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{{Short description|American football player and sports commentator (born 1951)}}
'''Sonny Sixkiller''' is an [[United States|American]] [[American football|football]] player and [[sports commentator]]. He was a [[quarterback]] for the [[University of Washington]] [[Washington Huskies football|Huskies]] from 1970-1972. His family is originally from [[Oklahoma]], but he grew up in [[Ashland, Oregon|Ashland]], [[Oregon]], [[United States]]. He was a member of the [[Los Angeles Rams]] for a short period of time although most of his career he spent in the [[Canadian Football League]]. Sixkiller also played with [[The Hawaiians]] of the [[World Football League]]. He was also a cast member in the original ''[[The Longest Yard (1974 film)|The Longest Yard]]''. Sixkiller currently works as a [[color analyst]] for [[FSN Northwest]].
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
|name=Sonny Sixkiller
|image=
|number=28, 6, 11
|position=[[Quarterback]]
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1951|9|6}}
|birth_place=[[Tahlequah, Oklahoma]], U.S.
|height_ft=5
|height_in=11
|weight_lbs=190
|high_school=[[Ashland High School (Oregon)|Ashland (OR)]]
|college=[[Washington Huskies football|Washington]]
|undraftedyear=1973
|pastteams=
* [[Philadelphia Bell]] ({{NFL Year|1974}})
* [[The Hawaiians (WFL)|The Hawaiians]] ({{NFL Year|1975}})
}}
'''Alex L.''' "'''Sonny'''" '''Sixkiller'''<ref name=alex>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4wsSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=le0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2352%2C957755 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Soph passer brings hopt to Huskies |date=September 19, 1970 |page=14}}</ref> (born September 6, 1951) is an American former [[American football|football]] player and [[sports commentator]]. He is currently a senior manager for business development for Huskies Sports Properties, the rights-holder for University of Washington Athletics.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.learfield.com/partner/huskies-sports-properties/ | title=Washington Huskies | date=5 April 2019 }}</ref>


==Early years==
{{start box}}
Sonny Sixkiller, a member of the [[Cherokee Nation]], was born in [[Tahlequah, Oklahoma]]. A year later, he moved with his family to [[Ashland, Oregon]] where his father worked in a lumber mill.<ref name=legsix>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2StSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qnUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7222,2623012 |work=St. Petersburg Times |location=(Florida) |title='Legend of Sonny Sixkiller' latest football ballad |agency=UPI |date=November 14, 1970 |page=2-C}}</ref><ref name=blount>{{Cite news|last=Blount| first=Roy Jr.|title=The magic number is Sixkiller|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=October 4, 1971|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/10/04/612437/the-magic-number-is-sixkiller<!--
{{succession box | title=[[Washington Huskies Starting Quarterbacks]]| before=[[Gene Willis]] | years=1970-72| after=[[Chris Rowland]]}}
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085362/index.htm--> |page=34}}</ref> He attended [[Ashland High School (Oregon)|Ashland High School]] and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.
{{end box}}

In football, Sixkiller was an All-Southern Oregon Conference selection and a second team all-state selection. He was a back-up at quarterback as a sophomore to senior Gene Willis, who later played at [[Washington Huskies football|Washington]]. In [[basketball]], he was an all-conference selection. In [[baseball]], he was a pitcher and an all-conference selection. Sixkiller graduated in 1969 and had hoped to stay in-state and play for [[Oregon State Beavers football|Oregon State]] in [[Corvallis, Oregon|Corvallis]], but head coach [[Dee Andros]] declined to offer him a [[Athletic scholarship|scholarship]], wary of his short stature ({{height|ft=5|in=11}}, {{convert|171|lb|abbr=on}}).<ref name=legsix/><ref name=uwldind>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GpNYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7000%2C1991464 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |last=Brown |first=Bruce |title=UW is led by Indian |date=September 8, 1970 |page=18}}</ref>

==University of Washington==
On the advice of Willis, head coach [[Jim Owens]] recruited Sixkiller and offered him a scholarship to the [[University of Washington]] in [[Seattle]]. Due to his name, he was given uniform number 6. Sixkiller became the starting quarterback for the [[Washington Huskies football|Huskies]] as a sophomore in [[1970 Washington Huskies football team|1970]],<ref name=uwldind/> and led the Huskies to a {{nowrap|6-4}} record, a vast improvement over the {{nowrap|1–9}} record in [[1969 Washington Huskies football team|1969]]. He completed 186 passes for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns in what many called the Year of The Quarterback.

Sixkiller missed four games as a senior in [[1972 Washington Huskies football team|1972]]. He finished his college career with 385 completions for 5,496 yards and 35 touchdowns, and held fifteen school records.<ref name= ramsonny>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g-ZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2743,2793519 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon)|agency=UPI |title=Sonny's bid for Ram job comes to end |date=August 12, 1973 |page=B1}}</ref> The Huskies posted consecutive {{nowrap|8–3}} records in [[1971 Washington Huskies football team|1971]] and 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington/yearly_results.php?year=1970|title=Washington Yearly Results|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925043336/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington/yearly_results.php?year=1970 |archive-date=2012-09-25 |access-date=2023-08-21}} - Washington Huskies - 1970-74</ref> The [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-8 Conference]] allowed only one team to play in the postseason, the [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]], until the [[1975 NCAA Division I football season|1975]] season.

==Professional football==
Unselected in the [[1973 NFL draft]], Sixkiller had tryouts with the [[1973 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]] in 1973,<ref name= ramsonny/> and with the [[Toronto Argonauts]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] in 1974. He signed with the [[Philadelphia Bell]] of the [[World Football League]] in September 1974,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ExxOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=newDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1667,1732052 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Bell inks Huskies' Sixkiller |date=September 20, 1974 |page=26}}</ref> and played with [[The Hawaiians (WFL)|The Hawaiians]] in 1975,<ref name=sktlhr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j6Y0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=QOADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5366%2C70972 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Sixkiller talks 'last hurrah'|date=December 22, 1975 |page=3B}}</ref> Sixkiller and several other players quit the troubled team late in the season after the players were asked to take a 20% pay cut; the entire league collapsed a week later. He tried out with the [[1976 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] in 1976.

Sixkiller was also a cast member in the [[1974 in film|1974]] film ''[[The Longest Yard (1974 film)|The Longest Yard]]''. He is currently an executive for sports marketing firm [[IMG College]], serving his alma mater, the University of Washington.

==See also==
* [[Washington Huskies football statistical leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0803460/ Sonny Sixkiller on Internet Movie Database]
*[http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=sixkison001 Stats Crew profile]
*[http://www.nasljerseys.com/WFL/Players/S/Sixkiller.Sonny.htm WFL stats]
⚫
*[http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2004/0917/sport/stories/04sport.htm Profile of Sixkiller] from the ''Mail Tribune'' ([[September 17]], [[2004]])
*[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/sonny-sixkiller-1.html College stats]
*{{cite web | title=Sonny Sixkiller Sports Illustrated Cover: October 4, 1971 |url=http://dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/1971/1004.html| accessdate=2007-12-10}}
*{{IMDb name|0803460}}
⚫
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070310213759/http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2004/0917/sport/stories/04sport.htm Profile of Sixkiller] from the ''Mail Tribune'' (September 17, 2004)
*[http://sportspressnw.com/2124772/2011/wayback-machine-sonny-sixkiller-becomes-an-icon Sports Press Northwest] – Wayback Machine: Sixkiller becomes an icon
*''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Pgq-qtwu25YC&pg=PA8 Boys' Life]'' – October 1971

{{Washington Huskies quarterback navbox}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sixkiller, Sonny}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sixkiller, Sonny}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
⚫
[[Category:Native American sportspeople]]
[[Category:Cherokee people]]
[[Category:People from Ashland, Oregon]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Bell players]]
[[Category:The Hawaiians players]]
[[Category:Washington Huskies football players]]
[[Category:Washington Huskies football players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon]]
[[Category:World Football League players]]
[[Category:People from Tahlequah, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Oklahoma]]

⚫
[[Category:Cherokee Nation sportspeople]]
{{Oregon-bio-stub}}
[[Category:20th-century Native Americans]]
{{quarterback-stub}}
[[Category:21st-century Native Americans]]

Latest revision as of 13:10, 28 November 2024

Sonny Sixkiller
No. 28, 6, 11
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1951-09-06) September 6, 1951 (age 73)
Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Ashland (OR)
College:Washington
Undrafted:1973
Career history

Alex L. "Sonny" Sixkiller[1] (born September 6, 1951) is an American former football player and sports commentator. He is currently a senior manager for business development for Huskies Sports Properties, the rights-holder for University of Washington Athletics.[2]

Early years

[edit]

Sonny Sixkiller, a member of the Cherokee Nation, was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A year later, he moved with his family to Ashland, Oregon where his father worked in a lumber mill.[3][4] He attended Ashland High School and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.

In football, Sixkiller was an All-Southern Oregon Conference selection and a second team all-state selection. He was a back-up at quarterback as a sophomore to senior Gene Willis, who later played at Washington. In basketball, he was an all-conference selection. In baseball, he was a pitcher and an all-conference selection. Sixkiller graduated in 1969 and had hoped to stay in-state and play for Oregon State in Corvallis, but head coach Dee Andros declined to offer him a scholarship, wary of his short stature (5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 171 lb (78 kg)).[3][5]

University of Washington

[edit]

On the advice of Willis, head coach Jim Owens recruited Sixkiller and offered him a scholarship to the University of Washington in Seattle. Due to his name, he was given uniform number 6. Sixkiller became the starting quarterback for the Huskies as a sophomore in 1970,[5] and led the Huskies to a 6-4 record, a vast improvement over the 1–9 record in 1969. He completed 186 passes for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns in what many called the Year of The Quarterback.

Sixkiller missed four games as a senior in 1972. He finished his college career with 385 completions for 5,496 yards and 35 touchdowns, and held fifteen school records.[6] The Huskies posted consecutive 8–3 records in 1971 and 1972.[7] The Pac-8 Conference allowed only one team to play in the postseason, the Rose Bowl, until the 1975 season.

Professional football

[edit]

Unselected in the 1973 NFL draft, Sixkiller had tryouts with the Los Angeles Rams in 1973,[6] and with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in 1974. He signed with the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League in September 1974,[8] and played with The Hawaiians in 1975,[9] Sixkiller and several other players quit the troubled team late in the season after the players were asked to take a 20% pay cut; the entire league collapsed a week later. He tried out with the San Diego Chargers in 1976.

Sixkiller was also a cast member in the 1974 film The Longest Yard. He is currently an executive for sports marketing firm IMG College, serving his alma mater, the University of Washington.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Soph passer brings hopt to Huskies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 19, 1970. p. 14.
  2. ^ "Washington Huskies". April 5, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "'Legend of Sonny Sixkiller' latest football ballad". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). UPI. November 14, 1970. p. 2-C.
  4. ^ Blount, Roy Jr. (October 4, 1971). "The magic number is Sixkiller". Sports Illustrated. p. 34.
  5. ^ a b Brown, Bruce (September 8, 1970). "UW is led by Indian". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 18.
  6. ^ a b "Sonny's bid for Ram job comes to end". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. August 12, 1973. p. B1.
  7. ^ "Washington Yearly Results". Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2023. - Washington Huskies - 1970-74
  8. ^ "Bell inks Huskies' Sixkiller". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 20, 1974. p. 26.
  9. ^ "Sixkiller talks 'last hurrah'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 22, 1975. p. 3B.
[edit]
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