Sequim Gazette staff
The Sixth Annual Sonny Sixkiller Husky Golf Classic presented by Wilder Auto Center will feature a strong field of Husky celebrities on Friday, July 29, at The Cedars at Dungeness golf course.
A special dinner to honor the celebrities will be held at Seven Cedars Casino the night before the event.
A limited number of tickets are available by calling 417-7144.
Sixkiller was the dynamic quarterback who turned around the Husky football program and led the nation in passing in 1970. He also was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Oct. 4, 1971.
“We are delighted to be a part of this tournament — we think it is the premier sporting event on the peninsula,” said Jerry Allen, the CEO of Seven Cedars Casino. “We have been very fortunate to partner with Sonny for the past 13 years.”
He has lined up a who’s who list of over 30 Husky legends to play in the tournament, including Pac-12 network announcer Lincoln Kennedy, Bob Schloredt, Marques Tuiasosopo, Robin Earl and Steve Emtman.
Also participating will be Robb Weller, who invented the “Wave” as a Husky Yell King and went on to be the host of “Entertainment Tonight,” and former Port Angeles High School player Scott Jones, who is the only Roughrider to have played in the NFL, that coming after a successful career as a tight end and offensive tackle at Washington.
“I’ve always wanted to set up a tournament to showcase the legacy of University of Washington sports, especially football,” said Sixkiller. “I am extremely pleased to be able to work with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe once again and am happy that it will benefit the Olympic Medical Center Foundation.”
A native of Ashland, Ore., he played for The Hawaiians in the World Football League and was a cast member in the original “The Longest Yard” movie production.
He currently is the senior associate general manager for the Washington IMG Sports Network.
As a sophomore at the UW, Sixkiller took the reins 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.
His 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, he invited him to Georgia to be a part of “The Longest Yard” movie. Sixkiller played a halfback on the inmate team that took on the guards. Later, he appeared as a boat captain in “Hawaii Five-O.”
