Road to 1991 Perfection: Mario Lived Up to Pinkel's Projections Against Him

The University of Washington wide receiver, facing his old Husky offensive coordinator and a big supporter, was at his best playing just a half against Toledo.

Mario Bailey didn't have much to complain about during the University of Washington football team's 1991 national championship run and perfect 12-0 season.

He set school records. Became an Associated Press first-team All-American. Struck his Rose Bowl Heisman pose.

However, he had one pet peeve.

To often, when he really got going, Bailey never set foot in the second half of a game. 

Twice he caught three touchdown passes in the first half of a '91 outing and both times he had to shut it off at intermission when he really could have rolled up some incredible receiving numbers.

One of those unstoppable games for Mario came against Toledo and his former Husky offensive coordinator Gary Pinkel, now a first-year head coach in the MAC and one year removed from the UW.

Bailey found the end zone from 4, 5 and 70 yards out over the first 30 minutes — and he was done for the day in a 48-0 victory in the fifth game of the season. Yet he wasn't alone.

"Coach James loved him, just like all of us did," he said. "He didn't want to embarrass him so he took out all starters at halftime."

This is another in series of vignettes about the UW 1991 national championship football team, filling in the conversation before the pandemic-delayed season begins next month.

When this mismatch was over, Bailey sought out Pinkel and gave him a big hug. The coach didn't recruit him but the offensive coordinator had been in Mario's corner since he was a freshman.

"He said don't listen because those guys are from California or those other places," Pinkel told him. "I've seen your tape. You can be just as good if not better than them. Don't let that deter you from what you think you can be."

Bailey took him to heart. He was good that day and 11 others in 1991. 

In this second video, he talks about his early exits and what he told his family members at halftime. 

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