Purple and Gold Forever

Remembering Our Heroes

Dave Williams, who still owns a University of Washington football record, and Bruce Stirling, the first Husky ever to win a conference men’s 1,500-meter track title, passed away earlier this year. We wish to honor their legacies.

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Dave Williams: Husky legend

Long before he became the very first Seattle Seahawk, Williams was a Washington Husky. Williams (1967), who performed not only on the football field but also on the track for the Huskies during the 1960s, died on June 19 in Amelia Island, Fla., following a lengthy illness. He was 78.

A two-time Associated Press All-American, Williams still owns UW’s single-game record for most receptions by a tight end, catching 10 passes in a 41-8 rout of Stanford in a Pacific-8 Conference game on Oct. 30, 1965. Just one week later, he caught another 10 in a 28-24 loss to UCLA.

For his career, Williams had 62 catches for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also was a four-time All-American in track. At the 1966 NCAA national meet, he was fourth in the 440-yard hurdles and sixth in the 120 hurdles.

Williams started his NFL career in 1967, playing first for the St. Louis Cardinals, and later for the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1976, Williams became the first player to sign a contract with the expansion Seahawks. But he never made it onto the field after injuring his knee during a summer track meet.

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Bruce Stirling: Historic UW track pioneer

Stirling (1987), who won the 1987 Pac-10 title in the 1,500, died on Feb. 24 in Tacoma. He was 59.

A graduate of Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Stirling ran a winning time of 3:44.29. It wasn’t until 28 years later, at the 2015 Pac-12 meet, that another Husky man, Izaic Yorks, won the 1,500.

Stirling went on to post a then-school record of 3:39.89 to take eighth place at the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La. That standard stood for 22 years.

In 1988, he ran his first sub-4 in the mile, clocking 3:59.10 at Oregon’s legendary Hayward Field.

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— Mark Moschetti