SEATTLE — Legendary UW halfback Hugh McElhenny died of natural causes at his home in Nevada on June 17, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday. He was 93.
A 6-foot-1, 195-pound halfback from Los Angeles, McElhenny transferred from Compton Junior College to the University of Washington in 1949. With the Huskies, he blossomed into a two-time All Coast selection and a first-team All-American in 1951, setting 16 school records in an unabashedly successful stint in Seattle. More than 70 years later, his record for rushing yards in a game (296 against Washington State in 1950) still stands.
McElhenny was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 9 overall pick in the 1952 NFL draft, and he earned six Pro Bowl selections in a sensational 13-year career. “The King” was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
