Remembering Washington quarterback Bob Schloredt’s often forgotten impact on Seattle

His wasn’t a name you’d hear at sports bars or press boxes or stadium concourses of late. He didn’t have the cachet of a Russell Wilson or Edgar Martinez or Steve Largent in this town.

But there was a time when former Huskies quarterback Bob Schloredt was king of Seattle sports. As former UW QB Sonny Sixkiller said: “He was bigger than life.”

Schloredt died Thursday at the age of 79, meaning the Emerald City lost one of its most accomplished athletes. In a time when hydroplanes and Husky football was all this city had sports-wise, he won back-to-back Rose Bowl MVPs in 1960 and 1961.

Do his stats pop off the page? No. He totaled 1,077 passing yards and 633 rushing yards in his three years at Washington. But considering he also played defensive back and punted in an era that preceded gaudy quarterback numbers, Schloredt was one of the most valuable players to ever don a Husky uniform.

“Go back and look at his accolades — the Rose Bowls and MVPs that he had,” Sixkiller said. “He didn’t get on TV very often if at all. Certainly all the coverage was in the east and not in the west. So Bob kind of missed out on that on a national basis. But he won back-to-back Rose Bowls. I mean, come on. That immortalizes a lot of quarterbacks. And certainly in my mind it did him.”

Schloredt did all this playing with a left eye that didn’t work, meaning his blind side was blinder than any other signal caller. An incident with a firecracker at the age of 7 took out one of his peepers, but that obviously didn’t hinder him.

And though he didn’t go on to play in the NFL (he spent two years with the BC Lions in Canada), he was the first Husky to ever be featured on the Sports Illustrated cover. Sixkiller will tell you his legacy went well beyond his playing days.

“I just remember him recruiting me,” Sixkiller said of Schloredt, who was an assistant coach under Jim Owens at Washington from 1963 to 1973. “I was 5-10, 160 pounds in high school. I was small. I remember coach Schloredt and coach Owens in our living room — they came down to visit my folks and me. He loves telling this story. When they left the house, coach Owens hit him in the ribs and said, ‘Is this kid gonna grow?’

“And Bob said, ‘I don’t care, he can throw the ball.’ Obviously he and I became close, even though he didn’t coach offense. He was a viable part of making sure my attitude was always good.”

Schloredt had been sick for a while before he died, but his passing still had a considerable impact on Sixkiller. Bob would call him after every Rose Bowl to talk about the game. Sonny made sure Schloredt was the first person he’d invite to his annual charity golf tournament, regardless if he could actually play.

A lifelong friendship had been forged between two quarterbacks, the older of whom not only won two Rose Bowls, but was part of a team the Helms Athletic Foundation deemed the national champions in 1960.

Said Sixkiller of Schloredt’s death: “It was a total loss.”

Show random Seattleites pictures of Bob Schloredt and most wouldn’t be able to identify him. He played six decades ago and averaged 35.9 passing yards per game and 21.1 rushing yards.

He didn’t have a “point” like Jake Browning or a “tip” like Richard Sherman, but the man had an impact on this city. Most people don’t know that. Most people should.