The University of Washington has produced 14 quarterbacks drafted by the NFL.
The Huskies had first-round draft picks (Lee Grosscup, Jake Locker) and quarterbacks who started NFL championship games (Don Heinrich), Super Bowls (Chris Chandler) and Pro Bowls (Mark Brunell).
Those 14 quarterbacks went on to start 449 NFL games.
But the best quarterback ever to come out of Washington wasn’t even drafted. Warren Moon took the Huskies to the Rose Bowl where he won game MVP honors in an upset of Michigan. But the NFL had not warmed to the idea of African-American quarterbacks in 1978.
So Moon went undrafted.
Undaunted, he signed with Edmonton of the Canadian Football League and promptly steered the Eskimos to five consecutive Grey Cup championships. He set a CFL record with 5,648 passing yards in a single season in 1983 en route to league MVP honors in his final season up north.
Moon signed with the Houston Oilers in 1984 and went on to play 17 seasons in the NFL, earning trips to the Pro Bowl in nine of them. He threw for 49,325 yards and 291 touchdowns to earn a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection. Moon is the only player in both the Pro Football and CFL Halls of Fame.
So pencil Moon in as the quarterback on Washington’s all-time NFL team. He is joined by two other Hall of Famers, defensive tackle Arnie Weinmeister and halfback Hugh McElhenny, plus the NFL’s 20th all-time leading rusher, Corey Dillon.
Here is the University of Washington’s all-time NFL team:
QB—Warren Moon, Hall of Fame
HB—Corey Dillon, 4 Pro Bowls, 11,241 rushing yards, 82 TDs, Super Bowl ring
FB—Marcel Reece, 3 Pro Bowls, blocking back for Darren McFadden
WR—Jerome Pathon, 8 seasons, 260 catches, 15 touchdowns
WR—Jermaine Kearse, 7 seasons, 255 catches, 17 touchdowns
TE—Mark Bruener, 14 seasons, 139 starts, 152 catches
T—Lincoln Kennedy, 3 Pro Bowls, 11 seasons, 141 starts
T—Khalif Barnes, 12 seasons, 117 starts
G—Kevin Gogan, 3 Pro Bowls, 14 years, 179 starts, 2 Super Bowl rings
G—Jake Kupp, Pro Bowl, 12 years, 131 starts
C—Olin Kreutz, 6 Pro Bowls, 14 years, 187 starts
DE—Ben Davidson, 3 Pro Bowls, 11 years, 65 sacks
DE—Doug Martin, 10 years, 94 starts, 62 sacks
DT—Arnie Weinmeister, Hall of Fame
DT—D’Marco Farr, 7 seasons, 88 starts, 37 sacks, Super Bowl ring
OLB—Chuck Allen, 2 Pro Bowls, 12 years, 28 interceptions
MLB—Mason Foster, 8 years, 92 starts, 667 tackles
*-OLB—Shaq Thompson, 7 years, 89 starts, 574 tackles
*-CB—Marcus Peters, 3 Pro Bowls, 6 years, 31 interceptions, 6 TDs
CB—Mark Lee, 12 years, 32 interceptions
S—Lawyer Milloy, 4 Pro Bowls, 15 years, 25 interceptions, Super Bowl ring
*-S—Budda Baker, 4 Pro Bowls, 5 years, 10 takeaways
K—Jeff Jaeger, Pro Bowl, 12 years, 229 FGs, 1,008 points
P—Rich Camarillo, 5 Pro Bowls, 16 years, 1,027 punts, 42.7-yard average
KR—Hugh McElhenny, Hall of Fame
*-ST—Cory Littleton, Pro Bowl, 5 blocked punts in his first 2 years
*-Still active
Rick….
What about The King: Hall of Famer Hugh Mcelhenny? Played halfback, fullback, returner and was one of the most entertaining players at every level he played — high school, junior college, Washing and the NFL.
McElhenny, known as “The King,” was a two-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler over the course of his 13-year career playing for the 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Detroit Lions.
Per HOF Bio: “Considered the greatest ‘thrill runner’ of his day, McElhenny ran with a tremendously long stride and high knee action,. His breakaway speed and unique ability to change direction at will left defenders dazed and confused.”
As a San Francisco native, I watched him on the 49ers and he was one of the most entertaining and prolific runners ever.
A first-round pick out of Washington in 1952, McElhenny enjoyed a spectacular rookie season. He scored a 40-yard touchdown on his first pro play, led the league with 7.0 yards per attempt in his rookie season and earned Rookie of the Year honors. McElhenny was a triple-threat as a runner, pass catcher and returner during his career, recording 60 total touchdowns from all three phases (38 running, 20 receiving, 2 punt return).
He set numerous records at Washington….and was way ahead of his time in terms of NIL money ….and admitted it
McElhenny starred in San Francisco for nine years and his flamboyant style may have saved the franchise long before Eddie DeBartolo came along…..A member of the 49ers’ Million Dollar Backfield with Y.A. Tittle, John Henry Johnson and Joe Perry. The back finished his career with two seasons in Minnesota, where he earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 1961, and one each in New York and Detroit.
When he retired after the 1964 season, McElhenny was one of only three players to have gained more than 11,000 all-purpose yards (11,375).
All due respect to Marcel Reece, now a vice president with the Raiders, but McElhenny was a superior player both in college and the NFL….