THE HANDOFF: FROM LEWIS TO GASKIN

By Mason Kelley

By Washington Huskies

December 29^th, 2016

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Washington was consistently securing commitments from the top recruits in the Northwest while finding opportunities to dip into California.

But while Greg Lewis – the first recipient of the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back – remembers his talented teammates, a group that helped Washington to a top-five finish in 1990, the program’s success was born out of more than raw skill.

There was a mentality, a collective chip on the Huskies’ shoulders, built around a perception that the program at Washington couldn’t consistently contend with the nation’s elite universities.

That idea built a mentality that pushed each player on the roster.

“We were going to be tougher than everybody else,” Lewis said. “We were going to be nastier. We were going to be meaner, hit harder and out-work everybody.”

The goal was to train so hard during the week that, by the time it came time to take the field, kickoff was when the fun started.

“We played against such great players Monday through Friday, when we stepped on the field Saturday that was the easy part,” he said.

As a player from the program’s storied past, Lewis sees that mentality in this current group of Huskies. Now a co-host on the KOMO AM 1000 pregame show, Lewis watched as coach Chris Petersen has established his system and the former Husky great sees a group that working toward something special.

“I love the way the program is being run, organized,” Lewis said. “We have a man at the top who not only cares about the players on the field, but he cares about them off the field, which is similar to the coach I played for – Don James.”

In addition to seeing something special in the program, Lewis sees a little of himself in Huskies’ sophomore Myles Gaskin.

“He’s probably a little faster than I was,” Lewis said. “I was probably a little bigger than he is, but he runs really tough. He can run inside. He’s not just a scat back who gets to the outside. He runs up the middle, breaks a tackle and then he shows you his speed.

“I love that about him.”

Lewis – a local product who graduated from Ingraham High School – rushed for 1,279 yards as a senior. He helped the program to a 10-2 record and a win in the Rose Bowl.

Gaskin – also a star at a local high school (O’Dea) – rushed for 1,302 yards as a true freshman.

“The fact that he is a local player makes me like him even more,” Lewis said. “Seattle hasn’t been know for a lot of great running backs, so to have another kid come in here who has had the amount of success he’s had as a freshman is amazing. It’s exciting.”

When asked about meeting Lewis, Gaskin said it is important for current players to build connections with the past.

“Now I know his personality, what type of guy he is and what he’s been through,” he said. “I can relate to him in those aspects of life. I can model my life after his, because he’s been in the same position, the same shoes I’m in.”

In addition to sharing the same hometown, Lewis said Gaskin’s on-field vision reminds the former Husky of the way he played.

“Myles has the ability to see the holes before they happen and he’ll slow down, be patient and wait for it to develop and I think that was one of my strengths as well, to really be able to get a feel for the hole before I saw it,” Lewis said.

With fall camp on the horizon, Lewis likes where Gaskin and the Huskies are headed. He understands the comparisons to teams he played on, the program Don James coached. But, when Lewis looks at this modern group of Huskies, he doesn’t see a team simply looking to recreate the past.

“There are some similarities, but I also like that they have their own identity and they’re really looking forward to having their own success,” he said. “It’s building on what we’ve done in the past, but it’s going to be their success and that’s exciting.”