Under fourth-year head coach Jim Owens,[1] Washington was 9–1 in the regular season, 4–0 in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), defeated top-ranked Minnesota in the Rose Bowl, and outscored its opponents 272 to 107.
[4][5][6][7] The University of Washington officially recognized the 1960 football team as national champions in 2007,[8] wearing throwback uniforms in their game vs. USC.
[9][10] Led on the field by senior quarterback Bob Schloredt, an All-American the previous year, the Huskies started the season ranked third.
A one-point loss on a last-minute field goal by Orange Bowl-bound Navy two weeks earlier in Seattle was the season's only blemish.
[14][15] The Huskies returned to the Rose Bowl to meet the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten Conference on January 2.