Current Husky Captains Are Unique Group in Team History

The UW has had two linebackers serve together just once before.

Huskies linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala reacts to a play against Texas in the 2024 Sugar Bowl. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

To choose game captains, most college football teams select four players, usually seniors, often one from a different position group.

That's why the University of Washington's recently revealed leaders are unique in appearance -- the Huskies have six of them, two of which are inside linebackers, and one who is the son of a former UW captain.

These current Montlake captains consist of inside linebackers Alphonzo Tuputala and Carson Bruener, quarterback Will Rogers, running back Cam Davis, safety Kamren Fabiculanan and kicker Grady Gross.

Tuputala and Bruener are just the second set of Husky linebackers in team history to serve as leaders at the same time, joining Ink Aleaga and John Fiala, who played side by side for the 1996 Husky defensive unit.

"It's just a great opportunity, man, to be able have me and 'Cars,' having been here awhile, to be that standard for our players to look up to," Tuputala said. "It's something to be honorable and thankful about."

Bruener becomes just the second UW player to follow his father, Mark Bruener, a 1994 tight end, as a captain. They were preceded by Jaxson and Dean Kirkland, both offensive linemen, with Jaxson handling this responsibility in 2020 and 2022 and his father serving in that role in 1990.

Rogers, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior, previously served as a captain at Mississippi State, sometimes sharing in this role with running back Dillon Johnson, who transferred and played for the Huskies last season.

The UW has chosen captains in many different ways, going with just one for each of its first 51 teams. In 1941, with World War II fast approaching for the U.S., the Huskies played a nine-game season without a designated captain for the only time in school annals.

The UW had two season-long captains for the first time in 1950, when end Joe Cloidt and center Mike Michael were selected.

Once Jim Owens took over as coach in 1957, he chose his captains on a game-by-game basis for his first four seasons.

Coach Don James went with a standard four captains for his first 11 seasons before six were voted in for the first time at the UW in 1986 in nose guard Steve Alvord, fullback Rick Fenney, offensive tackle Kevin Gogan, tight end Rod Jones, safety Tim Peoples and defensive tackle Reggie Rogers.

The Huskies have had two sets of brothers serve as captains at separate times in quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo in 1999 and fullback Zach Tuiasosopo in 2005, and linebacker Dave Hoffmann in 1992 and defensive tackle Steve Hoffmann in 1995.

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