Husky Legend: Chris Polk
November 25, 2017 | Football
By Justin Jolly
On Saturday, Chris Polk returns to Husky Stadium to hear the roar of the crowd wash over him one more time as he cements his place in Washington Football history, becoming the newest Husky Legend. He returns to UW as one of the most accomplished running backs in school history.
Born in Long Beach, Calif., as the second oldest of Edrena Polk's three children, Polk admits that he was hard to handle from an early age. By the time he turned six, his mother couldn't take the hyperactivity anymore. So, she went down to the local rec center and signed him up to play football with hopes that it would wear him out. When he came home and went straight to bed after his first practice, she knew she had made the right decision. And as if she needed further confirmation, he took his first carry in his very first game for a touchdown; something that would later become a common sight for Dawg fans.
Though rated as the No. 4 all-purpose back in the country coming out of Redlands East Valley High School in Highland, Calif., Polk didn't even play running back until his senior season. In the three years prior, he played receiver on teams quarterbacked by his close friend and eventual college teammate, Ronnie Fouch. But as Fouch departed for UW, head coach Kurt Bruich realized the need to get the ball in Polk's hands more frequently and made the position change. In his lone season at running back, Polk amassed 2,875 all-purpose yards and 34 total touchdowns.
So why did the No. 4 running back and No. 99 overall player spurn his commitment to USC to come to a program that had fallen on tough times? For Polk, it was simple: "It really was an easy decision for me; that was the only place out of all the schools I had offers from that I really felt in my heart was more than football, it was family."
That family, combined with his strong faith in God, is what kept him at Washington after a tumultuous freshman year that saw him miss the final 10 games due to a dislocated his shoulder and saw the team endure an 0-12 season. He says, "there were times when I asked myself if I made the right decision. But I'm a firm believer in God and everything happening for a reason, so God showed me I made the right decision when He took all the coaches from USC and brought them to Washington. That's when I was like 'Wow, this really was the right decision.'"
As Coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff came in, Polk never looked back. Throughout his next three seasons at UW, all he did was propel himself into Husky history books and into the hearts of Dawg fans everywhere with spectacular performance after spectacular performance. There was the upset of No. 3 USC, the time he ran over, around, and through Washington State for 284 yards in the 2010 Apple Cup, the revenge exacted on Nebraska in the 2010 Holiday Bowl, the five TD game against Arizona; but when asked about his favorite game, he points to a single play, the play that got UW to a bowl for the first time since 2002, "God's Play."
It was fourth and goal from the one-yard line, the 4-6 Huskies were down 13-10 to California, needing a win to keep their bowl hopes alive. Instead of kicking the field goal and forcing overtime, the Dawgs wanted to play for the win. The pride is audible as Polk recalls the play.
"Man, I'll never forget that play," he said. "It was 26 Power Quad, we used to call it 'God's Play.' As soon as I saw them line up I was like 'Oh yeah, we got this.' I could have walked in and gotten in there effortlessly."
By the time he departed for the NFL in 2011 after his junior season, he had become one of the most decorated backs in UW history. The list is extensive: All-American Honorable Mention, two time All-Pac-10/Pac-12, Doak Walker Award semifinalist, second leading rusher in UW history, second and third on the list for rushing yards in a season, second Husky to ever rush for 1,000 yards in three seasons, the list continues.
In the best interest of his career, Polk elected to skip his senior season at Washington to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. Widely thought be one of the most complete backs in the 2012 NFL Draft, many scouts projected him to be a second-round pick. In shocking fashion, his name was never called between the three Draft days. But within minutes of the final selection, teams came calling. Polk eventually accepted an offer from the Philadelphia Eagles to be the understudy to one of the best backs in the game, LeSean McCoy.
In Polk's two seasons with the Eagles, he averaged a solid 4.7 yards per carry with seven rushing touchdowns and one kick return for a touchdown. Following the 2014 season, he signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans, expected to become the number two back behind Arian Foster. In his sole season in Houston, Polk saw his production increase as he accounted for 443 yards and two touchdowns through 15 games.
Again after the 2015 season Polk weighed his options and tried to decide which franchise to sign with, but this time he did so with a bit different perspective. As free agency began, he learned two pieces of life-altering news; one, he no longer had any cartilage in his left knee and shoulder, and two, he was about to become a father. Keeping this in mind, he made the same decision that led him to the University of Washington in the first place; he chose family over football. At just 26 years old, Polk retired from the game that had given him everything, and found a new purpose to life in raising his son, Christopher Darrin Polk III.
As with any star athlete who sustains a career-altering injury, many fans were left wondering 'what if' with Polk. What if he never dislocated his shoulder? What if he never had to get knee surgery? The questions are endless, but there's one person you won't find asking those questions, Polk himself.
"People get caught up in wanting to know everything, what if it's not your place to know certain things?" he said. "I'm okay with that. Maybe it wasn't meant for me, maybe it's meant for me to teach and guide my son."
When reflecting on his time at UW, the fondness is audible in his voice and he's very genuine when he says it's impossible to pick just one lesson he learned at UW. After some thinking, he counters the question with a question of his own, "Be the best you can be every single day and ask yourself what kind of legacy do you want to leave?"
Although Polk left a legacy that will not soon be forgotten in the history books nor in the hearts of so many Dawg fans, there's only one thing this Husky Legend truly wants to be known for: being a father.
On Saturday, Chris Polk returns to Husky Stadium to hear the roar of the crowd wash over him one more time as he cements his place in Washington Football history, becoming the newest Husky Legend. He returns to UW as one of the most accomplished running backs in school history.
Born in Long Beach, Calif., as the second oldest of Edrena Polk's three children, Polk admits that he was hard to handle from an early age. By the time he turned six, his mother couldn't take the hyperactivity anymore. So, she went down to the local rec center and signed him up to play football with hopes that it would wear him out. When he came home and went straight to bed after his first practice, she knew she had made the right decision. And as if she needed further confirmation, he took his first carry in his very first game for a touchdown; something that would later become a common sight for Dawg fans.
Though rated as the No. 4 all-purpose back in the country coming out of Redlands East Valley High School in Highland, Calif., Polk didn't even play running back until his senior season. In the three years prior, he played receiver on teams quarterbacked by his close friend and eventual college teammate, Ronnie Fouch. But as Fouch departed for UW, head coach Kurt Bruich realized the need to get the ball in Polk's hands more frequently and made the position change. In his lone season at running back, Polk amassed 2,875 all-purpose yards and 34 total touchdowns.
So why did the No. 4 running back and No. 99 overall player spurn his commitment to USC to come to a program that had fallen on tough times? For Polk, it was simple: "It really was an easy decision for me; that was the only place out of all the schools I had offers from that I really felt in my heart was more than football, it was family."
That family, combined with his strong faith in God, is what kept him at Washington after a tumultuous freshman year that saw him miss the final 10 games due to a dislocated his shoulder and saw the team endure an 0-12 season. He says, "there were times when I asked myself if I made the right decision. But I'm a firm believer in God and everything happening for a reason, so God showed me I made the right decision when He took all the coaches from USC and brought them to Washington. That's when I was like 'Wow, this really was the right decision.'"
As Coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff came in, Polk never looked back. Throughout his next three seasons at UW, all he did was propel himself into Husky history books and into the hearts of Dawg fans everywhere with spectacular performance after spectacular performance. There was the upset of No. 3 USC, the time he ran over, around, and through Washington State for 284 yards in the 2010 Apple Cup, the revenge exacted on Nebraska in the 2010 Holiday Bowl, the five TD game against Arizona; but when asked about his favorite game, he points to a single play, the play that got UW to a bowl for the first time since 2002, "God's Play."
It was fourth and goal from the one-yard line, the 4-6 Huskies were down 13-10 to California, needing a win to keep their bowl hopes alive. Instead of kicking the field goal and forcing overtime, the Dawgs wanted to play for the win. The pride is audible as Polk recalls the play.
"Man, I'll never forget that play," he said. "It was 26 Power Quad, we used to call it 'God's Play.' As soon as I saw them line up I was like 'Oh yeah, we got this.' I could have walked in and gotten in there effortlessly."
By the time he departed for the NFL in 2011 after his junior season, he had become one of the most decorated backs in UW history. The list is extensive: All-American Honorable Mention, two time All-Pac-10/Pac-12, Doak Walker Award semifinalist, second leading rusher in UW history, second and third on the list for rushing yards in a season, second Husky to ever rush for 1,000 yards in three seasons, the list continues.
In the best interest of his career, Polk elected to skip his senior season at Washington to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. Widely thought be one of the most complete backs in the 2012 NFL Draft, many scouts projected him to be a second-round pick. In shocking fashion, his name was never called between the three Draft days. But within minutes of the final selection, teams came calling. Polk eventually accepted an offer from the Philadelphia Eagles to be the understudy to one of the best backs in the game, LeSean McCoy.
In Polk's two seasons with the Eagles, he averaged a solid 4.7 yards per carry with seven rushing touchdowns and one kick return for a touchdown. Following the 2014 season, he signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans, expected to become the number two back behind Arian Foster. In his sole season in Houston, Polk saw his production increase as he accounted for 443 yards and two touchdowns through 15 games.
Again after the 2015 season Polk weighed his options and tried to decide which franchise to sign with, but this time he did so with a bit different perspective. As free agency began, he learned two pieces of life-altering news; one, he no longer had any cartilage in his left knee and shoulder, and two, he was about to become a father. Keeping this in mind, he made the same decision that led him to the University of Washington in the first place; he chose family over football. At just 26 years old, Polk retired from the game that had given him everything, and found a new purpose to life in raising his son, Christopher Darrin Polk III.
As with any star athlete who sustains a career-altering injury, many fans were left wondering 'what if' with Polk. What if he never dislocated his shoulder? What if he never had to get knee surgery? The questions are endless, but there's one person you won't find asking those questions, Polk himself.
"People get caught up in wanting to know everything, what if it's not your place to know certain things?" he said. "I'm okay with that. Maybe it wasn't meant for me, maybe it's meant for me to teach and guide my son."
When reflecting on his time at UW, the fondness is audible in his voice and he's very genuine when he says it's impossible to pick just one lesson he learned at UW. After some thinking, he counters the question with a question of his own, "Be the best you can be every single day and ask yourself what kind of legacy do you want to leave?"
Although Polk left a legacy that will not soon be forgotten in the history books nor in the hearts of so many Dawg fans, there's only one thing this Husky Legend truly wants to be known for: being a father.
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