Washington Huskies

Washington Huskies Football History

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In 1995, Washington�s logo depiction of its Husky mascot was redesigned. The new version of the Husky was drawn by Michael G. Reagan using an Alaskan Malamute named Turbo Carrera as the model for the new image. The new Washington football historyversion of the Husky shows a three-quarter profile of the mascot in a pose that is more majestic and regal than the previous version.

Husky Spirit Songs

Washington's fight song 'Bow Down to Washington' was written by Lester Wilson in 1913. Following are the lyrics to the tune, which Husky students and alumni proudly sing at Husky sporting events.

Bow Down to Washington
Bow Down to Washington,
Bow Down to Washington,
Mighty Are The Men
Who Wear the Purple and the Gold,
Joyfully We Welcome Them
Within the Victors Fold.
We Will Carve Their Names
In the Hall of Fame
To Preserve the Memory of Our Devotion.
Heaven Help the Foes of Washington;
They're Trembling at the Feet
Of Mighty Washington,
The Boys Are There With Bells,
Their Fighting Blood Excels,
It's Harder to Push Them Over the Line
Than Pass the Dardanelles.
Victory the Cry of Washington...
Leather Lungs Together
With a Rah! Rah! Rah!
And O'er the Land
Our Loyal Band
Will Sing the Glory
Of Washington Forever.
 
   

Alma Mater
To her we sing who keeps the ward
O'er all her sons from sea to sea
Our alma mater Washington
A health, a health we give to thee
Child of the mighty western land
You're the mother of a mighty race
Silent her gentle vigil holds
In strength, purity and grace
All hail! O Washington!
Thy sons and daughters sing glad acclaim
Through years of youth and loyalty
And still in age we sing they fame
In honor thy towers stand
The battlements shine in dawning light
And glow again in sunset rays
All hail! O Washington!

Victory for Washington
Vict'ry for Washington
For the purple and the gold
Vict'ry for Washington
Hear the Husky cry of old to win
The Husky pack is fighting on again
Hear the loyal rooters sing
Vict'ry for Washington
Our Alma Mater will ring.

Despite claims by others, the Wave can trace its origin back to Husky Stadium. It was October 31, 1981 when former cheerleader Rob Weller (yes, the same Rob Weller who once co-hosted Entertainment Tonight) was back on the sidelines and instructed the Washington crowd to start in one section and make a human wave that rolled around Husky Stadium. The original Wave saw Husky fans remain standing until a full circle was completed in the stadium. Weller�s original idea - working with former Husky Band Director Bill Bissell - was to have the crowd stand rapidly from the lowest seats to the highest. But they could not effectively coordinate the attempts. The Wave is believed to have started in the third quarter as the Huskies reeled off 28 points in route to a 42-31 win over the John Elway led Stanford team.

School Colors: Purple and Gold

Washington�s school colors, Purple and Gold, were adopted in 1892 by a vote of a student assembly on the original downtown Seattle campus. One patriotic group favored Red, White and Blue as the University�s colors, reasoning that �since the school was named after the father of our country, our national colors should be the school�s colors.� The opposing faction argued that national colors should not be degraded for such everyday use. The debate was ended when a young English instructor, Miss Frazier, stood and read the following excerpt from Lord Byron�s �Destruction of Sennacherib.�

�The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
And the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.�

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