Road to 1991 Perfection: Another Victory was Brunell's Emotional Husky Return
Mark Brunell was back.
Two impressive road victories into the 1991 national championship run — after Billy Joe Hobert quarterbacked the University of Washington football team past Stanford and Nebraska — the focus shifted to the other guy.
Brunell received medical clearance to play against 39-point underdog Kansas State.
His recovery became Week 3's headline news.
Five months after suffering a horrific knee injury and having surgery to repair major ligament damage, the reigning Rose Bowl most valuable player and 1990 starter was ready to pull on a game uniform again.
To this day, he still ranks as the fastest Husky quarterback to come through the program, and that includes Warren Moon, who was exceptionally swift during his time in Seattle.
Brunell was a bona fide dual threat throwing and running the ball — he passed for 1,732 yards and rushed for another 444 — and he nearly guided the Huskies to a national championship as a sophomore, settling for a late No. 2 ranking in 1990. Here was his chance to make it happen as a junior.
On a Thursday afternoon, he had everything taken from him during a spirited spring practice when he was supposed to be off limits for contact.
Yet his overly aggressive Husky defense had trouble turning things on and off.
All-America defensive tackle Steve Emtman and superb outside linebacker Donald Jones unintentionally crashed into this defenseless quarterback at the same time, high-lowing Brunell, and his right hinge was destroyed.
He was left with anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament tears.
"It was devastating," Brunell said. "We had gone to the Rose Bowl the year before. I was the starter that spring, looking forward to what was going to be a national championship season. It was tough for me obviously athletically. Personally, it was a big challenge. I was 19 or 20 years old and I was pretty young, and it was the first hurdle I had to overcome."
This is another in a series of articles and videos that will replay the UW's 1991 national championship season, which is the apex of Husky football. We're six weeks out from the late start to the 2020 season. Meantime, we'll use '91 as a conversation piece.
In this second video, find out what Brunell is doing now while he lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
No question, Brunell had a lot at stake as a quarterback in 1991. He would later spend 17 uninterrupted seasons in the NFL with six teams. Knowing this was possible, he had to get healthy again.
He subjected himself to the care of Dr. Steve Bramwell, a former Husky flanker and kick returner, and an exhaustive two rehabilitation sessions per day. He cut the normal recovery time in half.
"I've seen players with the same injury who couldn't play in one year, some even in two years," Husky coach Don James said at the time.
"It's a miracle," UW offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson said, "and let's enjoy it."
Brunell accompanied the UW football team to Nebraska, but not to dress for the game, only to watch.
He planned to do more against Kansas State, a team in a major rebuilding effort headed up by Bill Snyder. He would wear a thick brace that reached from his thigh to his calf.
"I learned a lot of good lessons in how to overcome adversity," he said. "I always knew how important it was to work hard. But to work hard through an injury and fight back is a whole different animal. I learned a lot about myself."
Brunell still wasn't prepared for what awaited him that Saturday at Husky Stadium.
In the days ahead, we hear from Donald Jones and assistant coach Chris Tormey about the disastrous mishap, from center Ed Cunningham on the quarterback's return and again from Brunell about an unforgettable moment
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