With the 2026 football season still 16 days away, Washington’s countdown to Sept. 6 and the home date with Washington State has turned into a look back at the players who wore each number on the way in.
For No. 16, Steve Pelluer stands out as one of the most productive quarterbacks in Husky history.
From 1981-83, he started 30 games, including every contest in his senior year, and left Washington ranked 10th all-time with 4,917 passing yards and 9th all-time in completion percentage at .571. The Huskies went 28-8 during his time in the program, and his resume is loaded with big moments: a 28-0 win over Iowa in the 1982 Rose Bowl, and a 25-24 comeback over Michigan in 1983 that ended with Pelluer completing 15 straight passes.
He found Mark Pattison for a touchdown with 34 seconds left, then hit Larry Michael on the two-point conversion for the winning margin. As a senior, he was the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American.
Pelluer’s football life kept moving after Washington. Dallas took him in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL Draft, while the Oakland Invaders selected him in the sixth round of the 1984 USFL Draft.
He spent five seasons with the Cowboys before a trade sent him to Kansas City, with former Oregon quarterback Bill Musgrave going to Dallas. Pelluer stayed with the Chiefs for three seasons, then landed in Denver for the 1992 season after his release from Kansas City.
After three years away from pro football, he signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL, but a shoulder injury in Week 2 cost him most of that season. He later joined the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football, helped the team reach the World Bowl, and retired the next season.
There’s another Washington name tied to No. 16 that deserves a spot because of how unusual his role was. Steve Wiezbowski wasn’t just a defensive back for the Huskies from 1970-72 - he also handled the kicking duties.
As a sophomore, he earned All-Coast Honorable Mention after going 6-of-9 on field goals and 35-of-36 on extra points. In his senior season, which also was Sonny Sixkiller’s senior year, he made 5-of-8 field goals and 23-of-26 PATs while also intercepting three passes.
That kind of two-way contribution is the sort of thing that’s hard to imagine repeating anytime soon.
Marvin Hall gives the number a more modern flavor. The Los Angeles native spent four years at Washington, across the final two Steve Sarkisian seasons and the first two Chris Petersen seasons, and turned that into a pro career that’s still rolling.
At UW, he made four starts, caught 25 passes for 409 yards and one touchdown, and also took a turn as a return man early in his career with mixed results. His best-known Washington moment may have come on the double pass against USC in 2015, when he caught a throw from Jake Browning and fired it to Josh Perkins for a touchdown in a 17-12 win.
Hall went undrafted in 2016, then signed with Oakland, was waived, and moved on to Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and, two months ago, New England. That’s seven teams in six years, and he’s still producing, with 37 catches for 772 yards, five touchdowns and 657 return yards in his NFL career.
In Other News...
Washingtons New-Look Roster Faces Its First Real Test Before The Opener
Before the 2026 season opener against Washington State, the Huskies will get one more live look at themselves in a mock game at Husky Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 6. Fans are invited to watch, and the setting should offer an early read on how a roster with plenty of young and new faces is coming together as the preseason reaches its final stretch.
The exercise is expected to shine a light on the position battles that have been developing behind the scenes, from the offensive line to the defense and receiver group. It will also give the staff a chance to assess player development in real time, with coverage planned throughout the day, including live updates, a postgame story, a podcast and interviews. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Just Lost Two Key Veterans At The Worst Time
A late legal turn has put Washington in a tough spot as camp approaches, with the program suddenly dealing with more uncertainty around veteran depth than it expected. The issue traces back to a previous injunction that had opened the door for certain NCAA football players from the recruiting Class of 2022 to gain a fifth year of eligibility, a ruling that looked like it could help several teams navigate roster building and experience at once.
Now the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has stayed that injunction, and the Huskies are feeling the effect immediately. Players who filed suit in state courts can still move forward, but others are in limbo, including defensive tackle Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei and kicker Grady Gross, who are not permitted to practice with Washington while the case works through the system. With the season drawing close, there is not much time left for that picture to change. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Mock Game Put Real Pressure On A Key Huskies Battle
Husky Stadium got a real dress rehearsal Saturday, with Washington putting nearly 90 plays on the field in a public scrimmage that mixed live looks with situational work. It was the kind of afternoon that lets a staff see where the roster is before the games start carrying more weight, and Demond Williams made his case with a sharp showing in the passing game while the defense had its own moments, including Ksani Jiles taking an interception back 40 yards.
For a team getting ready to face Washington State, the bigger takeaway may be how close the Huskies are to having the full group available again. Jedd Fisch said the previously held-out players will be ready to go starting Sunday, which gives Washington a cleaner picture as it turns from scrimmage tempo to game-week prep. With rivalry week ahead, the remaining questions are less about effort than about which battles on the depth chart are going to matter most when the real lineup gets set. [Read more 🡒]