In its 16th season under head coach Jim Owens, the team compiled an 8–3 record, finished in a tie for third place in the Pacific-8 Conference, and outscored its opponents by a combined total of 208 to 204.
[1] Defensive back Bill Cahill and quarterback Sonny Sixkiller were the team captains, and defensive back Calvin Jones was selected as the team's most valuable player.
A top ten pick in the preseason, the Huskies were undefeated after five games and ranked twelfth in the AP Poll,[2] but Sixkiller suffered ankle and knee injuries early in the Stanford game in mid-October.
[3] Quarterbacks Greg Collins, Dennis Fitzpatrick, and Mark Backman then led the offense, with losses at Stanford and #1 USC,[4] followed by consecutive wins over California and Oregon State.
[5][6] Sixkiller returned to the lineup for senior day at Husky Stadium on November 11 and Washington beat #8 UCLA,[7][8] but dropped the Apple Cup to #20 Washington State at Spokane.