Washington Huskies Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington ' s athletic teams . The school is a member of the Pacific - 12 Conference . The athletic program is made up of 9 men ' s sports ( baseball , basketball , crew , cross country , football , golf , soccer , tennis , track and field ) and 10 women ' s sports ( basketball , crew , cross country , golf , gymnastics , soccer , softball , tennis , track and field , volleyball ) . Among its facilities on campus are Husky Stadium ( football and track & field ) , Hec Edmundson Pavilion ( basketball , gymnastics and volleyball ) , Husky Ballpark ( baseball ) , Husky Softball Stadium ( softball ) , the Nordstrom Tennis Center , the Dempsey Indoor practice facility , and the Conibear Shellhouse ( rowing ) . The golf team ' s home course is at the Washington National Golf Club in Auburn . UW students , sports teams , and alumni are called Huskies . The husky was selected as the school mascot by student committee in 1923 . It replaced the " Sun Dodger , " an abstract reference to the local weather that was quickly dropped in favor of something more tangible . The costumed " Harry the Husky " performs at sporting and special events , and a live Alaskan Malamute , currently named Dubs , has traditionally led the UW football team onto the field at the start of games . The school colors of purple and gold were adopted in 1892 by student vote . The choice was purportedly inspired by the first stanza of Lord Byron ' s " The Destruction of Sennacherib " : " The Assyria n came down like the wolf on the fold , " " And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold ; " " And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea , " " When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee . " Husky Athletic Village . The development of the Husky Athletic Village begins with the construction of the new Husky Stadium . Husky Stadium serves as the first and primary income source of a completely remodeled athletic district which includes a new $ 15 million dollar Husky Ballpark , a new track and field stadium , renovated soccer stadium , $ 20 – 40 million basketball operations and practice facility and recently completed projects such as the Husky Legends Center , a state - of - the - art golf training facility , the Dempsey Indoor track and field facility , the Conibear Shellhouse as well as the Alaska Airlines Arena renovation . Along with new facilities , a master plan has been created outlining future and existing space for projects , open space , plantings , parking , as well as a general concept for street and walking grids . All existing and future projects will be set up in a " village " type atmosphere , where fans and athletes can walk along tree lined sidewalks from one facility to the next . This major remodel of the athletic village is coinciding with construction for an underground station for a northern extension of the Link Light Rail system , and a planned replacement of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge . Football . The University football team ' s first game was in 1889 . From 1907 to 1917 , Washington football teams were unbeaten in 63 consecutive games , an NCAA Division I - A record . During this period , Washington won 39 games in a row under coach Gil Dobie , currently the second longest winning streak in NCAA Division I - A history . In 1916 , Dobie finished his remarkable coaching career at Washington with an undefeated 58 - 0 - 3 record . The 1925 team posted an undefeated record but lost to Alabama 21 - 20 in the Rose Bowl . The 1960 team finished 10 - 1 , under coach Jim Owens , and won its second consecutive Rose Bowl by defeating national champion Minnesota 17 - 7 ( the national champion was declared before the bowl games in 1960 ) . Coach Owens served from 1957 to 1974 . Don James became head coach in 1975 and transformed the team into a national power while compiling a 153 - 57 - 2 record . James ' first successful year was in 1977 with the team quarterbacked by Warren Moon culminating in a 27 - 20 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl . Washington and Michigan played again in the Rose Bowl in 1981 resulting in a Michigan win 23 - 11 . The next year , the Huskies returned to the Rose Bowl and defeated Iowa 28 - 0 , the last Rose Bowl shutout and the only shutout in the past half century . Following a two - year hiatus during which cross - state rival WSU prevented the Huskies from Rose Bowl appearances by defeating them in the last game of the 1982 and 1983 seasons , Washington posted an 11 - 1 record and beat Oklahoma 28 - 17 to win the Orange Bowl . Senior running back , Jacque Robinson won the MVP award and was the first player to win MVP awards for both the Orange and Rose Bowl s . The 1991 team is considered to be the best Washington Husky football team and among the best in college football history . The team went undefeated , steamrolling opponents by an average score of 42 - 9 in regular season , including wins over No . 9 Nebraska , No . 7 California and a 34 - 14 win over No . 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl . In 2000 , Washington finished with an 11 - 1 record , and won its seventh Rose Bowl under the leadership of Marques Tuiasosopo . In 2009 , under first - year head coach Steve Sarkisian , the Huskies snapped a 15 - game losing streak with a 42 - 23 victory over Idaho . The following week , Washington crushed the spirits of then - No . 3 USC , winning 16 - 13 on a last - second field goal . The Huskies rose to No . 25 in the polls after the victory but lost six of their next eight games to fall to 5 - 7 prior to a season finale showdown against No . 19 - ranked California , where the Huskies won 42 - 10 . Rowing . Rowing is a longstanding tradition at the University of Washington dating back to 1901 . The Washington men ' s crew gained international prominence by winning the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin , defeating the German and Italian crews . < http : / / www . slate . com / articles / sports / fivering _ circus / 2012 / 07 / _ 1936 _ olympics _ rowing _ the _ greatest _ underdog _ nazi _ defeating _ american _ olympic _ victory _ you _ ve _ never _ heard _ of _ . html > In 1958 , the men ' s crew furthered their lore with a shocking win over Leningrad Trud ' s world champion rowers in Moscow , resulting in the first American sporting victory on Soviet soil , and certainly the first time a Russian crowd gave any American team a standing ovation during the Cold War . The Rowing Programs at Washington are the most successful collegiate athletic program of any type at any university anywhere in the world . UW Rowing has won Twenty Six ( 26 ) National Titles . No other program is even close . In all , the Washington men ' s crew has won 15 national titles , 15 individual Olympic gold medals , two silver and five bronze . In 2012 the men won every event at the National Championships . The women have 11 national titles and two individual Olympic gold medals . The crew ' s traditional rival has been the other West Coast powerhouse , the University of California Golden Bears . Notable non varsity sports . Rugby . Founded in 1963 , the University of Washington Husky Rugby Club plays college rugby in Division 1 in the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference against local rivals such as Washington State and Oregon . The Huskies have won the Northwest championship in 1996 , 2002 , 2004 and 2005 . The Huskies are led by head coach Brian Schoener , who formerly played for the U . S . national team , and by former U . S . national team player Kevin Swiryn . The Huskies rugby team is partially funded by an endowment from the alumni association .