Run, Sonny, Run: Sixkiller Uses Feet More Than Arm to Help Win 1971 Apple Cup

Sonny Sixkiller called the huddle together, listened to the play sent in and immediately recoiled.

Well into the first offensive series of the 1971 Apple Cup, the University of Washington coaching staff wanted a quarterback keeper. The play was designed for Sonny's backup, Greg Collins.

A more accomplished runner.

Who was standing on the sideline.

"Isn't this Greg's play?" Sixkiller asked impatiently before making a snap decision. "(Bleep) it, let's go."

He was one of the nation's leading passers and now forced to improvise. It went well. Sonny took the snap at the Washington State 32, tucked the ball under his right arm and went chugging around right end, following the lead of running back Pete Taggares.

Darting through the Cougars' backpedaling defense, Sixkiller broke the ball inside and picked up a block downfield from guard Steve Wallin, then another from his other guard, Pete Elswick, and yet another from tackle Rick Hayes.

All that stood between the quarterback and the end zone now was WSU defensive back Chuck Hawthrone. Sixkiller lowered his shoulder. He scored.

"He tried to tackle me and I hit him," Sixkiller said. "I ran over him at the goal line."

Showing no ill effects from his traffic accident six days earlier or from this goal-line collision just then, Sonny led the Huskies to a 28-20 victory over their state rivals, capping an 8-3 season.

Throwing six-pointers was his speciality, not chalking them up on the ground. This rushing touchdown would be one of seven in Sixkiller's UW career and his longest.

"Greg was a pretty good runner, but I could run a bit," Sonny said.

He threw the ball 17 times against the Cougars, completing 6 for 99 yards and no scores as the season came to an end.

On this day, the Huskies made a concentrated effort to run the ball, which was not common for this team. Taggares rushed 23 times for 119 yards -- becoming the first and only UW back to collect 100 or more yards that season.

No matter how anyone looked at it, this particular Apple Cup was a weird game.

The Huskies used athletic tape to cover up their black football cleats and create white ones, which were all the rage from the college game to the NFL.

Wide receivers Jim Krieg and Mark Day swapped jerseys for pre-game warmups because Krieg had two broken fingers and wouldn't play, and the Huskies didn't want WSU to know this right away.

The teams combined to fumble four times in 14 plays, two on successive snaps.

UW cornerback Phil Andre drew three pass-interference penalties, owning up to only the last one.

The Huskies had just 10 men on the field for a punt and sent 12 out for a field goal.

Stranger yet, Husky defensive tackle Gordy Guinn intercepted a WSU pass, got turned around and started running the wrong way. He went down after traveling four yards in reverse, though it was unclear whether a teammate or opponent took him off his feet.

Coach Jim Owens, satisfied with the outcome, was asked whether he'd left any highly deceptive plays on the drawing board. After all, the Huskies had used flanker Tom Scott and tight end John Brady all season to run draws and end arounds.

The UW leader thought for a moment, and then smiled and said, "That touchdown that Sonny ran across was our trick play."