SEATTLE – Michael Houston said he cried when he found out he was cleared to join the University of Washington football team. The process had been so tough, he said, that he was just relieved to join the team and resume his career.
“Every day we were calling academic advisors, calling Coach (Willingham), I know they were getting tired of me,” said Houston, who joined the Huskies Monday after transferring from the University of Texas. “(We would ask) ‘Did you guys get that, did it clear yet?’ When (Willingham) called us and told us, I just cried. I couldn’t help it, I was just so excited. When I got here, the feeling was amazing, I can’t describe it.”
Houston, a 238-pound tailback from Denver, played in two games as a true freshman at Texas last season, rushing three times for 27 yards for the national champions. But Houston said there were eight tailbacks on the Texas roster and because of his size, coaches approached him about moving to fullback. Houston said he has no desire to play fullback, and left the team in December before Texas beat USC for the national championship.
Houston said coaches invited him to rejoin the team after the Rose Bowl as a fullback but he turned them down.
“I knew I was leaving,” Houston said. “I knew that my heart was somewhere else and I felt like I wanted to hurry up and get the process going.”
Only it took longer than Houston expected. He missed the deadline to enroll at Washington for spring quarter, and instead went to Aurora (Colo.) Community College, working on his grades and paying off some loans from Texas. He took an official recruiting visit to Washington the last weekend of June, where he was hosted by quarterback Isaiah Stanback, and he walked away knowing that Seattle was where he wanted to be.
“It was a beautiful visit,” Houston said. “The campus was amazing, I’ve never seen a campus like this. Isaiah was my escort. (He was) class, top class. I was blown away by the city. The city of Seattle is amazing to me, it’s like an island, it’s like paradise. To be able to play in this kind of scenery, this setting, it’s just a blessing.”
Houston said he picked Washington over California and Colorado State, citing the chance to play for Tyrone Willingham as the main reason. Houston was recruited by Willingham and Notre Dame as a high school senior but chose Texas before the Irish had a chance to offer a scholarship. When he left Texas, re-connecting with Willingham was one of his first moves.
“It was a dream of mine to play for coach Willingham,” Houston said. “The opportunity was perfect. It was just a blessing, it was the perfect setup for me. After I left Texas there were only a few schools I was interested in and coach Willingham was the top choice.”
Houston has to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, but said actually playing in two games last season was a plus because if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have had a redshirt to use this year and would have lost a year of eligibility. When he does play, he said Washington will be getting more than just a power back. He compared himself to former Husky Corey Dillon and former USC star LenDale White, a pair of big, fast backs.
“But I’ve got a little footwork to me,” Houston said. “I don’t always power, power. I’ve got a little footwork, I can get out and go a little bit.”
Next year, Houston will be just one of two returning tailbacks on the roster, along with Louis Rankin. Houston said it was important to him that he go to a situation where he would be given the chance to compete for playing time. He also said the fact that big running backs have had success in the Pac-10 played a role in his decision.
Houston admits that it’s going to be hard to sit out the season and watch, but he intends to use the time to learn the offense and get better so he’s ready when he is able to play, and is excited about helping lead the Huskies back to their old winning ways.
“There’s nothing (better) than coming from the bottom to the top,” Houston said. “Three years from now, if we can get a championship and a Rose Bowl victory, it’s way better than just being on a winning team (all the time). …It’s time to rise.”
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