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"The Origin of "Huskies"
The Huskies were called Sun Dodgers starting in 1919. The nickname originated
when a college magazine of the same name was banned from campus and, in protest, students adopted the name for their teams. But
the Sun Dodgers did not do much for the Northwest's image, so a committee set out in 1921 to pick a new nickname.
Alaskan Malamute:
The UW uses the Husky breed, the Alaskan Malamute, because it is the largest and strongest of all Husky breeds.
The Husky was voted the most appropriate. The nickname was selected by a joint comittee of students, coaches, faculty, alumni and businessmen.
Other suggested nicknames were Wolves, Malamutes, Tyees, Vikings, Northmen and Olympics.
Sept. 29, 2008 - The University of Washington announced its plans today to establish a permanent name for its live dog mascot. "The pending
retirement of Spirit, (officially: Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust), presented the athletic department with the ideal opportunity to
make the change and we knew we wanted to have a way for all Husky fans to participate in the process"
"Harry the Husky and Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust (Spirit):"
Whitepaw's Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust ("Spirit") made his debut as Washington's mascot in 1999. He is the 10th
Alaskan Malamute to have served as the Husky mascot. He leads the team out of the tunnel before every home football game and wanders
the sidelines during the contest accompanied by trainer Kim Cross and several of Cross' children, who act as handlers. The previous
mascots were Frosty I (1922-29), Frosty II (1930-36), Wasky (1946), Wasky II (1947-53), Ski (1954-57), Denali (1958), King
Chinook (1959-68), Regent Denali (1969-80), Sundodger (1981-91), King Redoubt (1992-97) and Prince Redoubt (1998). The Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity acquired the first dog, Frosty I, and acted as its handlers. In 1959, Harry Cross, a professor of law at the University, took
over the dog handler duties with King Chinook. Chinook's first appearance was the Idaho game that season. Cross' son, Kim, watched the
dog on the sidelines.
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