Best Washington football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From Steve Emtman to Jake Browning

Steve Emtman, defensive tackle

The original game-wrecker, Steve Emtman deserves to be in the middle of every conversation that involves the greatest Huskies of all time. During his time in college, he was the back-to-back Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. He was also the winner of the Morris Trophy in both those years, an honor given to the toughest lineman in the conference, as voted on by their opponents.

Emtman’s 1991 season during Washington’s run to the national championship, which culminated with a 34-14 thrashing of Michigan in the Rose Bowl, was one of the greatest a college defensive lineman has ever had. Emtman collected pretty much every award a defensive lineman could win on the national circuit.

He was named a consensus All-American, won the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Trophy, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year, which is the highest a Husky has ever finished in the voting. Over that season, he racked up 60 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 of which were sacks.

Washington’s 1991 defense is one of the greatest units in the history of college football, spearheaded by Emtman, the Huskies gave up only 115 points all season long. That +380-point differential is one of the largest in the modern era.

After his college years, Emtman went on to be the only Husky to be taken first overall in the NFL Draft. While his professional career was riddled by injuries, the College Football Hall of Famer will always be remembered as one of the greatest Huskies of all time.