Husky Roster Review: Memmelaar Played Spring Enforcer, Would Rather Just Play

The offensive lineman from Idaho showed he had a temper.

Dan Raley | Jun 28, 2023

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Washington Huskies

Meeting with the media just once during University of Washington spring football practice, Gaard Memmelaar seemed amiable enough.

He laughed easily at mention of his great uncle's NFL long-ago nickname "the Big Mammo" and claimed he didn't have a catchy nameplate or at least wouldn't use that one. Considering his Idaho background, maybe Mr. Potato Head would work.

He politely answered questions about his progress as a starting candidate at Husky offensive guard after receiving some first-unit reps.

Otherwise, the 6-foot-4, 302-pound Memmelaar was the enforcer. As spring ball turned ultra competitive at times, this guy came off as a rugged, temperamental farm boy from the next state over with a short fuse. No pushover whatsoever. A regular sparring partner.

He got involved in no fewer than four fairly physical dust-ups in April practices. He lashed out at defensive players who dared try to put their hands on his freshman running back Tybo Rogers. He punched people and got punched in return. Shoved others and got shoved back.

If anyone thought these Huskies were just a bunch of nice guys in purple uniforms, all they had to do was unwisely push all of Memmelaar's buttons to find out otherwise.

Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Memmelaar, who wears No. 64 all to himself, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.

Gaard Memmelaar hails from Caldwell, Idaho, where he was that state's top football recruit in 2020. He grew up on family acreage.

Gaard Memmelaar (64) mixes in with fellow offensive guard Nate Kalepo and offensive tackle Troy Fautanu during spring practice.

Geirean Hatchett, Gaard Memmelaar and Myles Murao, from left to right, are captured in this iconic locker room image.

Gaard Memmelaar leaves the practice field with Matteo Mele (78) and Henry Bainivalu (66) during 2022 fall camp.

Gaard Memmelaar comes out of the shadows to take part in 2021 spring practice on the UW's East field.

Dale Memmelaar played nine seasons in the NFL for five teams. He's the great uncle for Gaard Memmelaar. Again, his nickname: The Big Mammo.

Gaard Memmelaar, a player of Dutch ancestry with those three sets of repetitive letters in his names — a, m and a, which sounds like some mixed-martial-arts outfit or looks like the result of some stuck laptop keyboard — was somewhat refreshing in how he played spring bodyguard.

Somebody's got to do it.

For the 15 practices, when he wasn't landing blows, Memmelaar ran mostly with the UW's second-team offense, drawing first-unit reps whenever he could.

Entering his fourth season in the Husky program, it's time for him and his fellow 2020 classmates on the offensive line to make their presence felt more.

After sitting out his first two seasons to redshirt and deal with the pandemic, Memmelaar drew his first game time last fall, inserted in blowouts over Kent State, Portland State, Stanford and Colorado.

He came to the Huskies as Idaho's top prospect in 2020. He carries a deep-rooted pro football gene, culled from his deceased great uncle Dale Memmelaar, a two-way lineman who played for five NFL teams in nine seasons.

Dale was "the Big Mammo." He was one of 10 brothers who grew up in New York, with four of them ending up in Wyoming to play college football.

This next-generation family member now playing UW football wouldn't mind having a catchy label, yet nothing has stuck or been appropriate for public disclosure.

"I want one, but it's locker room," he said.

After what happened this spring, there should be something that gives him a personal license plate he can hang on his helmet.

GAARD MEMMELAAR FILE

Service: Entering his fourth Husky season, Memmelaar has four games under his built, all from 2022, as he's been in development.

Stats: No numbers, just alphabet soup.

Role: Memmelaar will enter fall camp as a second-team offensive guard, likely on the left side, behind Nate Kalepo. His goal should be to play in every game, rotating in and playing special teams.

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Published Jun 28, 2023

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.