Road to 1991 Perfection: Emtman Always Made Himself One of the Guys

The University of Washington All-American impressed his teammates by showing up at a nightclub a lot of them frequented. It wasn't exactly his taste in music.

The head-turning Audi Quattro pulls up in front of Celebrities, an overly popular 1990s Seattle nightclub in the heart of the Pioneer Square district, offering a bit of a music mismatch.

"He's bumping Charlie Daniels," former Huskies defensive Jamal Fountaine remembered.

Out of the sleek sedan steps Steve Emtman.

He's emulating only Emtman.

Vest shirt over no shirt.

Cowboy boots.

Gold chains.

Gold hair.

A celebrity made for Celebrities.

Yet other than the big entrance by the big man, Emtman, a University of Washington defensive tackle soon headed for NFL riches as the No. 1 pick overall, is just one of the guys on this night.

"He gets out and goes right into the club and starts kicking it with us," said Fountaine, now a San Jose, Caifornia, firefighter. 

This is another in series of vignettes about the UW's 1991 national championship team, supplementing the conversation for the pandemic delayed and shortened season. We're in week 11 of this throwback series, Apple Cup week, using a lot of it to salute Emtman. The Huskies leveled Washington State in the rivalry game 56-21.

Emtman, as the photo shows, was always in the middle of everything during the '91 season, whether it was quarterback carnage or creative celebration. He made sure that everyone knew he was a good teammate, just another one of the guys.

After all, who joined in the "Compton Shake" with Jaime Fields, a body-shaking display that drew a Husky Stadium roar and likely a Don James wince following a huge hit during the Arizona game at midseason.

And who turns upin the accompanying image, offering his digital poll opinion while teammates Dana Hall and Tyrone Rodgers cleverly craft the Huskies' perfect record with their hands.

Emtman, of course. 

The Huskies appreciated the 6-foot-4, 290-pounder for his dominant play. They loved him because he was simply a farm boy from Cheney, Washington, who wanted to fit in and nothing more.

His appearance at Celebrities, which by no means was a Country Western bar, helped seal that deal.

"Once that happened, it sort of galvanized our team," Fountaine said, "and it showed he wasn't better than than the rest of us."

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