Wikipedia

Washington State Cougars football

TheWashington State Cougars footballprogram is the intercollegiateAmerican footballteam forWashington State University,located inPullman, Washington.The team competes at theNCAA Division Ilevel in theFBSand is a member of thePac-12 Conference(Pac-12) Known as theCougars,the first football team was fielded in1894.

Washington State Cougars football
First season1894;131 years ago
Athletic directorAnne McCoy[1]
Head coachJimmy Rogers
1st season, 0–0 (–)
StadiumMartin Stadium
(capacity: 35,117)
Year built1972
Field surfaceFieldTurf
LocationPullman, Washington
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferencePac-12
Past conferencesIndependent (1894–1916, 1959–1961)
Pacific Coast(1917–1958)
All-time record584–587–45 (.499)
Bowl record8–11 (.421)
Unclaimed national titles1 (1915)
Conference titles4 (1917,1930,1997,2002)
RivalriesIdaho(rivalry)
Oregon State
Washington(rivalry)
Northwest Championship
Consensus All-Americans8
Current uniform
ColorsCrimson and gray[2]
Fight songWashington State University Fight Song
MascotButch T. Cougar
Marching bandCougar Marching Band
OutfitterNike
WebsiteWSUCougars.com

The Cougars play home games on campus atMartin Stadium,which opened in1972;the site dates back to 1892 asSoldier Fieldand was renamedRogers Fieldten years later. Its presentseating capacityis 35,117.[3]Their main rivals are theWashington Huskies;the teams historically end the regular season with theApple Cuprivalry game in late November but that is no longer the case with the Washington Huskies joining the Big Ten.

History

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See also:List of Washington State Cougars football seasons,List of Washington State Cougars bowl games,andList of Pac-12 Conference football standings

Early history (1894–1977)

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Washington Agricultural College football team in1900

Washington State's first head football coach wasWilliam Goodyear.[4]That team played only two games in its inaugural season in 1894, posting a 1–1 record.[4]The team's first win was overIdaho.[4]The first paid head football coach wasWilliam L. Allen,who served as head coach in 1900 and 1902,[4]posting an overall record of 6–3–1.[4]

Washington Agricultural College and School of Science squares off against the University of Washington November 29, 1900, for the State Championship

John R. Benderserved as head football coach from 1906 to 1907 and 1912–1914, compiling a record of 21–12.[5]William Henry Dietzwas the Cougars' head football coach from 1915 to 1917, posting a stellar 17–2–1 record.[6]Dietz's 1915 team defeatedBrown,now anFCSteam, in theRose Bowland finished with a 7–0 record. The win is Washington State's only Rose Bowl orNew Year's SixBowl win.[7]Dietz was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fameas a coach in 2012.[8]Albert Exendineserved as Washington State's head football coach from 1923 to 1925, posting a 6–13–4 overall record.[9]Babe Hollingberywas the Cougars' head football coach for 17 seasons, posting a 93–53–14 (.625) record.[10]His 93 wins are the most by any head football coach in Washington State football history.[11]Hollingbery's1930team played in theRose Bowl,a game they lost toAlabama.[10]The Cougars didn't lose a single home game from 1926 to 1935.[11]Among the Cougar greats Hollingbery coached wereMel Hein,Turk Edwards,andMel Dressel.[11]The Hollingbery Fieldhouse that serves many of Washington State's athletics teams, was named in his honor in 1963.[11]He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fameas a coach in 1979.[11]Like many other college football programs, the Cougars did not field a team in1943or1944,due toWorld War II.[12]After the war ended,Phil Sarboewas hired away fromLincoln High SchoolinTacomato return to his alma mater as the head coach.[12]Sarboe's Cougars posted a 17–26–3 (.402) record in his five seasons.[13]

Forest Evashevskitook over as the head coach in late 1949.[14]His1951team finished the season ranked No. 14 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 18 in the AP Poll.[15]He was 11–6–2 (.632) in his two seasons in Pullman,[15]then left forIowain theBig Ten Conference.[14]Evashevski was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fameas a coach in 2000.[14]Assistant coachAl Kircherwas promoted,[16]but didn't enjoy as much success as his predecessor, going 13–25–2 (.350) in his four seasons as head coach.[17]He was not retained after his contract expired.[16]Jim Sutherlandwas Washington State's 21st head football coach and led the program for eight seasons, through1963,[18]with an overall record of 37–39–4 (.488).[18]Previously an assistant at rivalWashington,Bert Clarkwas WSU's head coach for four seasons,[19]posting an overall record of 15–24–1 (.388).[19]His best season was his second in1965,when the WSU "Cardiac Kids" went 7–3;[19]they defeated three Big Ten teams on the road,[20]but lost to rivalsIdahoandWashington.It was Clark's only winning season, as he failed to win more than three games in the other three.[19]Clark was not retained after the end of his fourth season.[20]Montana Statehead coachJim Sweeneywas hired prior to the1968season led the Cougars for eight seasons,[21]with an overall record of 26–59–1 (.308).[21]His best season was1972at 7–4,[21]which was his only winning season.[21]Sweeney resigned shortly after the1975season,[22]and was succeeded byJackie Sherrill,the defensive coordinator atPittsburgh,but he stayed for only one season.[23]The Cougars were 3–8 in1976,[23]then Sherrill returned to Pitt ashead coach.[24]Warren Powers,an assistant fromNebraska,also stayed for just one season (1977),[25]then returned to theBig Eight Conferenceas head coach atMissouri.[26]

Jim Walden era (1978–1986)

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Jim Waldenwas promoted to head coach following the departure of Powers.[27]In nine seasons, Walden led the Cougars to one bowl appearance, theHoliday Bowlin1981,a memorable loss toBYU.[27][28]It was Washington State's first bowl in 51 years, since the1931 Rose Bowl.[27](The Pac-8 did not allow a second bowl team until1975.) Walden won Pacific-10 Coach of the Year honors in1981and1983.[27][28]Walden's final record at Washington State was 44–52–4.[27][28]Players coached by Walden at WSU includeJack Thompson,Kerry Porter,Rueben Mayes,Ricky Turner,Ricky Reynolds,Paul Sorensen,Brian Forde,Lee Blakeney,Mark Rypien,Dan Lynch,Pat Beach,Keith Millard,Erik Howard,andCedrick Brown.[27]Walden left after the1986season forIowa Statein the Big Eight.[27][29]

Dennis Ericksonin 2007

Dennis Erickson era (1987–1988)

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When hired in early1987,39-year-oldDennis Ericksonsaid it was his lifelong dream to become the head football coach of the Cougars.[30]His contract was a five-year deal at an annual base salary of $70,000, with up to $30,000 from radio, television, and speaking obligations.[31]Erickson was previously the head coach atWyomingfor one season, preceded by four on the Palouse at neighboringIdaho.[30]

Erickson's Cougars posted a 3–7–1 record in his first season, but improved to 9–3 in1988,[32]capped with a victory in theAloha Bowl,the Cougars' first bowl victory since January1916.[32]Although stating publicly a week earlier that he would not leave Washington State,[33]Erickson departed forMiamiin March 1989; his overall record with the Cougars was 12–10–1 (.543).[34][32]

Mike Price era (1989–2002)

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Former Cougar player and assistantMike Pricereturned to Pullman in1989;he was previously the head coach for eight years atWeber StateinOgden, Utah.[35]Price led the Cougars to unprecedented success, taking his1997and2002teams to the Rose Bowl, both times losing.[35]The 1997 team was led by star quarterbackRyan Leaf,the second overall pick in the1998 NFL draftby theSan Diego Chargers.[36]Those teams finished ranked No. 9 and No. 10 in the Coaches' and AP Polls, respectively.[35][37]Price also led the Cougars to victories in the Copper, Alamo, and Sun Bowls,[35][37]and had an overall record of 83–78 (.516) at WSU.[35][37]It was during the 2002 season that Washington State received its highest ranking ever in the modern era in theAP Pollat No. 3.[35]Price left after the Rose Bowl forAlabama,[35]but was fired before ever coaching a game for the Crimson Tide, due to an off-the-field incident in the spring.[38]

Bill Doba era (2003–2007)

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Defensive coordinatorBill Dobawas promoted to head coach following Price's departure.[39]Things started out well in2003,as they went 10–3 to finish ninth inboth major polls.[40]The Cougars slipped to 5–6 in2004and 4–7 in2005.[40]A 6–6 season in2006followed,[40]and after finishing the2007season at 5–7,[40]Doba was fired with an overall record of 30–28 (.517).[41]

Paul Wulff era (2008–2011)

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Former Cougar centerPaul Wulffwas hired away fromEastern WashingtoninCheneyto succeed Doba.[42]Wulff struggled mightily as the WSU head coach, failing to win more than four games in a single season.[43]His overall record at Washington State was 9–40 (.184),[43]the lowest winning percentage of any head coach in Washington State football history,[44]and he was fired after the2011season.[45]

Mike Leach era (2012–2019)

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Mike Leachin2012

In November 2011, it was announced thatMike Leachwould replace Wulff as head coach.[46]Leach had previously spent ten seasons as head coach atTexas Tech.[47]In2012,the new coaching staff installed anAir raid offense;an exciting, up-tempo, pass-oriented offensive attack which led the Pac-12 Conference in passing offense.[48]In his second season in2013,Leach led Washington State to theNew Mexico Bowl,the first bowl game for the Cougars in a decade.[48]Leach received a two-year contract extension that November, after leading the Cougars to their best record since2006.[49]

In2015,Leach guided the Washington State Cougars to their first bowl victory since the2003 season.[50]In that same year, the team also posted a 9–4 winning season and was ranked in the AP Poll, Coach's Poll, and College Football Playoff ranking. Leach was named the Pac-12's co-Coach of the Year,[51]as well as theAssociated PressPac-12 Coach of the Year.[52]After the season, his contract was extended through the 2020 season.[53]

In2016,sandwiched between a two-game losing streak to begin and three-game losing streak to end the season, the Cougars rode an eight-game winning streak to a place in theHoliday Bowl,but lost toMinnesota17–12.[54]They finished with a 7-2 Pac-12 record and overall record of 8–5 for 2016.[55]Huge wins overOregonand No. 15Stanfordcontributed to the Cougars' best finish in Pac-12 conference play since the 2003 team went 6–2.

After the suicide of projected starting quarterbackTyler Hilinskiin January2018,[56]graduate transferGardner MinshewfromEast Carolinawas recruited by Leach to fill the void. Minshew and other veteran players, such as sixth-year linebacker Peyton Pelluer, rallied the team in honor of their former teammate Hilinski and led Washington State to a memorable season for Cougar football fans. With a 28–26 win over No. 24Iowa Statein theAlamo Bowl,Washington State won eleven games for the first time in school history and finished the season 11–2.

Nick Rolovich era (2020–2021)

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After the 2019 season, Mike Leach departed Washington State to accept the head coaching job atMississippi State.Less than a week after Leach's departure, athletic director Pat Chun announced the hire ofHawaiihead coachNick Rolovich.[57]On October 18, 2021, he was fired for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination in compliance with Washington's state employee mandate. Rolovich originally signaled that he would receive the vaccination, but decided to file for a religious exemption. Rolovich was denied the exemption and terminated. Rolovich subsequently filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university, Chun, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee.[58]Rolovich lost that lawsuit on all counts as the court determined that he did not have a reasonable basis to seek a religious exemption because their was no evidence in the record that he had religious concerns before he sought the exemption and ample evidence that his concerns were solely personal and political.

Jake Dickert era (2021–2024)

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Following the firing of Nick Rolovich, defensive coordinator and linebackers coachJake Dickertwas named as acting head coach.[59]Under Dickert's leadership, the Cougars fought to a 3–2 record, including a 40–13 victory over rival Washington in the 113th Apple Cup, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry. As a result, Dickert was hired as the permanent head coach on November 27.[60]The team concluded the 2021 season with a record of 7–5, with a 6–3 mark in-conference, good for a second-place finish in the Pac-12 North. The team lost to the Central Michigan Chippewas in theSun Bowl24–21. The following season in 2022 would result in the same overall record of 7–5 but worse in conference play at 4–5. The Cougars would get an invite to theLA Bowlwhere they would lose to the 9–4 Fresno State Bulldogs 29–6 leaving them with a final record of 7–6 for the 2022 season. The 2023–24 season would be the Cougars last in the Pac-12 Conference, which lost ten members and is rebuilding. While they started out 4-0, the 2023–24 season ended up being a step back in terms of success with them going 5–7 and missing out on getting an invite to a bowl game. They finished with an in-conference record of only 2–7. Due to both Washington State andOregon Statebeing the only two schools left in the Pac-12 for the2024 season,both schools have agreed upon a football scheduling alliance with theMountain West Conference(MWC).[61]During his time at Washington State, Dickert was able to get the Cougars to reach three bowl games within a span of four years. Jake Dickert was hired byWake Forestto take over that school's football program in December 2024 just days prior to the Cougars playing in the2024 Holiday Bowl.[62]

Jimmy Rogers era (2025-present)

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On December 28, 2024,Jimmy Rogers,formerly atSouth Dakota State University,became the 35th head coach at Washington State University, accepting a five-year contract at $1.57 million annually.[63]

Conference affiliations

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Aerial view ofMartin Stadiumfrom the northeast, taken in March 2024

Washington State has been a member of the following conferences.[64]: 74–78 

  • Independent (1894–1916)
  • Pacific Coast Conference(1917, 1919–1958)
  • Independent (1918)
  • Independent (1959–1961)
  • Pac-12 Conference(1962–present)
    • Athletic Association of Western Universities (1962–1967)
    • Pacific-8 Conference (1968–1977)
    • Pacific-10 Conference (1978–2010)
    • Pac-12 Conference (2011–present)

Championships

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Rose Bowl championship and national championship

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The NCAA does not recognize any Washington State team as national champions. The university does not claim any national titles for football. Washington State has won 1 Rose Bowl dating back to 1916.[65]

The1915 WSC teamwas unbeaten and untied and gave up only 10 points on the season. They were invited to the Tournament East-West football game, now known as the1916 Rose Bowl,where they defeatedBrown University,now anFCSteam, 14–0. This was the second Rose Bowl game, after the original in1902,and the first in the now annual continuous series. The win is Washington State's only Rose Bowl orNew Year's SixBowl win.[7]

There was no contemporary system for determining anational championin the early years of college football. NCAA-designated major selectors have retroactively variously namedCornell,Minnesota,Oklahoma,andPittsburghchampions or co-champions for the1915 college football season.

Rose Bowl refereeWalter Eckersall,who also officiated a Cornell game that season, was quoted as saying "[WSC] is the equal of Cornell. There is not a better football team in the country."[66]The Associated Press referred to the 1915 WSC team as"mythical national champions"when members of the team returned to Pullman for a 20th anniversary celebration in 1935.[67]In 2014,Washington State SenateResolution 8715 recognized the team as national champions on the season's 99th anniversary.[68]The senate resolution was adopted with WSU head football coachMike Leachin attendance.

Year Coach Selector Record Bowl Opponent Result
1915 William "Lone Star" Dietz Washington State Senate[68][a] 7–0 Rose Bowl Brown W14–0
  1. ^Not an NCAA-designated major selector.

Conference championships

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Dating back to their days in thePacific Coast Conference,Washington State won fourconference titles.[69]

Season Conference Coach Record Overall
1917 Pacific Coast William Dietz 3–0 6–0–1
1930 Pacific Coast Babe Hollingbery 6–1 9–1
1997 Pacific-10 Mike Price 7–1 10–2
2002 Pacific-10 Mike Price 7–1 10–3

Division championships

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Season Division Coach Opponent CG result
2018^ Pac-12 North Mike Leach N/A – lost tiebreaker toWashington
^Co-championship

Bowl games

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See also:List of Washington State Cougars bowl games

Washington State has made 19 bowl appearances, with a record of 8–11 through the 2024 season.[70]The Cougars have played in fourRose Bowls(1 win, 3 losses),threeHoliday Bowls(1 win, 3 losses),theSun Bowl(2 wins),Alamo Bowl(2 wins),Aloha Bowl(1 win),Copper Bowl(1 win),New Mexico Bowl(1 loss), andLA Bowl(1 loss).[71]Prior to the1975season, thePac-8allowed only bowl team, to the Rose Bowl.

From2015through2019,the Cougars made five consecutive bowl appearances for the first time in program history, all under head coachMike Leach.

No. Season Coach Bowl Opponent Result
1 1915 William Dietz Rose Brown W14–0
2 1930 Babe Hollingbery Rose Alabama L 0–24
3 1981 Jim Walden Holiday BYU L 36–38
4 1988 Dennis Erickson Aloha Houston W24–22
5 1992 Mike Price Copper Utah W31–28
6 1994 Mike Price Alamo Baylor W10–3
7 1997 Mike Price Rose Michigan L 16–21
8 2001 Mike Price Sun Purdue W33–27
9 2002 Mike Price Rose Oklahoma L 14–34
10 2003 Bill Doba Holiday Texas W28–20
11 2013 Mike Leach New Mexico Colorado State L 45–48
12 2015 Mike Leach Sun Miami (FL) W20–14
13 2016 Mike Leach Holiday Minnesota L 12–17
14 2017 Mike Leach Holiday Michigan State L 17–42
15 2018 Mike Leach Alamo Iowa State W28–26
16 2019 Mike Leach Cheez-It Air Force L 21–31
17 2021 Jake Dickert Sun Central Michigan L 21–24
18 2022 Jake Dickert LA Fresno State L 6–29
19 2024 Pete Kaligis(interim) Holiday Syracuse L 35–52

Head coaches

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Main article:List of Washington State Cougars head football coaches

[72]: 114 

Seasons Coach Years Record Pct.
1894 William Goodyear 1 1–1 .500
1895 Fred Waite 1 2–0 1.000
1896 David Brodie 1 2–0–1 1.000
1897 Robert Gailey 1 2–0 1.000
1898–99 Frank Shively 2 1–1–1 .500
1900, 1902 William Allen 2 6–3–1 .650
1901 William Namack 1 4–1 .800
1903 James Ashmore 1 3–3–2 .500
1904–1905 Everett Sweeley 2 6–6 .500
1906–1907,
1912–1914		 John Bender 5 21–12 .636
1908 Walter Rheinschild 1 4–0–2 .833
1909 Willis Kienholz 1 4–1 .800
1910–1911 Oscar Osthoff 2 5–6 .454
1915–1917 William Dietz 3 17–2–1 .875
1918 Emory Alvord 1 1–1 .500
1919–1922 Gus Welch 4 16–10–1 .611
1923–1925 Albert Exendine 3 6–13–4 .348
1926–1942 Babe Hollingbery 15 93–53–14 .625
1943–1944 World War II– no teams
1945–1949 Phil Sarboe 5 17–26–3 .402
1950–1951 Forest Evashevski 2 11–6–2 .632
1952–1955 Al Kircher 4 13–25–2 .350
1956–1963 Jim Sutherland 8 37–39–4 .488
1964–1967 Bert Clark 4 15–24–1 .388
1968–1975 Jim Sweeney 8 26–59–1 .308
1976 Jackie Sherrill 1 3–8 .273
1977 Warren Powers 1 6–5 .545
1978–1986 Jim Walden 9 44–52–4 .460
1987–1988 Dennis Erickson 2 12–10–1 .543
1989–2002 Mike Price 14 83–78 .516
2003–2007 Bill Doba 5 30–29 .508
2008–2011 Paul Wulff 4 9–40 .184
2012–2019 Mike Leach 8 55–47 .539
2020–2021 Nick Rolovich 2 5–6 .455
2021–2024 Jake Dickert 4 19–16 .543
2025−present Jimmy Rogers 1 0–0

Rivalries

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Idaho

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Main article:Battle of the Palouse

The twoland-grant universitiesare less than eight miles (13 km) apart on the ruralPalousein the Inland Northwest; theUniversity of Idahocampus inMoscowis nearly on the Idaho–Washington border, and Washington State's campus is directly west, on the east side of Pullman, linked byWashington State Route 270and theBill Chipman Palouse Trail.The first game was played 131 years ago in November1894and resulted in a win for Washington State. The series has been played intermittently since1978,It was revived as an annual game for a full decade (1998–2007) and the Cougars won eight of the ten. Idaho returned to lower-levelFCSplay in2018but the teams continue to schedule games. Washington State leads the series 73–14 against the Vandals.

Oregon State

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Main article:Oregon State Beavers

The rivalry with Washington State started in 1895 when Cougars defeated the Beavers 41–35. It is one of the top 40most played rivalries in NCAA Division I FBShistory. The two rivals have meet 109 times as of 2024 and will play each other twice with a home-and-home series in 2025. The rivalry between the two bordering state schools has transformed as the one that's kept the Pac-12 going. And after 10 of the 12 schools left the conference in conference expansion the two schools stayed to reap the rewards that the other 10 schools left behind. Both Washington State and Oregon State plan to schedule the Mountain West for the next 2 years and possibly have the "Pac-2" merge with the Mountain West by 2026–2027. The Cougars have led the series 57-49-3 and lost the most recent matchup with a score of 41–38 in 2024 on a last second field-goal. The Beavers largest margin of victory was 66–13 in 2008, while the Cougars largest margin of victory was 55–7 in 1991. Oregon State's longest win streak against the Cougars is 6 straight from 1966 to 1971, while Washington State's longest against the Beavers is 10 straight from 1983 to 1993. The rivalry has not been officially named yet with some of the many suggestions being "The Land-Grant Rivalry", "The Cascade Cup" "The Columbia River Rivalry".[73]

Washington

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Main article:Apple Cup

Washington State has had a rivalry withWashingtonsince first playing 125 years ago years ago in 1900. The series is 76–34–6 (.681) in favor of Washington, with the Cougars taking the most recent game in 2024. The teams played for the "Governor's Trophy" from 1934 to 1961.[74]The game was renamed theApple Cupin 1962 because ofWashington's national reputation as a major producer ofapples.While the game was commonly played on the weekend afterThanksgiving,[75]now that the two teams are in different conferences, the game will be played during the early, non-conference portion of the college football season. The Apple Cup is currently slated to continue until 2028.[76]

Northwest Championship

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Main article:Northwest Championship

Washington State won the 1917, 1951, 1958, 1972, 1973, and 1983 Northwest Championships by sweeping rivals Washington, Oregon State and Oregon.

Individual accomplishments

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Heisman Trophy voting

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Eight Cougars have finished in the Top 10 of theHeisman Trophyvoting.[77]Ryan Leafhad the highest finish in the Heisman balloting in program history,[78]atthirdin 1997.

Season Name Position Place
1978 Jack Thompson QB 9th
1984 Rueben Mayes RB 10th
1988 Timm Rosenbach QB 7th
1992 Drew Bledsoe QB 8th
1997 Ryan Leaf QB 3rd
2002 Jason Gesser QB 7th
2005 Jerome Harrison RB 9th
2018 Gardner Minshew QB 5th

Consensus All-America selections

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There have been seven Washington State players named consensusAll-Americansthrough the 2017 season. Cody O'Connell was named twice, making the all-time school total eight. Both Jason Hanson (1989) and Cody O'Connell (2016) were unanimous selections.[79]Additionally, Washington State has had 39 first team All-America selections through the 2017 season.[72]: 120 

Player Position Seasons Selections
Rueben Mayes RB 1982–1985 1984
Mike Utley G 1985–1988 1988
Jason Hanson K 1988–1991 1989^
Rien Long T 2000–2002 2002
Jerome Harrison RB 2004–2005 2005
Cody O'Connell OT 2013–2017 2016^, 2017
Hercules Mata'afa DE 2015–2017 2017
^Unanimous selection

College Football Hall of Fame

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Five players and three coaches from the program have been inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[80][81][82][83]

Player Position Seasons Inducted Ref.
Mel Hein C 1929–1931 1954 [80]
Turk Edwards T 1929–1931 1975 [80]
Babe Hollingbery Coach 1926–1942 1979 [80]
Rueben Mayes RB 1982–1985 2008 [80]
William Dietz Coach 1915–1917 2012 [81]
Mike Utley G 1985–1988 2016 [82]
Dennis Erickson Coach 1987–1988 2019 [82]
Jason Hanson K 1988–1991 2020 [83]

Pro Football Hall of Fame

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Two Cougars have been inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.[84]

Player Position Seasons NFL Team NFL Years Inducted
Mel Hein C 1927–1931 New York Giants 1931–1945 1963
Turk Edwards T 1929–1931 Washington Redskins 1932–1940 1969

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

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Four Cougars have been inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame.

Player Position Seasons CFL Team(s) CFL Years Inducted Ref.
Byron Bailey RB 1949–1951 B.C. Lions 1954–1964 1975 [85]
George Reed RB 1959–1962 Saskatchewan Roughriders 1963–1975 1979 [85]
Brian Kelly WR,coach 1975–1977 Edmonton Eskimos 1979–1987 1991 [85]
Hugh Campbell WR, coach,
executive		 1959–1962 Edmonton Eskimos,
Saskatchewan Roughriders		 1964–2006 2000 [86]

Retired numbers

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See also:List of NCAA football retired numbers

The Cougars have officiallyretired two numbers.

Washington State Cougars retired numbers
No. Player Pos. Tenure Ref.
7 Mel Hein C 1927–1931 [87]
14 Jack Thompson QB 1974–1978 [87]

Special cases

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Those numbers are not officially retired, but have not been reissued to any player either.[88]

No. Player Position Career Ref.
11 Drew Bledsoe QB 1990–92 [88]
16 Ryan Leaf QB 1994–97 [88]
91 Leon Bender[n1 1] DT 1994–1997 [88]
Notes
  1. ^Posthumously. Bender was found dead only six weeks after being drafted by theOakland Raiders.He was 22 years old.[89][90]

FWAA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award

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TheEddie Robinson Coach of the Year Awardis given annually to acollege footballcoachby theFootball Writers Association of America(FWAA).Mike Priceis the first and only coach in the Washington State football program history to have received this distinguished award.[91]

Year Coach Record
1997 Mike Price 10–2

AFCA National Coach of the Year

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TheAFCA Coach of the Year Awardis given annually to acollege footballcoachby theAmerican Football Coaches Association(AFCA).Mike Leachis the first and only coach in the Washington State football program history to have received this distinguished award.[92]

Year Coach Record
2018 Mike Leach 11–2

Pac-12 Coach of the Year

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Five Washington State football head coaches have received the annual award a total of eight times as the conference's Coach of the Year.[93]

Season Coach Record
1981 Jim Walden 8–3–1
1983 Jim Walden 7–4
1988^ Dennis Erickson 9–3
1997 Mike Price 10–2
2001 Mike Price 10–2
2003^ Bill Doba 10–3
2015^ Mike Leach 9–4
2018 Mike Leach 11–2
^Shared honor

Notable players

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See also:Washington State Cougars football statistical leaders

Future opponents

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On November 1, 2024, it was announced that the Cougars will be playing an independent football schedule next season which also includes a home and home series with fellowPac-12 ConferencememberOregon State,due to theMountain West Conferencenot extending the scheduling agreement that was in place for the 2024 season.[94]

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033
Idaho atWashington Idaho atKansas Kansas State atMississippi State Mississippi State atTexas Tech Boise State
San Diego State atKansas State Kansas atWashington Idaho North Texas atSan Jose State atBoise State
atNorth Texas Duquesne Washington Virginia
Washington Arizona atArizona atToledo
atColorado State
atOle Miss
atVirginia
Toledo
Louisiana Tech
atJames Madison

References

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  1. ^Frizzell, Casey (June 25, 2024)."Anne McCoy named new WSU Athletic Director, first woman to hold position".king5.com.RetrievedJune 25,2024.
  2. ^Washington State University Athletics Department Brand Identity Guidelines(PDF).April 18, 2013.RetrievedApril 6,2017.
  3. ^"Martin Stadium - Pullman, WA".Martin Stadium - Pullman, WA.RetrievedAugust 1,2024.
  4. ^abcde"Washington State Football History Database".nationalchamps.net.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  5. ^"John Bender".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  6. ^"William Dietz".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  7. ^ab"Washington State Cougars College Football History, Stats, Records".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedNovember 24,2023.
  8. ^"William 'Lone Star' Dietz Posthumously Inducted Into Football Hall of Fame".Indian Country Today Media Network.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  9. ^"Albert Exendine".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  10. ^ab"O.E. Hollingbery".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  11. ^abcde"National Football Foundation".footballfoundation.org.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  12. ^ab"College Football, College Basketball, NCAA".LostLettermen.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  13. ^"Phil Sarboe".College Football at Sports-Reference.com.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
  14. ^abc"Former Iowa football coach Forest Evashevski dies – ESPN".ESPN.com.October 31, 2009.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
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Further reading

edit
  • Ben Donahue,The Rise of Washington State University Football: The Erickson & Price Years.Charleston, SC: History Press, 2023.
edit
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