in series of vignettes about the UW's 1991 national championship football team, supplementing the conversation for the pandemic-delayed season that begins soon. We're in week 8 now, where the Huskies destroyed Arizona State 44-16.

In April of '91, Butler and Mason were primed for an interview. Their first real interview. They said things that are still quoted today.

"Oh my, yeah, we got so much crap from the rest of the team," Mason said. "I think we got that the rest of the time we were in school."

What got everyone's attention were their assessments of themselves, all done in good fun. Yet highly creative.

Mason memorably offered the following, "I think me and Hillary are ahead of the times. We're the year 2000."

Nine years ahead of their time. New millennium dudes. No calendar limits.

"I am the perfect size," Butler said, "and I have the perfect speed."

The headline over the story was a perfect fit for two chatty Huskies: Hot Dogs. It hangs framed in Butler's home office.

Mason would go on to become a starting defensive end in 1991 while Butler would back up Dave Hoffmann and Chico Fraley at inside linebacker but play a lot for this dominant team.

Today, they're successful businessmen, owning their own companies among several. Mason lives near Phoenix, Butler near Tacoma, Washington.

They talk from time to time. They're decades removed from their football days. They haven't put much distance between them and their

"To this day, a lot of our teammates refer to Mason and myself as the linebackers of 2000," Butler said. "It was just us being young players, hungry, with a chance to be showcased."

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Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Husky Maven. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.We got so much crap from the guys for the rest of our four years