Legend of Sixkiller: Owens Had Detractors; Sonny Wasn't One of Them

The Native American quarterback felt he was treated fairly by his coach throughout his time at the University of Washington.

One of the ironies of the Sonny Sixkiller era was the racial unrest surrounding Washington coach Jim Owens and his football program.

Husky cornerback Calvin Jones, running back Mark Wheeler and wide receiver Ira Hammon, all extraordinary African American players, abruptly quit the team as soon as the otherwise upbeat 1970 season ended, citing discriminatory tendencies.

Their exodus followed the 1969 suspensions of running back Harvey Blanks, wide receiver Ralph Bayard and defensive backs Gregg Alex and Lamar Mills, all black players, when they refused to give Owens a loyalty oath that they said was racially motivated. All but Blanks came back. 

Black players told how a largely Southern-oriented UW coaching staff stacked players at positions by race, denied them advancement because of skin color and regularly used racial slurs, going back to Owens' earliest days as coach. 

This actually was a problem of major proportions across the country with black athletes no longer looking the other way at discriminatory practices that were treated as cultural norms. 

On the other hand, Owens put his trust and the leadership of his Husky football team in the hands of a Native American quarterback. 

At least these two saw eye to eye in these times of ongoing societal conflict.

"I know he absolutely loved me, my team and my class," Sixkiller said. "It was just amazing how much genuine affection he had for what I did and what my team did. I never saw him racist."

Owens and Sixkiller had things in common, such as their roots. They were both Oklahoma natives, born in Oklahoma City and Tahlequah, respectively, which were 170 miles apart.

Two months following the 1970 Apple Cup, black and white UW players held a joint news conference and debated a Human Rights Commission report that investigated the program and released its findings.

Sixkiller sat with a handful of players who refuted the charges of racism against Owens, while others said the report was further validation of the coaching misconduct toward African American players.

The UW would later convince Jones, an All-American candidate, to return to the team after hiring a black assistant athletic director, a pair of assistant coaches and an administrator. 

Sixkiller, the exceedingly popular quarterback from Ashland, Oregon, never encountered discrimination over his heritage while growing up. He was just Sonny, a teenager like everyone else, an overly successful athlete. 

Once at Washington, Sixkiller felt he was at a disadvantage only during the UW quarterback competition early on, when he was not taken seriously right away. It had nothing to do with his heritage. It was appearances.

The other guy, Greg Collins, came from California and was taller, blond and played in an all-star game, carrying the prototype quarterback look. Sonny was on the short side came without the hype.

Everything changed once Collins broke his collarbone in the 1970 spring game and Sixkiller was handed the job and made things happen from the outset. 

If there was any consternation over how Owens felt about him, it was eased when the Husky coach and this new starting quarterback met alone with members of the Skywriters Tour, which involved reporters together visiting each conference school to get a preview.

"Coach Owens told them that when they saw me live that I was going to grow," Sixkiller said. "He also said that it didn't matter --  I was his quarterback. That gave me a little pride there."

Years later, he would speak at Owens' funeral and eulogize a man who was both revered and castigated throughout his time coaching at Washington. The coach might have had many run-ins with his African American players , but he and Sonny got along well.

"I always tell people I never saw any racism," Sixkiller said. "I was on the field and they weren't. If he was racist, why would he recruit a skinny, undersized quarterback out of Oregon like me?"