The Huskies' 5 Most Satisfying Victories Over UCLA

Before Oregon became public enemy No. 1, the University of Washington football team used to consider any victory over a Los Angeles football team the ultimate regular-season accomplishment.

It was almost like winning a bowl game.

Don James achieved instant credibility in his first season as Husky coach in 1975 by beating both UCLA and USC in the same calendar year — something that's been done just three times since.

USC annually used to overpower the Huskies with a punishing running back and a monstrous offensive line, and play that monotonous song over and over.

As for UCLA, these were pretty boys in their stylish powder blue and gold colors, always so full of swagger and arrogance, and with a problematic relationship with the UW. 

The Bruins, in fact, are the guys who broke All-American quarterback Bob Schloredt's collarbone in 1960, putting him out for the rest of the regular season and a second consecutive Husky Rose Bowl run in jeopardy. 

UCLA is the school that beat the UW in 1965 with an underhanded play, sending a receiver to the bench only to have him stop at the sideline and then catch an unguarded, game-winning pass called a Z streak. 

The Uclans are the same ones who unmercifully ran it up on a 1969 Husky team that was first overcome by racial strife and without any of its African-American players.

This is the same Westwood group that in 1979 unapologetically took out Joe Steele's knee, ending the UW all-time leading rusher's football career. 

UCLA is the spoil sport that came to Seattle and upset second-ranked UW 25-22 in 1990, costing the Huskies a possible national championship the year before they won one.

This is the same school that sent extremely cocky ex-Bruins quarterback Rick Neuheisel to Seattle to coach the UW and his resulting dismissal in 2002 helped bring about the darkest era of Husky football.

On Saturday, UCLA's Chip Kelly, Ethan Garbers, Colson Yankoff and Ale Kaho on return to Husky Stadium, as a former Duck leader who used to pound the Huskies into submission and a trio of UW defectors who each fled the program and found a comfortable eventual landing spot in UCLA.

To commemorate this overly unfriendly reunion, we bring you the Huskies' five most fulfilling victories over the Bruins:

1966

UW 16, UCLA 3 — The Bruins were favored by two touchdowns, unbeaten at 7-0, ranked No. 3 in the polls and the nation's highest-scoring team at 36.3 points per game. None of it mattered as a steady rain turned Husky Stadium extra soggy and UCLA less than invincible. After swapping field goals, the UW scored on Jeff Jordan's 1-yard plunge, set up by an 80-yard kickoff return, and Frank Smith returned an interception 29 yards to the end zone, to pull a big upset.

1970

UW 61, UCLA 20 — Convinced the Bruins had run up the score a year earlier in winning 57-14 in L.A., coach Jim Owens ordered his team to do the same at Husky Stadium. Starting quarterback Sonny Sixkiller and backup Greg Collins each threw three touchdown passes against the 17th-ranked Bruins. With the score at 54-12, Owens had the Huskies attempt an onside kick, which they recovered and turned into a final score.

1950

UW 21, UCLA 20 — The 10th-ranked Huskies and No. 13 Bruins met in a literal slugfest at Husky Stadium. On the game's final play, UW quarterback Don Heinrich was slammed to the ground and fisticuffs broke out among several players. UCLA quarterback Julie Weisstein earlier suffered a dislocated elbow that ended his season. UW tackle Loren Ray broke his leg and was done. The Huskies won this one when Hugh McElhenny dove into the end zone from 4 yards out with 2:51 left to play and Jim Rosenzweig kicked the game-deciding extra point.

1982 

UW 10, UCLA 7 — The Huskies, 10th-ranked and once-beaten in eight games, held off the No. 9 and unbeaten Bruins in a furious defensive struggle at a windy Husky Stadium. Chuck Nelson's 18-yard field goal in the third quarter gave the UW a 10-0 lead and the deciding points. Husky inside linebacker Mark Stewart was a madman all afternoon long, coming up with a game-high 17 tackles, including 15 unassisted, and 5 went for sacks. 

1960

UW 10, UCLA 8 — This one was tempered by the loss of All-American quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Bob Schloredt to a broken collarbone in the second quarter in a scoreless game. Backup Bob Hivner came in and led the 13th-ranked Huskies on a pair of scoring drives for George Fleming's 28-yard field goal 42 seconds before halftime and Don McKeta's 1-yard TD run late in the third quarter against No. 15 UCLA. The Husky Stadium game ended with a fight that involved several players and was ignited by Bruins tackle Marshall Shirk and McKeta, a former Marine.