Road to 1991 Perfection: Pahukoa Played LA Pickpocket, Swiped USC's Wallet

Shane Pahukoa thought about it.

Yeah, it still nags at him a little.

For him and all of his 1991 University of Washington football team, it was hard not to get greedy that season.

There were so many opportunities to come up with instant points, crushing hits and, in Shane's case, a record-setting interception.

Pahukoa's big moment that could have been bigger came on the last play of the first half against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Trailing 14-0, the Trojans had the ball on a second-and-10 play at the UW 10, with nine seconds remaining, and a chance to make a game out of it.

USC quarterback Reggie Perry took the snap, rolled right with Steve Emtman hot on his trail and lofted one for Curtis Conway in the far right corner of the end zone.

The ball barely made it over the outstretched arm of leaping UW cornerback Dana Hall, who fronted the waiting Conway, and ended up in the hands of Pahukoa, who stole it cleanly in a full sprint.

For a moment, the Huskies' starting free safety saw 105 yards of open space and secondary ultimate glory.

Pahukoa also envisioned the face of a disapproving coach Don James.

He safely slid to ground in the end zone.

Half over.

"They had Curtis Conway, Travis Hannah and Johnnie Morton, world-class sprinters who probably would have caught me at the 1," Pahukoa said. "I didn't want to suffer the wrath of coach James."

This is another in series of vignettes about the UW 1991 national championship team, supplementing the conversation for the pandemic-delayed season that begins soon. We're in week 9 in this throwback, which brought a showdown with USC in Los Angeles.

Along with Beno Bryant busting loose for 7- and 55-yard touchdown runs, Pahukoa's theft supplied one the bigger plays of the game, preventing the Trojans from making a game of it.

While Shane worried about USC players tripping him up, he might have had more trouble eluding UW teammates who wanted to pound him on the back for his heads-up play.

Today, Pahukoa, a former NFL player who lives in Lake Stevens, Washington, designs and manufactures high-end furniture and home goods, plus sits on the board of directions for Dynamic Athletes Solutions, Walter Bailey's organization.

The 1991 national title looks good on Pahukoa's resume. So would have a 105-yard interception return for a score.

"I don't know about that," he lightly protested. "Those were track guys."

They never would have caught him.

He's still thinking about it.

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