Has Washington won a national championship in football? History of the Huskies explained.
Welcome to 2024, the last year of the current four-team College Football Playoff.
Next season, the playoff expands to a whopping 12 teams, which means — theoretically at least — that even more conferences will be able to participate.
But for this year, it’s undefeated Michigan against undefeated Washington on Monday, Jan. 9, a preview of ... another Big Ten game to come in October.
MICHIGAN: Have the Wolverines ever won a national championship in football?
The Wolverines, of course, are considered one of college football’s bluebloods. But what about the Huskies? Has Washington ever won a national championship? It kind of depends who you ask …
Washington 'wins' 1960 and 1991 national championships
Important history note: Until the BCS started in 1998, there was no official national championship game. Teams were named champs, or claimed national championships based on their final poll ranking — with typically both the coaches’ poll, administered solely or jointly by USA TODAY since 1991, and the Associated Press (AP) poll carrying the most weight. (This practice still continues today, much to the chagrin of many college football fans. Anyone remember UCF after the 2017 season?)
In 1960, after beating Minnesota 17-7 in the Rose Bowl and finishing with a record of 10-1, Washington was named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation.
Never heard of the Helms Foundation? You’re probably under the age of 60. Founded in 1936 by Paul H. Helms and Bill Schroeder, the Los Angeles-based organization aimed to promote athletics and sportsmanship and regularly named a college football and basketball national champion, along with a handful of other awards. When the Helms Foundation eventually dissolved in 1969, much of its archives went to the Amateur Athletic Union.
Then, in 1991, after finishing with a perfect 12-0 record, Washington was named the top team in the country in the coaches poll.
Washington’s 1960 national championship
Want to know something even weirder about the 1960 national championship? The Huskies didn’t claim it until 2007 — and that’s when they had a trophy made for it.
In 1960, Minnesota finished No. 1 in both the AP and coaches polls, but back then, final polls came out before bowl games – which means the Golden Gophers’ loss to the Huskies wasn’t factored in. Ole Miss, which finished the 1960 season 10-0-1 — yes, its record includes a 6-6 tie vs. LSU — also claimed the 1960 national championship after being awarded the Grantland Rice Trophy by the Football Writers of America Association.
After Washington claimed the 1960 title, the Huskies made it official by having the year painted inside Husky Stadium alongside the words “national championship.” They have trophies for both 1960 and 1991 displayed on campus.
Washington’s 1991 national championship
The 1991 season was a little more straightforward. Behind legendary coach Don James, and following Washington's 34-14 thumping of Michigan in the Rose Bowl, the coaches poll (at the time administered jointly by USA TODAY and CNN) named the Huskies national champs.
Other publications to name Washington the top team in the country that season included UPI/National Football Foundation, the Football Writers of America (Grantland Rice Trophy), Sports Illustrated and Sagarin, among others.
The Associated Press poll, on the other hand, selected the Miami Hurricanes as the No. 1 team, with the Huskies coming in at No. 2. Miami had also finished 12-0 that season, ending with a 22-0 win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. Because of this, Miami also claims the 1991 national championship. Some consider the 1991 Washington team one of the best college football squads of all time.
James, who coached the Huskies from 1975-1992, is the winningest coach of all time at UW, compiling a 153-57-2 record with the Huskies. He led them to four Rose Bowl wins and one Orange Bowl win, and won 22 consecutive games from 1990-92.
The current Huskies, by the way, have won 21 games in a row. Washington’s last loss was Oct. 8, 2022, at Arizona State.
Unclaimed national championships
Because college football is a weird sport, there are also a handful of national championship titles that Washington hasn’t claimed, even though other people and publications deemed them so. In both 1984 and 1990, publications like Football News, Berryman, FACT and the National Championship Foundation named the Huskies national champions. Some of these publications selected numerous national champions, though.
In conclusion, for all intents and purposes, Washington has won two national championships. But neither of those came on the field, which makes Monday’s matchup with Michigan that much more special.