Sonny Sixkiller
No. 28, 6, 11 | |
---|---|
Position: | Quarterback |
Personal information | |
Born: | Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S. | September 6, 1951
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Ashland (OR) |
College: | Washington |
Undrafted: | 1973 |
Career history | |
Alex L. "Sonny" Sixkiller[1] (born September 6, 1951) is a former American football player and sports commentator. He is currently a senior manager for business development for Huskies Sports Properties, the rights-holder for University of Washington Athletics.[2]
Early years
Sonny Sixkiller, a member of the Cherokee Nation, was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A year later, he moved with his family to Ashland, Oregon where his father worked in a lumber mill.[3][4] He attended Ashland High School and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.
In football, Sixkiller was an All-Southern Oregon Conference selection and a second team all-state selection. He was a back-up at quarterback as a sophomore to senior Gene Willis, who later played at Washington. In basketball, he was an all-conference selection. In baseball, he was a pitcher and an all-conference selection. Sixkiller graduated in 1969 and had hoped to stay in-state and play for Oregon State in Corvallis, but head coach Dee Andros declined to offer him a scholarship, wary of his short stature (5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 171 lb (78 kg)).[3][5]
University of Washington
On the advice of Willis, head coach Jim Owens recruited Sixkiller and offered him a scholarship to the University of Washington in Seattle. Due to his name, he was given uniform number 6. Sixkiller became the starting quarterback for the Huskies as a sophomore in 1970,[5] and led the Huskies to a 6-4 record, a vast improvement over the 1–9 record in 1969. He completed 186 passes for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns in what many called the Year of The Quarterback.
Sixkiller missed four games as a senior in 1972. He finished his college career with 385 completions for 5,496 yards and 35 touchdowns, and held fifteen school records.[6] The Huskies posted consecutive 8–3 records in 1971 and 1972.[7] The Pac-8 Conference allowed only one team to play in the postseason, the Rose Bowl, until the 1975 season.
Professional football
Unselected in the
Sixkiller was also a cast member in the
See also
References
- ^ "Soph passer brings hopt to Huskies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 19, 1970. p. 14.
- ^ "Washington Huskies". 5 April 2019.
- ^ a b "'Legend of Sonny Sixkiller' latest football ballad". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). UPI. November 14, 1970. p. 2-C.
- ^ Blount, Roy Jr. (October 4, 1971). "The magic number is Sixkiller". Sports Illustrated. p. 34.
- ^ a b Brown, Bruce (September 8, 1970). "UW is led by Indian". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 18.
- ^ a b "Sonny's bid for Ram job comes to end". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. August 12, 1973. p. B1.
- ^ "Washington Yearly Results". Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2023-08-21. - Washington Huskies - 1970-74
- ^ "Bell inks Huskies' Sixkiller". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 20, 1974. p. 26.
- ^ "Sixkiller talks 'last hurrah'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 22, 1975. p. 3B.
External links
- Just Sports Stats
- WFL stats
- College stats
- Sonny Sixkiller at IMDb
- Profile of Sixkiller from the Mail Tribune (September 17, 2004)
- "Sports Illustrated cover: October 4, 1971". Retrieved 2017-09-23.
- Sports Press Northwest – Wayback Machine: Sixkiller becomes an icon
- Boys' Life – October 1971