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{{Short description|American football player and sports commentator (born 1951)}}
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,{{Infobox NFL player
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
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{{Infobox NFL biography
|name=Sonny Sixkiller
|name=Sonny Sixkiller
|image=
|image=
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* [[The Hawaiians (WFL)|The Hawaiians]] ({{NFL Year|1975}})
* [[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 a former [[United States|American]] [[American football|football]] player and current [[sports commentator]].
'''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==
==Early years==
Born in [[Tahlequah, Oklahoma]], and a member of the [[Cherokee Nation]], Sixkiller's family moved to [[Ashland, Oregon|Ashland]] in southern [[Oregon]] when he was a year old, 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<!--
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<!--
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.
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.


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 lack of size ({{height|ft=5|in=11}}, {{nowrap|{{convert|171|lb|abbr=on}}).<ref name=legsix/>}}
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==
==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. He became the starting quarterback for the [[Washington Huskies football|Huskies]] as a sophomore in [[1970 Washington Huskies football team|1970]] 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, in which [[Jim Plunkett]] of [[1970 Stanford Indians football team|Stanford]] passed for 2,715 yards on the year and broke his own conference record. Plunkett won the [[Heisman Trophy]] in [[1970 college football season#Heisman Trophy voting|1970]], <!--given annually to the top college football player in the country,--> beating out [[1970 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame's]] [[Joe Theismann]] and [[Archie Manning]] of [[1970 Ole Miss Rebels football team|Ole Miss]].
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]] 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>[http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington/yearly_results.php?year=1970 cfbdatawarehouse.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925043336/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington/yearly_results.php?year=1970 |date=2012-09-25 }} - 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.
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==
==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, until the league folded in October. He tried out with the [[1976 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] in 1976.
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.
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.
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.justsportsstats.com/footballstatsindex.php?player_id=sixkison001 Just Sports Stats]
*[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.nasljerseys.com/WFL/Players/S/Sixkiller.Sonny.htm WFL stats]
*[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/sonny-sixkiller-1.html College stats]
*[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/sonny-sixkiller-1.html College stats]
*{{IMDb name|0803460}}
*{{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)
*[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
*{{cite web | title=<!--Sonny Sixkiller-->''Sports Illustrated'' cover: October 4, 1971 |url=https://www.si.com/vault/issue/43094/0<!--https://www.si.com/vault/1971/10/04/612437/the-magic-number-is-sixkiller-->| accessdate=2017-09-23}}
*''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Pgq-qtwu25YC&pg=PA8 Boys' Life]'' – October 1971


{{Washington Huskies quarterback navbox}}
{{Washington Huskies quarterback navbox}}
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[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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[[Category:People from Tahlequah, Oklahoma]]
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[[Category:Cherokee people]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Bell players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Bell players]]
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[[Category:Washington Huskies football players]]
[[Category:Washington Huskies football players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon]]
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[[Category:People from Tahlequah, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Oklahoma]]
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[[Category:Cherokee Nation sportspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century Native Americans]]
[[Category:20th-century Native Americans]]
[[Category:Native American sportspeople]]
[[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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