50 Years Ago, Sixkiller Turned Husky Football Upside Down

The legend began with an urgent call for Sonny's services on a brilliantly sunny afternoon at Husky Stadium.

Four plays into the 1970 Washington spring football main event, better known as the Alumni-Varsity game, Huskies coach Jim Owens turned to his sideline and yelled, "Sixkiller!"

This after starting quarterback Greg Collins threw a pass to fullback Bo Cornell, took a high hit from a defender and suffered a broken collarbone.

"The next thing I know he's down on the turf and it's holy shit," Sixkiller said. "I grabbed my helmet and didn't even think about what I had to do."

At that moment the legend of Sonny Sixkiller began to take shape. 

Seventy-four plays later, the sophomore quarterback of Cherokee descent from southern Oregon had launched 50 passes and completed 24, good for 389 yards and a touchdown. He led the Huskies to a scorching 43-7 victory over the grads.

It was a shocking display of offense for a UW program typically much more conservative in approach.

Fourteen different receivers caught passes. 

Sixkiller threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Al Maurer and a 67-yard gainer to running back Ron Preston. 

He attempted just 27 passes and connected on 9 in four games for the Huskies freshman team the previous fall.

In one electric afternoon, UW football underwent a complete transformation, stunning all who saw it or played against it.

This was an Owens team that finished 1-9 the season before using the plodding and grinding Wishbone attack. No more.

Sixkiller offered up considerable improvisation during his heroics, dropping back, scrambling and simply letting the ball fly on the run, making this new Husky look all that much more fun.

"We had a lot of new JC transfers at wide receiver and they weren't always running the right routes," he said. "There was a lot of adjustment."

Reporters later entered the football locker room and crowded around Sixkiller, who blinked and whistled when told he had put up 50 passes. Sixkiller's name appeared in headlines atop the Seattle sports pages the following day.

"He demonstrated that he can become a first-string quarterback," Owens said in great understatement, likewise a little dazed by the offensive fireworks.

Player after player on the other side praised Sixkiller's arm, his moxie, field presence, the whole package. Former All-America defensive back Al Worley. Davidson. Kopay.

"The alums told me they hadn't seen anything like this before under Owens," Sixkiller said.