It’s not like many Washington Husky football fans associate Spider Gaines with being a prolific rusher, and for good reason. While Gaines was a dynamic athlete and is a historic figure for the UW football program, he wasn’t a running back.
Gaines was primarily used as a receiving threat when he played for the Huskies from 1975 to 1978 and his impressive production and dynamic performances at wide receiver is generally what comes to mind for most Washington Husky fans.
But that’s not the only reason why Gaines has made his way into the UW football record book. He was a huge reason for a ton of Washington football success throughout the years, but one of the reasons he’s etched into Washington Huskies history is from a play in a losing effort against the USC Trojans during his senior season.
Washington Husky football history: Spider Gaines once ran for 68 yards against the USC Trojans
In what ended up being a 28-10 loss to the Trojans, the Huskies actually turned to Gaines in an unconventional way to try and have an impact on the outcome. It didn’t really work. I mean, it kinda did. Gaines had a huge run, one of the longest in Washington Husky history (that didn’t end up in a score, that is).
But, well, he didn’t score. Washington didn’t win. Still, it’s notable!
I’ve been going through Washington’s record book and history lately and this is one of the best stats I could have possibly found in it. Among the multitude of impressive achievements is this niche one: longest runs without a touchdown.
And Spider Gaines owns one of them. Or, well, rather he shares one with Deontae Cooper, who ran for 68 yards in one play (that didn’t end in a touchdown) against the Oregon State Beavers in 2013.
Again, Gaines wasn’t a running back. This isn’t something he was known to do and what most UW fans will ever remember him for. He only had 11 rushes in the entirety of his career. This specific run made up over 70 percent of his career rushing yards! And quirky numbers like that are part of why college football is so great.