Sonny Sixkiller

Sonny Sixkiller long ago made the move from the small stage to the big stage.

He hasn’t gone back.

"I’ve been a lucky guy," says the former Ashland High standout who became a college icon at Washington, dabbled in pro football and movies and is now the color analyst for Husky football games. "I’ve had a lot of great experiences."

But he hasn’t forgotten his home.

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"I love living in Seattle," he says, "but I also loved my time growing up in Southern Oregon. When I meet people and tell them I’m from Oregon, I always let them know I’m from Southern Oregon, not that Portland area."

Sixkiller and his wife of 30 years, Denise, live in Seattle, where they raised three sons: Casey, a Dartmouth graduate and an aide to Washington senator Patty Murray; Jesse, a government major at Dartmouth; and Tyson, a sophomore at Washington.

For the past decade, Sixkiller has been a color analyst for FSN Northwest on Washington games, a role he brings a unique insight to because he quarterbacked the Huskies from 1970-72. He also co-authored a recent book, "Sonny Sixkiller’s Tales from the Husky Sidelines."

Little did he know, while growing up in Ashland, he’d be a TV regular and author.

Sixkiller’s family moved from Oklahoma to the Rogue Valley when he was 1, and although he was a Cherokee Native American growing up in an area with relatively few minorities, there was nothing unusual in his upbringing. He went to school, hung out with friends and played sports.

His father and two siblings still live in the Rogue Valley.

"The biggest thing I remember is just having time to work out with friends and having the luxury of having parents who would let me go out and play ball all the time and just enjoy being a kid," says Sixkiller, citing few opportunities to do things in a small community.

He also relished having coaches who understood his talents, his mental fortitude and had him well-prepared as he moved on to college.

Even though Ashland had trouble matching up with the likes of Medford and Roseburg, Sixkiller was all-Southern Oregon Conference and second-team all-state. Among his highlights was a game at Grants Pass.

"It was ‘Be Kind to Mel Ingram Night’ because he was retiring," says Sixkiller. "But we sent him out on a bad note. We kicked their butts."

He also recalls playing on a wet field in Medford against Fred Spiegelberg’s team.

"It hadn’t rained for a couple of days," he says, "and we were wondering why we kept slipping and sliding in the mud. They always seemed to have a way to get it done."

Being a star athlete in Ashland didn’t necessarily prepare Sixkiller for the attention he would attract at Washington. As a sophomore, he took the reins in 1970 of a team that had gone 1-9 the year before and directed seasons of 6-4, 8-3 and 8-3. He led the nation in total passing in 1970, completing 186 of 362 for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns. A year later, he was on the covers of Sports Illustrated — one of only two UW players so featured — and Boys Life.

He also became a lightning rod for the media, as much for his heritage, it seemed, as his talent. At a time when political correctness hadn’t evolved, racist terms and descriptions were rampant, to the point where team captains wrote to the Seattle media imploring them to stop focusing on race. Further, Sixkiller, two years removed from high school, was besieged by Indian groups seeking support on matters such as fishing rights and tax issues.

"To go from not realizing what it’s all about in high school," says Sixkiller, "to college and understanding the national impact that you have, it’s beyond belief."

He persevered, ending his career as the Huskies’ greatest passer. His 5,496 yards in an era of the wishbone offense still ranks fifth all-time.

Sixkiller wasn’t drafted into the NFL and his pro career was short-lived. He tried to latch on with the Los Angeles Rams, but they kept draftee Ron Jaworski and veterans John Hadl and James Harris.

"I knew the writing was on the wall," says Sixkiller.

In 1974, he spent time with Toronto of the Canadian Football League, then in the World Football League with Philadelphia and Hawaii.

Sixkiller’s movie and TV credits are short but memorable. Burt Reynolds, who is one-eighth Cherokee, visited a UW practice in Sixkiller’s sophomore year. Two years later, when the latter didn’t stick with the Rams, Reynolds invited him to Georgia for a part in his football movie, "The Longest Yard." Sixkiller played a halfback on the inmate team that took on the guards. He spent 10 weeks in shooting.

"When you’re inside the prison shooting action, seeing the prison population day in and day out, it made you really glad you’re on the outside," says Sixkiller. "The conditions in Georgia were tough, but it was a tremendous experience."

Later, it was TV. While driving by Diamond Head in Honolulu with his parents, they happened upon a "Hawaii Five-O" shoot. Just seeing it thrilled his mother to no end; she no doubt was beside herself when he got a role as a boat captain.

Sixkiller’s football career ended when, invited to compete as Dan Fouts’ backup with the San Diego Chargers in 1976, he was unable to try out because of an injured rotator cuff. He entered the business world, then landed the TV job for Husky games.

He’s had opportunities in other markets but wasn’t interested.

"I’m happy doing what I’m doing," says Sixkiller, "especially when we had all the kids doing sports. I was lucky; I never missed a lot of them."

Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com