Walk-on Fred Wiggs followed brother Sekou to UW

Spend several minutes with linebacker Fred Wiggs and you'd never guess the Washington Huskies were winless and on the verge of playing perhaps the most inconsequential Apple Cup this Saturday at Washington State.

He isn't programmed to dwell on the negatives of a game that features a pair of downtrodden teams with a combined 1-20 record. Make no mistake: Wiggs, an environmental sciences and resource management major, is grounded in the real world.

He knows that the subplots swirling around this game and this season, including injuries and a coach firing, have prompted many to ridicule a once-proud Washington program.

But the junior walk-on says "There's nowhere else I'd rather be" with sincerity, loyalty and admiration that belie the perception that players have quit on the winless season and the lame-duck coach.

"There's nobody more enthusiastic, gives greater effort or enjoys football more than Fred Wiggs," linebackers coach Chris Tormey said. "Fred is one of a kind."

Wiggs isn't a star, and he doesn't start. A year ago, he carved out a role for himself on special teams doing the thankless jobs that have enabled him to find a spot on the 64-man travel squad. On kickoffs, he hurls his 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame into the wedge and has registered five tackles in 10 games this season.

"Growing up, playing football at the U is all I ever wanted to do," he said. "I had two goals. One was to play football at O'Dea [High School] and two was to play at the University of Washington."

Wiggs is not the first of his family to play football for UW, and he'll admit that in many ways he didn't have a choice about which school he'd attend.

It didn't matter that the school he loves didn't offer him a football scholarship after he graduated from O'Dea. It didn't matter that he received an offer to play at Division I Montana.

Since he can remember, Wiggs, 20, was intent on following his older brother Sekou, 34, who played at O'Dea and lettered three seasons at UW from 1995 to 1997.

"Growing up watching him play at O'Dea and play at the U, that did it for me," Wiggs said. "Just seeing the history of the game and the pageantry, that makes an impression on you when you're young.

"I'd say in general, the reason I started playing football and the reason I wanted to start a career in football was because of him. The things that I saw him experience from the game and the benefits that he has in his life are from the game."

Wiggs is Washington's constant reminder of better days. When his brother starred at defensive tackle in 1997, the Huskies were ranked as high as No. 2 in The Associated Press poll.

"His experience has been much different than mine, but I would say that he made a good choice for himself," Sekou said Thursday in a telephone interview. "Even as a walk-on at the U, I think the experience is much more different than being a starter or a star athlete at a smaller Division I or Division II school."

Wiggs, one of 10 children, has a younger sister, Tangerine, who is a freshman volleyball player at Washington State.

"That's another reason why [the Apple Cup] is special," he said. "We joke around with the rivalry stuff a little bit. She came home the other weekend and she had one of my Husky sweaters on and I said, 'Take that off because those aren't your colors any more.'

"She supports me, but she's got allegiances there. I know where mine are."

Note

• Sophomore tailback Brandon Johnson returned to practice Thursday after missing the past two days because of a death in the family. Coach Tyrone Willingham said Johnson, who had his first start last week against UCLA and gained 75 yards on 20 carries, will make the trip to Pullman. Willingham was unsure how much Johnson would play.

Freshman tailback David Freeman, who missed the past four games because of an ankle injury, also returned to drills.

• Sources confirmed Thursday that Washington athletic director Scott Woodward met with Notre Dame offensive coordinator Michael Haywood about the Huskies' head coaching position. Most close to the program don't consider Haywood one of the front-runners for the job, however he is the first coach known to have interviewed for the job.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com