By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — Willie Hurst was told he wasn’t good enough to be even a third-string tailback with the University of Washington.
It’s tough to dismiss that as the rantings of a lunatic when it comes from your own head coach.
Nevertheless, that’s what UW coach Rick Neuheisel told Hurst after the 1999 season. In an uncharacteristic public rap on one of his players, Neuheisel told the media that he was disturbed by Hurst’s fumbles. Later, he would switch Hurst to wide receiver.
Now, Neuheisel says he was wrong.
"Willie’s a warrior," he said. "He plays with all his heart and soul for this team."
Hurst comes into Saturday’s Apple Cup, his final home game, wiser, tougher and better than when he came to the UW as an 18-year-old freshman in 1998.
It’s been a trying four years at Washington for Hurst. This hasn’t been a storybook path. No 1,000-yard rushing years. No national or conference post-season honors. A lot of injuries. A few slaps in the face. A ton of frustration.
Yet, Hurst winds down his career Saturday with his name among the very best on several school lists:
And no one can take away his 2001 Rose Bowl, a victory over Purdue in which he scored a touchdown.
"Whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger," Hurst said. "I believe that. You name it, I’ve been through it. I’ve just tried to persevere."
Hurst’s career has been one of dazzling moments. Witness Arizona in 2000: a 65-yard TD run and a 23-yard scoring run in which he bounced off linebacker Marcus Bell, balanced himself with his hand to the turf, spun himself around like a coffee grinder and scored.
Or this: A career-high 185 yards on 21 carries against Arizona State this season.
Or this: After he broke a collarbone against UCLA last year, doctors told him he likely wouldn’t be able to play in the Rose Bowl. Not only did Hurst score the touchdown that put the game out of reach, he ran the ball nine times for 59 yards.
"I got so excited, I forgot to keep the ball," Hurst said of the TD. "That was one thing I told myself to do. The first thing my dad asked me after the game was if I kept the ball. But that was a thrill."
People looked at Hurst’s numbers out of Dominguez Hills High School in Compton, Calif., but they didn’t look at Hurst. Yes, he averaged 10 yards a carry as a senior and scored 14 touchdowns, but at 5-foot-8 (he’s listed as 5-10, but simply isn’t), 200 pounds, few realized that Hurst’s ability is anything but natural.
Hurst’s numbers came of hard work. Anything he would accomplish in college would be the same. He would not be a freshman phenom.
"I was always the one who had to put in the extra work," he said. "I was the one who had to stay after practice and run some extra wind sprints. Nothing came that easily for me, growing up. I was with a lot of friends who, everything fell into their laps for them. It’s never been that way for me. Growing up, that was great preparation for me later."
Ah, later. That’s when the tests really started. In 1998, Hurst broke his hand early in preseason practices, yet was forced to play as a true freshman when the Huskies were thin at tailback. All he did was run for 538 yards, then a school record for true freshmen.
But that didn’t satisfy many. Hurst averaged just 3.6 yards a carry and was referred to as "One-yard Willie."
As a sophomore, Hurst’s year was punctuated by injuries and also by fumbles against Arizona State and UCLA, both losses. The decision to move Hurst to wide receiver went hand-in-hand with Paul Arnold’s arrival.
Hurst tried receiver in spring practices, but later asked to be switched back. Neuheisel relented, but told Hurst he would start no higher than fourth string.
Hurst got his chance through injuries to others, including Arnold. Down the stretch in three games, it was Hurst who carried the ball to run out the clock. No fumbles. Just yardage. And victories.
Hurst’s teammates recognized his path and respected it to the extent that they voted him co-captain this season.
"That’s one of the bigger accomplishments of my career," Hurst said. "I was a high school captain, and that was to be expected. The best players are high school captains. But to be named one of the captains at the University of Washington, you name off the great players who have been captains here. Once my name was called, I ran over and called my mom, like I’d just gotten an ‘A’ on one of my tests."
Hurst knows his numbers won’t make him a high NFL draft choice. But all he wants is a chance. That’s all he’s ever wanted.
"A shot at the next level has always been a dream of mine, he said. "I have two games left. All I can do is bust my butt and work hard, like I always do."
Now, in the twilight of his UW career, Hurst is starting to look back at what he’s accomplished. In spite of a coaching change. In spite of people in important positions who doubted him.
"I hope they’ll say that I was a strong person, who persevered in the face of adversity time and time again," Hurst said. "A lot of times questions came up about me. A lot of people said to stick a fork in my career. Honestly, that’s never bothered me. I’ve just looked at it as just another challenge, another obstacle."
Hurst cleared all the obstacles. It just took a little time.
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