UW Hails 60th Anniversary of First Football National Championship — Do You?

The polls ranked the Huskies fifth and sixth six decades ago, but were settled before the bowl games.

The University of Washington over the weekend publicly saluted its 1961 Rose Bowl victory, an impressive 17-7 decision over top-ranked Minnesota, and rightly so.

In the same breath, the school congratulated also itself on the 60th anniversary of winning its first national championship.

Huh?

For more than a dozen years now, the UW has recognized itself as the national title-holder from that glorious season played six decades ago, one that was near-perfect — except for a 15-14 loss to Navy in the third week of the season.

It had a large flag made that advertises as much and hangs in Husky Stadium.

The only problem with this bit of creative handiwork is no one outside of the Montlake campus shares in this distinction.

No surprise, Oregon fans really make fun of it. 

What do you think?

The Huskies ran the table and were legitimately were voted No. 1 in the United Press International poll, sharing in a co-national championship with the Associated Press's top-ranked Miami in 1991.

Do you recognize 1960, as well?

That Husky team truly was magical, no question. It overcame the loss of All-American quarterback Bob Schloredt to a dislocated shoulder at midseason. It won four games by a point, another by two points. It saw Schloredt make a glorious return on New Year's Day, where he was named Rose Bowl MVP after coming off the bench and running and throwing for scores.

The 1961 Rose Bowl. 

Rose Bowl program

In those days, the final college football polls conducted by the AP and UPI/coaches were voted on at the end of the regular season, not after the bowl games.

That Minnesota team, which was beaten during the season by Purdue 23-14 in the eighth week, finished 8-1 and ranked No. 1 in both polls.

The Huskies, a loser only to Navy 15-14, finished well down the ladder — sixth in the final AP poll, fifth in the last UPI ranking.

With no post-bowl resolution, the UW simply took it upon itself to decide for everyone else what might have been, announcing in 2007 that its football team had a second national title tucked away.

The only problem with this independent action is Mississippi initially finished as the nation's only unbeaten major-college team at 8-0-1 and was ranked third by AP and second by UPI in 1960. The SEC team tied LSU 6-6, but didn't play in the postseason.

Then there was Missouri. It lost its final regular-season game to Kansas 23-14, but the game was forfeited and reversed later on because the Jayhawks used an ineligible player. Missouri beat Navy 21-14 in the Orange Bowl — the only conqueror of the Huskies — and ultimately finished 11-0 in 1960. 

Then there was Iowa, which finished 8-1 and ranked third in the AP poll and second by UPI. The Hawkeyes lost only to Minnesota 27-13 but didn't get a bowl appearance.

Yet the UW, because it beat No. 1-ranked Minnesota, will pat itself on the back this weekend. 

Are you buying that?

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