Cougar Legends Program 2012

I want to welcome all of you to the Second Annual Cougar Legends

Weekend. The past 12 months since the Inaugural Legends Weekend

have been comprised of drastic changes for Cougar Athletics in order

to become a championship-winning institution. Initiatives include the

signing of a new football coach, the renovation on the South side of the

football stadium, and the beginning of the design of a football operations

building. During this time, we have also been making great strides in

growing our membership to the Cougar Athletic Fund and have reached

unprecedented numbers in terms of members and dollars raised. These

changes are just a part of my blueprint in making Washington State

Athletics into a national brand.

My philosophy since returning to Pullman has been simple: ‘Honor the

past, live the present, create the future.’ I can think of no greater way to

achieve all three than this weekend’s events. Embracing our heroes, and

in turn, having them embrace all of us, gets to the core of what being a

Cougar is all about.

Everyone in attendance this weekend plays a tremendous role in

the future of Cougar Athletics. When you return to Pullman in the

years to come you can take pride in knowing you played a vital

part in the success we all know is in the very near future.

Enjoy your weekend and thank you to all of you for

Waving The Flag for Cougar Athletics.

Go Cougs!

Bill Moos ’73

Honor the PAst

Live the Present

create the future

Cougar Legends Weekend 5

KyLe

BasLerBasler punted for the Cougars from 2002-05,

earning All-Pacific-10 Conference honorable

mention three times and helping WSU to the

2003 Rose Bowl and 2003 Holiday Bowl. The

McCleary, Wash. native was a semifinalist

for the Ray Guy Punter of the Year Award as

a sophomore and still holds the record for

the longest punt in school history at 87 yards.

Basler finished his career with 53 punts of

50 yards or more and currently sits second

on WSU’s all-time list for punts (255) and

punting yards (10,794). Following his Cougar

career, Basler signed as a free agent with the

Cleveland Browns.


drew

BLedsoeBledsoe quarterbacked the Cougars for three

seasons from 1990-1992. The Walla Walla,

Wash. native was a two-time All-Pacific-10

Conference performer, earning Pac-10

Offensive MVP honors and First Team All-

America honors as junior. During his final

season at WSU, Bledsoe finished eighth in the

Heisman Trophy voting and was a semifinalist

for the Football News Offensive Player of the

Year and the Davey O’Brien Award (nation’s

top quarterback). Bledsoe led the Cougars to

a win over Utah in 1992 Copper Bowl, earning

MVP honors while passing for WSU bowl game

records of 476 yards and two touchdowns.

He is among the top-5 in WSU’s all-time list in

passing yards, touchdowns and completions.

Following his Cougar career, Bledsoe was the

number one overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft

by the New England Patriots and went on

to play 14 seasons in the NFL, mainly for the

Patriots but also for the Buffalo Bills and Dallas

Cowboys. The four-time pro bowler retired

fifth in NFL History in pass attempts (6,717) and

completions (3,839), seventh in passing yards

(44,611), and 13th in touchdown passes (251)

and was recently named to the New England

Patriots Hall of Fame.


BoBo

BraytonChuck “Bobo” Brayton was a three-sport

letterman in baseball, football and basketball

at WSU who earned All-American honors

at shortstop in 1947 and played on two

championship baseball teams at WSU.

Beginning in 1965, Brayton coached the

Cougars to an unprecedented 13 straight

Northern Division pennants and finished his

coaching career with 1,162 wins, ending as the

Cougars all-time winningest coach and, at the

time, the fourth winningest coach in NCAA

baseball history. He served as chairman of the

NCAA Baseball Rules and College World Series

committees, helping implement the 32-team

regional tournament in 1975. The five-time

Pacific-10 Conference Northern Division coach

of the year led the Cougars to 21 conference

titles, including two trips to the College World

Series in 1965 and 1976. WSU’s baseball

complex, Bailey-Brayton Field, was named

after Brayton and his mentor former WSU

head coach Buck Bailey. In 2003, his baseball

uniform number 14 was retired in a ceremony

at Bailey-Brayton Field and in April of this year

was honored for his 2011 induction into the

State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.


MKristo

BruceBruce was a defensive end for the Cougars

from 2003-06, earning All-America honors

as a senior and All-Pacific-10 Conference

accolades his last two seasons. Bruce started

every game his final three years for the

Cougars, leading the team in sacks all three

seasons including a 10-sack season as junior

before finishing eighth in the country with an

11-sack campaign as a senior. He was named

a national finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award

(top defensive end) and a semifinalist for the

Chuck Bednarik (top defensive player), Rotary

Lombardi Award (top defensive player) and

the Lott Trophy (top defensive player). Bruce

set WSU’s single-game record with five sacks

at Stanford and was a member of the Cougar

team that beat No. 5 Texas in the 2003 Holiday

Bowl. Following his WSU career, Bruce

signed as a free agent with Miami Dolphins

and played two years in the NFL.


HugH

caMpBeLLCampbell, known as “The Phantom of the Palouse,”

played from 1960-62 and is considered one of the greatest

all-around receivers in Cougar history. His 176 career

catches for 2,459 yards and 22 touchdowns won him NCAA

receiving titles in 1960 and 1961 and all rank among WSU’s

career top-10 leaders. The Los Gatos, Calif., native caught

67 passes as a sophomore in 1960, establishing then-NCAA

and then-WSU records. He also led the nation in receptions

in 1961 with 53. Campbell received All-America honors in

all three of his collegiate seasons and was a First Team All-

American in 1961. Following his Cougar career, Campbell

played four seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders

of the Canadian Football League, where he continued to set

receiving records and helped the Roughies to the Grey Cup

title in 1965. Campbell entered coaching as an assistant at

WSU in 1968, later had an outstanding record at Whitworth

College of Spokane as the head coach, then moved to the

CFL in 1977 as the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos.

His first Edmonton team won the Western Division title and

a year later, 1978, captured the Grey Cup title, emblematic

of Canadian football supremacy. In all, Edmonton won five

Grey Cup titles while he was head coach. In 1983, Campbell

was the head coach of the Los Angeles Express of the U.S.

Football League, then in 1984 was named the head coach of

the Houston Oilers of the NFL. After two years at Houston,

Campbell returned to the CFL as the general manager of the

Edmonton team, a position he still holds. He was inducted

into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.


cLete

casperCasper quarterbacked for the Cougars from

1978-82. The Renton, Wash. native started

his final two seasons while WSU used a

two-quarterback system during his Cougar

career. He finished his career with eight

passing touchdowns and 2,365 yards along

with five rushing touchdowns. As a junior in

1981, Casper started all 12 games and helped

WSU post an 8-3-1 record and earn a trip to

the Holiday Bowl. For the year, he threw one

touchdown pass and 1,008 yards and also

rushed 74 times for five touchdowns. As a

senior, he started 11 of 12 games, threw for

1,072 yards and five touchdowns and capped

his career with a touchdown pass in the win

over nationally ranked Washington, knocking

them out of the Rose Bowl. Casper was later

drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 12th

round.


JoHn

cHapLinJohn Chaplin served as Washington State University’s

head cross country coach and assistant track and field

coach for Jack Mooberry from 1968-73. At that time

he replaced the retiring Mooberry, he directed WSU’s

men’s track and field and cross country programs until

retiring from active coaching following the 1993-94

academic year. During his tenure as head coach Chaplin

guided WSU to the top of the Pacific-10 conference, as

witnessed by WSU’s three straight conference titles,

1983-85, and three consecutive second place finishes at

the NCAA Championships during the 1980’s, plus another

Pac-10 title and NCAA runner-up finish in 1991. Chaplin

guided the Cougars to five straight undefeated dual meet

seasons (1981-85) and nine overall in 21 years, plus the

mythical dual meet championship six times. Chaplin’s

teams won 202 of 217 dual meets, a near-perfect winning

percentage of .931. Under Chaplin’s guidance, WSU

repeatedly finished in the first division in the Pacific-10

Conference and the top 10 in the NCAA standings in cross

country and indoor and outdoor track and field. His 1977

indoor squad captured the NCAA team title, the first and

only official NCAA title in the school’s history. He was a

four-time Pac-10 Track and Field Coach-of-the-Year and

is one of the original members named to the selection

committee of the National Track and Field Hall-of-Fame.

Chaplin was also named head coach of the U.S. Olympic

Track and Field team at the 2000 Olympiad and was later

inducted into WSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.


gaiL

cogdiLLCogdill was a wide receiver for the Cougars

from 1957-59. The Spokane, Wash. native led

WSU with 21 catches for six touchdowns as

a junior and 28 catches for five touchdowns

as a senior. At the conclusion of the 1959

season, Cogdill participated in the East-West

Shrine Game. Following his Cougar career,

Cogdill was a sixth-round draft pick by the

Detroit Lions and went on to play 11 seasons

in NFL, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and

finishing with 34 career touchdown catches.

He was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall

of Fame in 1982, while also earning inductions

into the State of Washington and Inland

Empire Sports Halls of Fame. Last year, he

was inducted into the Michigan Gridiron

Greats Hall of Fame.


eriK

coLeManColeman played safety for the Cougars from

2000-03, appearing in 45 games and making

32 career starts. The Spokane, Wash. native

was a two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference

selection and finished his career with 234

tackles and 12 interceptions, tying him for

sixth on WSU’s all-time list for interceptions.

Coleman made 10 tackles for the Cougars in

the 2003 Rose Bowl as a junior. In his senior

season, he earned First Team All-Pac-10

accolades after making seven interceptions,

the third most in WSU single-season history.

He capped his career with eight tackles, one

sack, one forced fumble and a blocked punt

in the 2003 Holiday Bowl win over Texas.

Following his Cougar career Coleman was

selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by

the New York Jets where he played for four

seasons before joining the Atlanta Falcons in

2008. Erik will be playing for the Detroit Lions

this season.


Jed

coLLinsCollins played tight end for the Cougars from

2004-07, earning All-Pacific-10 Conference

second team accolades after catching a WSU

single-season tight end record 52 passes as a

senior. Collins garnered Pac-10 All-Academic

honors three times and finished his career

with six touchdown catches and two rushing

scores. He received the Cougars Special

Team’s Iron Man Award as a sophomore

before earning WSU’s Fred Bohler Award

as the team’s most inspirational player

as a senior. Collins was also selected to

participate in the East-West Shrine Game in

January 2008. Following his Cougar career,

Collins signed as a free agent with the

Philadelphia Eagles and now plays for the

New Orleans Saints.


devard

darLingDarling was a two-year letterwinner at wide

receiver from 2002-03 for the Cougars. The

Houston native transferred to WSU after

spending the 2000 season at Florida State

University and went on to start in all 26 games

he appeared in. The two-time All-Pac-10

honorable mention selection recorded 104

receptions for 1,631 yards and 18 touchdowns

and helped the Cougs earn trips the Rose Bowl

and Holiday Bowl. In 2002, Darling caught 54

passes for 800 yards and tied a WSU single-

season record with 11 touchdown catches.

As a redshirt-junior in 2003, Darling had 50

catches for 831 yards and seven touchdowns.

Following the season, he entered the NFL

draft and was selected in the third round by

the Baltimore Ravens. He played four seasons

with the Ravens before spending one with the

Kansas City Chiefs in 2008.


JaMes

darLingDarling was a four-year letterwinner at

linebacker for the Cougars from 1993-96. The

Kettle Falls, Wash. native was a two-time

All-Pac-10 Conference selection and finished

his career with 258 total tackles, 23 for loss

including 2.5 sacks and one interception. As

a junior, Darling earned second team all-

conference honors after leading the team

with 83 tackles, including 13 for loss. As a

senior in 1996, he was named second team

All-America by The Sporting News and first

team All-Pac-10 after making 136 tackles

(eighth-most in a single season by a Cougar),

96 solo (second-most in a single season) and

nine tackles-for-loss. He notched 11 or more

tackles nine times that season including a

career-high 23 against Colorado. Darling

was drafted in the second round by the

Philadelphia Eagles and went on to play four

seasons with the Eagles, two with the New

York Jets and four more with the Arizona

Cardinals.


craig

eHLoWhen the name Craig Ehlo comes up around

the water cooler, several images come

to mind, including floppy blond hair and

long arms that always seemed to be in the

opponent’s passing lanes. Great teams were

also a trademark during the two years Ehlo

played for head coach George Raveling, 1982

and 1983. In his senior season he paced WSU

to the NCAA regionals at Boise, where the

Cougars beat Weber State and lost to No. 1

seed Virginia. Most Cougar fans remember

his 91 steals in two years, or 135 assists,

including 135 as a senior when he spent

most of his time at point guard. He was, in

addition, a talented offensive player who

shot a school record 55 percent from the

field during conference games in 1983. Twice

Ehlo received the Jud Heathcote Award for

inspiration before embarking on a 14-year

NBA career with stops in Houston, Cleveland,

Atlanta and Seattle. A frequent visitor to

WSU games from his home near Spokane,

Ehlo moved into the broadcast booth several

years ago, providing color commentary for

local universities and the NBA. He also spent

a stint coaching basketball in the high school

ranks.


Jason

gesserGesser was a three-year starting quarterback

at WSU from 1998-2002 under head coach

Mike Price. The Honolulu native earned

First Team All-America honors and was the

Pacific-10 Conference Co-Offensive MVP

as a senior. He finished his Cougar career

as a three-time All-Pacfic-10 Conference

selection, a four-time Academic All-Pac-10

honoree and was named to the Davey

O’Brien Watch List as a senior, signifying the

nation’s top quarterback. Gesser owns school

records in a number of offensive categories,

including career starts (34), total yards

(9,007), pass attempts (1,118), completions

(611), touchdown passes (70), 200-yard

passing games (27), consecutive games with

a touchdown pass (25) and is the only player

in program history to be elected team captain

three times. During his career, he appeared

in 40 games, made 35 starts, led the Pac-10 in

passing yards as junior, was the only Cougar

to throw for 3,000 yards twice and also led

WSU to the 2003 Rose Bowl as a senior.

Gesser later signed as a free agent with the

Tennessee Titans.


daven

HarMeLingA five-year letterwinner, Daven Harmeling and his

classmates made a huge mark on Washington State

University men’s basketball in his five seasons as

a Cougar. Harmeling arrived on the Palouse as a

freshman in the fall of 2004 along with fellow freshmen

Josh Akognon, Robbie Cowgill, Chris Henry, Derrick

Low and Kyle Weaver. He appeared in 26 games as a

rookie in 2005, but redshirted his sophomore season

(2006) after dislocating his shoulder in the season

opener. During his redshirt sophomore year, the

Cougars and first-year head coach Tony Bennett made

history, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first

time since 1994, where the Cougars advanced to the

second round. He became the second Cougar to receive

Pac-10 Player of the Week twice in the same season

that year as he averaged a team third-best 8.9 points

per game and was sixth in the conference with a .430

3-point field goal clip. As a redshirt junior, the Cougars

bettered the previous year with a trip to the NCAA

Sweet 16 with a second-straight 26-win season. As a

senior, Harmeling and his classmates became just the

second senior class to advance to three postseason

tournaments with a trip to the NIT. He ranks 17th on

WSU’s all-time career 3-point field goal list with a .363

clip. A three-time Pac-10 All-Academic First Team

and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree,

Harmeling graduated in May of 2009 with degrees in

kinesiology and health and fitness education.


saM

JanKovicHSam Jankovich was the Cougars athletic director from

1976-83, successfully leading the charge that expanded and

renovated the athletic facilities and fought hard to preserve

funding and institutional commitment to build a successful

Pacific 10 Conference sports program. The improvements

and accomplishments during Sam’s tenure as athletic

director were numerous. He was in charge of completing

the renovation of Martin Stadium. The floor of the stadium

was excavated to 16 feet to add 12, 500 seats and bring the

capacity to 40,000. The track was removed and new baseball

and track and field facilities were constructed on campus.

The renovation of Martin Stadium allowed the football team

to play all of its home games in Pullman. The football team

was selected to participate in the Holiday Bowl in 1981,

which was the first bowl game for the team in many years.

The Butte, Mont. native left WSU in 1983 to become the

athletic director at the University of Miami where he served

until 1991 when he became the general manager of the New

England Patriots.


Matt

KegeLKegel played quarterback at WSU from 1999-

2004, appearing in 38 games, making 15 starts.

The Havre, Mont. native was an All-Pacific-10

Conference second team selection as a senior

after starting all 13 games and leading WSU

to a Holiday Bowl victory over No. 5 Texas in

2003. In that game he threw for more than 200

yards and two touchdowns. Kegel is among

WSU’s top-10 in career passing yards (3,982),

completions percentage (53.7), touchdown

passes (24), and among the single-season

top-10 leaders for touchdowns (21), passing

yards (2,947) and completions (218) all set as

a senior. He later signed as a free agent with

the Minnesota Vikings.


casey

KeLLeyKelley was a three-year letterwinner from

1996-98 for the Cougars. The Ellensburg,

Wash. native appeared in 143 games and

finished his career second on WSU’s all-

time list with 38 home runs, 21 doubles, a

.316 batting average and with 112 RBI. The

former first baseman enjoyed produced as a

sophomore, hitting .331 with team-highs of 11

doubles and 12 home runs along with 36 RBI.

He broke out as junior in 1998, setting a WSU

single-season record with 25 home runs while

posting a .335 batting average along with

nine doubles, 57 runs scored and 68 RBI while

slugging .830. He earned first team All-Pac-10

accolades and was later named All-America

third team by Baseball America. Following the

season he was drafted in the 18th round by

the Anaheim Angels.


MiKe

LeacHMike Leach was named the Cougars’ head

football coach Nov. 30, 2011. Leach brings a

proven record of winning to Pullman. In 10

seasons as a head coach, all at Texas Tech

(2000-09) his program earned 10 bowl bids. In

addition, the Susanville, Calif., native who was

raised in Cody, Wyo., recorded a school-record

84 victories during his tenure. During his tenure,

his offense led the nation in passing six times

and three times accumulated the most total

yards. In 2009, The Red Raiders were second in

passing offense and fourth in total offense with

both marks tops among BCS conference schools.

In 2008, Texas Tech set a program record with

11 regular-season wins while tying the overall

victory record. The Red Raiders were ranked as

high as second in the nation and four student-

athletes earned All-America First Team status.

Leach also received three national coach of the

year awards, the Woody Hayes Award, the Howie

Long/FieldTurf Coach of the Year and George

Munger Award. Quarterback Graham Harrell and

wide receiver Michael Crabtree finished fourth

and fifth, respectively in the Heisman Trophy

voting. While Leach was the head coach, 17 Red

Raiders were drafted by NFL teams. During his

last-two seasons at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders

earned 28 Big 12 All-Academic honors.


aBe

LodwicKA five-year member of the Washington State

University men’s basketball team (2008-12),

Abe Lodwick is one of two Cougars to earn

trips to three different postseason tournaments

(NCAA, NIT and CBI) over his career. Lodwick

started three of his four playing seasons after

redshirting as a true freshman in 2008-09. He

is tied for 18th in WSU’s career record books

with 93 3-pointers made. The 6-foot-7 Bend,

Ore. native was converted from a guard to a

small forward during his career, and saved his

best for last. He battled with a foot injury early

in his senior season before making his first

appearance of the 2011-12 season Dec. 18. His

minutes, points and rebounds progressively

went up, reaching double-figure points twice

during the Pac-12 season. His coming out party

came in the College Basketball Invitational

(CBI) where he peaked in the semifinals against

Oregon State. After an injury to leading-scorer

Brock Motum in the first two minutes, Lodwick

stepped up, going for a career-high 26 points

and 12 rebounds for his first career double-

double. In the six CBI games, Lodwick averaged

a team third-best 13.7 points and team-best 6.5

rebounds per game. A three-time conference

All-Academic honoree, Lodwick graduated in

May 2012 with a communication degree.


rueBen

MayesMayes was a running back for the Cougars from 1982-

85 for head coach Jim Walden. The North Battleford,

Saskatchewan native earned All-America honors as a

junior and was named Pacific-10 Conference Offensive

MVP in his junior and senior seasons after leading the

conference in rushing both years. As a junior, Mayes

finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting after rushing

for a then-WSU single-season school-record 1,637

yards and tying the top mark of 11 rushing touchdowns

in a single season. Also during that year, Mayes set a

WSU, Pac-10 and NCAA record with 357 rushing yards

against Oregon. He is one of only two Cougars to rush

for 1,000 yards in two different seasons and went on

to finish his career atop the WSU career top-10 charts

in rushing yards (3,519), rushing attempts (636) and is

third in career rushing touchdowns (23) and overall

touchdowns (26). Mayes later became a third-round

draft pick of the New Orleans Saints and went on to

play six years in the NFL, garnering Rookie of the Year

honors in 1986 and earning trips to the Pro Bowl in

1986 and 1987. Mayes was also the recipient of the

Harry Jerome Award, given each year to black leaders

in Canada as recognition for their contributions in

athletics, community service, academics and creative

arts. He was inducted into the College Football

Foundation Hall of Fame in July 2009.


sHawn

McwasHingtonMcWashington was a four-year letterwinner at

wide receiver for the Cougars from 1994-97. The

Seattle native caught 67 passes for 998 yards and

four touchdowns and was a member of WSU’s

“Fab Five” that earned a trip to the 1997 Rose

Bowl. McWashington’s best season came in

1997, earning All-Pacific-10 honorable mention

honors after making 33 catches for 597 yards and

three touchdowns. He later signed a free agent

contract with the Kansas City Chiefs and also

was with the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburg

Steelers, Edmonton and British Columbia of the

CFL and Amsterdam of NFL Europe. Following his

football career, McWashington completed his

master’s degree in education at WSU and served

as Tulane’s Director of Student-Athlete Academic

Services and later as the Director of Student-

Athlete Academic Center at Florida International

before he moved back to Seattle where he

currently works as a national brokerage producer.

McWashington recently joined the Cougar football

radio broadcast team and will be in the booth with

Bob Robertson and Bud Nameck for the upcoming

2012 season.


JoHn

oLerudOlerud was a three-year letterwinner from

1987-89 and was one of the best pitchers and

hitters in WSU history, finishing his career

with a .434 batting average, 37 doubles, 33

home runs, 131 RBI along with a 26-4 record

with a 3.17 ERA in 241.1 innings. The Seattle

native produced a brilliant sophomore season,

earning NCAA Player of the Year recognition

by Baseball America after hitting .464 with 23

home runs, 81 RBI and a 15-0 record on the

mound, setting the WSU single-season record

for wins,. Following his junior season, he was

selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third

round of the 1989 June draft and later became

only the 17th player since the start of the

amateur draft in 1965 to make his professional

debut in the Major Leagues. Of those 17

players, he was one of four who never played

in the minors and went straight to the major

leagues. He finished his major league career

with a .295 batting average, 2,239 hits, 500

doubles, 255 home runs and 1,230 RBI. He was

a two-time World Series champion with the

Blue Jays (1992-93), a two-time all-star (1993,

2001), a gold glove award winner (2000) and a

batting champion (.363, 1993).


Kerry

porterPorter was a running back from 1982-86 for

the Cougars. He finished his career with 12

100-yard games and third on WSU’s career

rushing list with 2,618 yards and 560 carries

along with 19 rushing touchdowns. The Great

Falls, Mont. native led the Pac-10 Conference

in rushing with 1,000 yards in 1983 and added

eight touchdowns. He closed the season

with six-straight 100-yard games capped by

a 30-carry 169-yard performance in an Apple

Cup win. Following the season, Porter was

named honorable mention All-America and

first team All-Pac-10. He battled shoulder

injuries the next two seasons before rushing

for 921 yards and four touchdowns to earn

second team All-America by The Sporting

News and second team All-Pac-10 as a senior

in 1986. His career rushing yards currently sit

sixth, total carries are fourth and his rushing

touchdowns are tied for fifth. Porter was

drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh

round and went on to play one season with

the Bills, one with the Los Angeles Raiders

and one with the Denver Broncos.


MiKe

priceDuring his tenure with the Cougars, Price compiled an

83-77 record, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in

Pullman. Price led the Cougs to three 10-wins seasons

(1997, 2001 and 2002) during his 14-year tenure. He is the

only coach in the 100-plus year history of the program

to coach WSU to five bowl games, including the 1992

Copper Bowl, 1994 Alamo Bowl, 1998 Rose Bowl, 2001 Sun

Bowl and 2003 Rose Bowl. In 1997, Price earned coach of

the year honors from the Pac-10 Conference along with

numerous national coach-of-the-year awards, including

Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of

the Year (by the FWAA) and The Sporting News Coach

of the Year. After posting a 10-2 record in 2001, Price

was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year and was one of

three finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

Award. During his 14 seasons in Pullman, Price coached

four Cougars picked in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Price served two coaching stints with the Cougars, the

first as a graduate assistant coach for Jim Sweeney,

1969-70. Price returned to Washington State in 1974

as running backs coach under Sweeney. In 1976, when

Jackie Sherrill took over the program, Price remained on

the staff. A year later when Warren Powers was named

head coach, Price remained as recruiting coordinator and

running backs coach. With 174 victories, Price is the sixth-

winningest active head coach in the NCAA’s Football Bowl

Subdivision (FBS) and has coached eight teams to bowls,

including three for UTEP in 2004, 2005 and 2010.


MarK

rypienRypien quarterbacked the Cougars from 1981-

85 for head coach Jim Walden. The Spokane,

Wash. native was two-time All-American

and two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference

selection. He sits among WSU’s career top-10

in pass attempts (613), completions (326),

passing yards (4,573) and touchdown passes

(28). Following his WSU career, Rypien was

drafted in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL

Draft by the Washington Redskins and went

on to lead the Redskins to the 1992 Super

Bowl title while being named the Super

Bowl MVP. Rypien was also a two-time Pro

Bowl selection and named the NFL Films and

Football News NFC Player of the Year in 1991.

In 1993, Rypien established a fully endowed

scholarship at WSU in the memory of his

father Robert, a long-time supporter of youth

sports in the Spokane area. The scholarship is

awarded each year to a Spokane area athlete

competing in football or baseball.


aaron

seLeSele was a three-year letterwinner from 1989-91 for the

Cougar baseball team. The North Kitsap, Wash. native broke

out as a sophomore, earning first team All-America honors

after posting a 12-3 record with 121 strikeouts and a 2.22

ERA in 121 2/3 innings for the Cougars who advanced to

the NCAA tournament that season. The right-hander won

his first six starts of the 1990 season, posting wins over

nationally ranked foes Fresno State, Texas A&M and Texas.

Prior to the 1991 season, Sele was named to Team USA the

summer of 1990 and went on to make 10 starts, strikeout 53

in 52 innings and post five wins, including a three-hit shutout

of the Cuban National Team. As a junior, Sele earned first

team All-Pac-10 North honors after posting a 2.82 ERA, with

114 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings. He also tied a school record

with 10 complete games. His 2,22 ERA as a sophomore is the

third lowest mark in WSU single season history while his 121

and 114 strikeouts as a sophomore and junior, respectively,

are the second and third highest single-season totals by a

Cougar. Following his junior campaign, Sele was drafted by

the Boston Red Sox as the 23rd overall pick and went on to

pitch five seasons for the Red Sox before playing for Texas,

Seattle, Anaheim, again with Seattle and Los Angeles before

closing out his career with the New York Mets in 2007. He

was a two-time all-star selection, earning the honor in

1998 with Texas and in 2000 with Seattle. Sele finished his

major league career with 148 wins and 1,407 strikeouts in

15 seasons, highlighted by records of 19-11 (1998) and 18-9

(1999) with Texas along with 17-10 (2000) and 15-5 (2001)

marks for the Mariners.


pauL

sorensenSorensen was a defensive back for the

Cougars from 1980-81, earning All-American

and All-Pacific-10 Conference accolades as a

senior. The Walnut Creek, Calif. native made

68 tackles as a junior and finished fourth on

the team with 81 tackles to go along with

four interceptions during his senior season.

Following his WSU career, Sorensen went on

to play in the East-West Shrine game before

being selected in the fifth round of the 1982

NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.


dereK

sparKsSparks garnered four varsity letters as a

running back during his time in Pullman. As a

senior at Mater Dei high School in Santa Ana,

Calif., Sparks was named to the Western 100

and “Best in the West” lists. He remains one

of the most decorated prep athletes to ever

sign with Washington State. As a Cougar he

totaled more than 1,000 yards rushing while

also catching 15 passes for 128 yards and a

touchdown. He was a member of two bowl

teams, the 1992 Copper Bowl and 1994 Alamo

Bowl, both Cougar victories. Today, Derek

spreads his message to parents and young

athletes, educating them about the realities of

interscholastic sports. He is also the author of

the book, “Lessons of the Game.”


JacK

tHoMpsonThompson, “The Throwin’ Samoan”

quarterback at WSU from 1975-78, earned

First-Team All-America honors as a senior

while also earning First-Team All-Pacific-8/10

Conference honors as sophomore and senior.

He played just three seasons and finished with

then WSU and Pacific-10 conference career

records for plays, touchdown passes, passing

yards, passes attempted and completions. He

currently sits third on WSU’s career top-10

for pass attempts (1,086), completions (601),

passing yards (7,818), fourth in touchdown

passes (53) and total touchdowns (63). He

played in the Hula Bowl and later earned

MVP honors of the 1978 Challenge Bowl. He

also received WSU’s Frank Butler Award as

a senior before being selected as the No. 3

pick in the 1979 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati

Bengals. He was later traded to the Tampa

Bay before retiring following the 1984 season.

Thompson is one of two Cougar football

players to have his jersey retired (Mel Hein).


KLay

tHoMpsonWashington State University’s highest overall

NBA Draft pick, Klay Thompson, was a member of

the Cougar basketball team from 2009-11, setting

numerous records along the way. In just three

seasons he became WSU’s third all-time leading

scorer, averaging 17.9 point, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6

assists and 1.3 steals per game, while draining a

school-record 242 3-pointers. The 6-foot-7 guard

out of Ladera Ranch, Calif., earned Pacific-10

Conference honors all three seasons in a

Washington State uniform, all-freshman accolades

as a rookie and First-Team All-Pac-10 as both a

sophomore and junior. As a junior, Thompson led

the Pac-10 and ranked 11th in the nation in scoring

with 21.6 points per game, while also leading the

league in 3-pointers made (98) as he broke four

WSU single-season records, including points (733),

and 3-point field goals. He was the 11th overall

pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2011 NBA

Draft, becoming just the second Cougar to be

chosen in the first round, joining Don Collins who

went 18th in the 1980 draft. During the 2011-12

NBA regular season, Thompson led all rookies

with a .414 3-point field goal percentage (111-for-

268) and ranked 18th overall amongst all players.

He was also third amid all rookies for free throw

percentage (.868, 79-for-91), fourth in scoring (12.5

ppg) and ninth in minutes played (24.4 mpg).

Documents

Cougar Legends Program 2012