Road to 1991 Perfection: Mario's Rose Pose was Perfect Exclamation Mark

Desmond Howard had no time for the Huskies.

The Michigan wide receiver stepped off a chartered jet in Southern California as the Heisman Trophy winner, unwilling to share himself with the University of Washington football team because of his newfound stature.

Sorry, he just wasn't available for any 1992 Rose Bowl niceties.

Mario Bailey took it personally.

"I got to meet Mr. Desmond Howard and he was very cocky and very arrogant," the Huskies' All-American pass-catcher said. "He brushed us all off."

Big mistake.

As he went through daily practices for the New Year's Day game, Bailey began plotting a proper response to his Wolverines counterpart's uppity ways.

"When we got into the game, I knew our team would probably stop him," he said. "Because in practice, I was him all week and it was hard to catch a pass, it was hard to get open."

This is another in a series of vignettes about the UW's 1991 national championship team, supplementing the conversation for the pandemic-delayed and -shortened season. We're dealing with game 12 of this throwback series, the '92 Rose Bowl against Michigan.

The Huskies were sailing along with a commanding 27-7 lead over Michigan when opportunity presented itself for Bailey to do something. He was waiting his chance. He fully expected it to come. And it did.

"In the fourth quarter, we just got a turnover and Coach (Keith) Gilbertson liked to go deep as soon as we got a turnover," he said, referencing the Husky offensive coordinator.

Bailey ran a streak down the field, laid out and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell. What came next has a permanent spot in Husky football lore.

With Howard in mind, the UW receiver jumped to his feet and struck a Heisman pose for all the fans and TV cameras to see, just a little reminder for that pregame snub by the Michigan man.

"It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life," Bailey said. "It's something everybody else will make me remember for the rest of my life."

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