The Washington Huskies don’t retire numbers often, and even No. 2, No. 33, and No. 44, which honor Chuck Carroll, George Wilson, and Roland Kirkby, respectively, aren’t truly retired and can be worn with permission from the player’s families.
There is another number that should be added to that list, No. 9. Currently worn by cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is without a doubt the biggest reason that the number should be retired. During just two seasons at Washington, Penix finished with a 25-3 record and No. 2 in the 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish of any player in school history.
He also led the Huskies to the national championship game and ranks No. 3 in Washington’s record book in passing yards (9,544) and touchdowns (67) thanks to his historic 2023 campaign, which set the single-season record in passing yards with 4,903. Penix’s 36 touchdowns were good for No. 2 in that category behind Jake Browning’s 43 scores in 2016.
But as great as Penix was, he’s not the only reason No. 9 deserves to be honored.
Arguably the best running back in Husky history, Myles Gaskin, also donned the prestigious number for his entire legendary career that spanned from 2015-2018.
In four seasons as Washington’s starting running back, the local product of O’Dea High School rushed for 5,323 yards and 57 touchdowns, which are far and away the most in school history in both categories. Napoleon Kaufman sits in second all-time with 4,106 rushing yards, while Bishop Sankey’s 37 scores are a far cry from Gaskin’s mark.
Lawyer Milloy, one of the newest members of the Washington Sports Hall of Fame, also wore No. 9 and deserves to have his name and jersey honored. The 1995 unanimous All-American is one of the best safeties in school history and was extremely productive throughout his career with his hometown school.
After USC chose to retire Caleb Williams’ No. 13 on Thursday, the Huskies have plenty of good reasons to enshrine No. 9.