The Washington State Cougars football program is the intercollegiate

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

team for

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

, located in Pullman, Washington. The team competes at the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Known as the

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...

, the first football team was fielded in

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

. The Cougars play home games on campus at Martin Stadium, which opened in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

; the site dates back to 1892 as

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...

and was renamed Rogers Field ten years later. Its present

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

is 33,522. Their main rivals are the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-1 ...

; the teams historically end the regular season with the

Apple Cup The Apple Cup is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars, the two largest universities in the state of Washington. Both are members of the North Division of th ...

rivalry game in late November.

History

Early history (1894–1977)

1900 Washington Agricultural College football team

Washington State's first head football coach was

William Goodyear William Goodyear (May 21, 1865 – June 18, 1936) was an American football coach, newspaper editor, publisher, and politician in Whitman County in eastern Washington. He was the first head coach of the Washington State Cougars football team, hol ...

. That team played only two games in its inaugural season in 1894, posting a 1–1 record. The team's first win was over

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

. The first paid head football coach was William L. Allen, who served as head coach in 1900 and 1902, posting an overall record of 6–3–1. University of Washington and Washington Agricultural College and School of Science football game, showing players set at the (PEISER 30)

University of Washington and Washington Agricultural College and School of Science football game, showing players set at the (PEISER 30)

John R. Bender served as head football coach from 1906 to 1907 and 1912–1914, compiling a record of 21–12.

William Henry Dietz William Henry "Lone Star" Dietz (August 17, 1884 – July 20, 1964) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Washington State University (1915–1917), Purdue University (1921), Louisiana Tech University ( ...

was the Cougars' head football coach from 1915 to 1917, posting a stellar 17–2–1 record. Dietz's 1915 team defeated Brown in the Rose Bowl and finished with a 7–0 record. Dietz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012. Albert Exendine served as Washington State's head football coach from 1923 to 1925, posting a 6–13–4 overall record. Babe Hollingbery was the Cougars' head football coach for 17 seasons, posting a record. His 93 wins are the most by any head football coach in Washington State football history. Hollingbery's

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

team played in the Rose Bowl, a game they lost to

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. The Cougars didn't lose a single home game from 1926 to 1935. Among the Cougar greats Hollingbery coached were

Mel Hein Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992), sometimes known as "Old Indestructible", was an American football player and coach. In the era of one-platoon football, he played as a center (then a position on both offense and defense) ...

Turk Edwards Albert Glen "Turk" Edwards (September 28, 1907 – January 12, 1973) was an American professional football player who was a tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career for the Washington Redskins, starting with th ...

, and Mel Dressel. The Hollingbery Fieldhouse that serves many of Washington State's athletics teams, was named in his honor in 1963. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1979. Like many other college football programs, the Cougars did not field a team in

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

, due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the war ended,

Phil Sarboe Philip John Sarboe (August 22, 1911 – November 19, 1985) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the State College of Washington—now Washington State University—and professionally in National Football League ...

was hired away from Lincoln High School in Tacoma to return to his alma mater as the head coach. Sarboe's Cougars posted a record in his five seasons.

Forest Evashevski Forest "Evy" Evashevski (February 19, 1918 – October 30, 2009) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight ...

took over as the head coach in late 1949. His

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

team finished the season ranked No. 14 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 18 in the AP Poll. He was in his two seasons in Pullman, then left for

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. Evashevski was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2000. Assistant coach Al Kircher was promoted, but didn't enjoy as much success as his predecessor, going in his four seasons as head coach. He was not retained after his contract expired.

Jim Sutherland James Swanson Sutherland (August 20, 1914 – June 21, 1980) was an American football player and coach. the head coach at Washington State University in Pullman from 1956 to 1963, with a record in eight seasons. An innovator, Sutherland ...

was Washington State's 21st head football coach and led the program for eight seasons, through

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

, with an overall record of . Previously an assistant at rival

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Bert Clark Robert B. Clark Jr. (February 12, 1930 – December 13, 2004) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Washington State University for four seasons, from 1964 through 1967. Early life and playing career Born in Wichita ...

was WSU's head coach for four seasons, posting an overall record of . His best season was his second in 1965, when the WSU "Cardiac Kids" went 7–3; they defeated three Big Ten teams on the road, but lost to rivals

and

. It was Clark's only winning season, as he failed to win more than three games in the other three. Clark was not retained after the end of his fourth season. Montana State head coach Jim Sweeney was hired prior to the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

season led the Cougars for eight seasons, with an overall record of . His best season was

at 7–4, which was his only winning season. Sweeney resigned shortly after the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

season, and was succeeded by

Jackie Sherrill Jackie Wayne Sherrill (born November 28, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at Washington State University (1976), the University of Pittsburgh (1977–1981), Texas A&M University (1982–1988), a ...

, the defensive coordinator at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, but he stayed for only one season. The Cougars were 3–8 in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, then Sherrill returned to Pitt as

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Warren Powers Warren Anthony Powers (February 19, 1941 – November 2, 2021) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Washington State University in 1977, and the University of Missouri from 1978 through 1984, compiling an over ...

, an assistant from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, also stayed for just one season (

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

), then returned to the Big Eight Conference as head coach at

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Jim Walden era (1978–1986)

Jim Walden Jim Walden (born April 10, 1938) is a former American football player He was the head coach at Washington State University from 1978 to 1986 and at Iowa State University from 1987 to 1994, compiling a career college football record of over Pl ...

was promoted to head coach following the departure of Powers. In nine seasons, Walden led the Cougars to one bowl appearance, the

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978. San Diego County Credit Union has been the game's title sponsor since 2017, and the bowl has ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, a memorable loss to

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

. It was Washington State's first bowl in 51 years, since the

1931 Rose Bowl The 1931 Rose Bowl was the 17th Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California. It featured two undefeated teams, Alabama and Washington State. (The Pac-8 did not allow a second bowl team until

.) Walden won Pacific-10 Coach of the Year honors in

and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

. Walden's final record at Washington State was 44–52–4. Players coached by Walden at WSU include

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

, Kerry Porter,

Rueben Mayes Rueben A. Mayes (born June 6, 1963) is a Canadian former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1993. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his contributions w ...

, Ricky Turner, Ricky Reynolds, Paul Sorensen,

Brian Forde Brian Michael Forde (born November 1, 1963) is a Canadian former American football linebacker. He played for the New Orleans Saints from 1988 to 1991, the BC Lions from 1994 to 1995 and for the Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French ...

, Lee Blakeney,

Mark Rypien Mark Robert Rypien (born October 2, 1962) is a Canadian-born former American football quarterback who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington State and was drafted by the Washington Redsk ...

Dan Lynch Daniel Lynch (born June 21, 1962) is a former college and professional American football offensive guard; he attended Washington State University; he was inducted to their athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. Lynch went on to a career in the venture ca ...

, Pat Beach, Keith Millard,

Erik Howard Erik Matthew Howard (born November 12, 1964 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts) is a former professional American football defensive tackle who played eleven seasons in the National Football League. He played nine seasons with the Giants, and was a me ...

, and Cedrick Brown. Walden left after the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

season for Iowa State in the Big Eight. Coach Dennis E interview

Dennis Erickson era (1987–1988)

When hired in early

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, 39-year-old

Dennis Erickson Dennis Brian Erickson (born March 24, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho ...

said it was his lifelong dream to become the head football coach of the Cougars. 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. Erickson was previously the head coach at

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

for one season, preceded by four on the Palouse at neighboring

. Erickson's Cougars posted a 3–7–1 record in his first season, but improved to 9–3 in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, capped with a victory in the

Aloha Bowl The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision (then known as Division I-A) college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. History The Aloha Bowl was established in 1982 by Mack ...

, the Cougars' first bowl victory since January

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * J ...

. Although stating publicly a week earlier that he would not leave Washington State, Erickson departed for

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

in March 1989; his overall record with the Cougars was .

Mike Price era (1989–2002)

Former Cougar player and assistant Mike Price returned to Pullman in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

; he was previously the head coach for eight years at

Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

in Ogden, Utah. Price led the Cougars to unprecedented success, taking his

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

and 2002 teams to the Rose Bowl, both times losing. The 1997 team was led by star quarterback

Ryan Leaf Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also pl ...

, the second overall pick in the

1998 NFL Draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...

by the San Diego Chargers. Those teams finished ranked No. 9 and No. 10 in the Coaches' and AP Polls, respectively. Price also led the Cougars to victories in the Copper, Alamo, and Sun Bowls, and had an overall record of at WSU. It was during the 2002 season that Washington State received its highest ranking ever in the modern era in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...

at No. 3. Price left after the Rose Bowl for

, but was fired before ever coaching a game for the Crimson Tide, due to an off-the-field incident in the spring.

Bill Doba era (2003–2007)

Defensive coordinator

Bill Doba William Anthony Doba (born September 7, 1940) is a former American football coach. He is the former head coach at Washington State University, where he led the Cougars for five seasons, from 2003 through 2007, and was fired on November 26. Earl ...

was promoted to head coach following Price's departure. Things started out well in 2003, as they went 10–3 to finish ninth in both major polls. The Cougars slipped to 5–6 in 2004 and 4–7 in 2005. A 6–6 season in 2006 followed, and after finishing the 2007 season at 5–7, Doba was fired with an overall record of .

Paul Wulff era (2008–2011)

Former Cougar center

Paul Wulff Paul Louis Wulff (born February 25, 1967) is an American football coach and former player. In December 2022, he was appointed head coach at California Polytechnic State University. Wulff previously served as the head coach at Eastern Washington ...

was hired away from

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanf ...

in Cheney to succeed Doba. Wulff struggled mightily as the WSU head coach, failing to win more than four games in a single season. His overall record at Washington State was , the lowest winning percentage of any head coach in Washington State football history, and he was fired after the 2011 season.

Mike Leach era (2012–2019)

In November 2011, it was announced that Mike Leach would replace Wulff as head coach. Leach had previously spent ten seasons as head coach at

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, the new coaching staff installed an

Air raid offense In American football the air raid offense refers to an offensive scheme popularized by such coaches as Mike Leach, Hal Mumme, Sonny Dykes, and Tony Franklin during their tenures at Iowa Wesleyan University, Valdosta State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, ...

; an exciting, up-tempo, pass-oriented offensive attack which led the Pac-12 Conference in passing offense. In his second season in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, Leach led Washington State to the

New Mexico Bowl The New Mexico Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2006 at University Stadium, on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Owned and operated by ESPN ...

, the first bowl game for the Cougars in a decade. Leach received a two-year contract extension that November, after leading the Cougars to their best record since 2006. In 2015, Leach guided the Washington State Cougars to their first bowl victory since the 2003 season. 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, as well as the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

Pac-12 Coach of the Year. After the season, his contract was extended through the 2020 season. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, 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 the

, but lost to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

17–12. They finished with a 7-2 Pac-12 record and overall record of 8–5 for 2016. Huge wins over

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

and No. 15 Stanford contributed to the Cougars' best finish in Pac-12 conference play since the 2003 team went 6–2. After the suicide of projected starting quarterback

Tyler Hilinski Tyler Scott Haun Hilinski (May 26, 1996 – January 16, 2018) was an American football quarterback who played college football at Washington State University. He died by suicide following his junior year. An autopsy revealed that he had stage o ...

in January

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, graduate transfer

Gardner Minshew Gardner Flint Minshew II (born May 16, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career at Northwest Mississippi, winning the NJCAA National Footba ...

from East Carolina was 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. 24 Iowa State in the

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the secon ...

, Washington State won eleven games for the first time in school history and finished the season 11–2.

Nick Rolovich era (2020–2021)

After the 2019 season, Mike Leach departed Washington State to accept the head coaching job at

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

. Less than a week after Leach's departure, athletic director Pat Chun announced the hire of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

head coach

Nick Rolovich Nicholas Robert Rolovich ( ; born February 16, 1979) is an American football coach and former player, who was most recently the head football coach at Washington State Cougars football, Washington State University (WSU). Rolovich majored in econ ...

. 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.

Jake Dickert era (2022–present)

Following the firing of Nick Rolovich, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach

Jake Dickert Jacob Dickert (born August 23, 1983) is an American college football coach. He is the head coach at Washington State University. Prior to this, he served as defensive coordinator in Pullman, beginning in 2020. Dickert attended school and played f ...

was named as acting head coach. 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 27th. 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 the Sun Bowl 24–21.

Conference affiliations

Washington State has been a member of the following conferences. * 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

National championships

No NCAA-designated "major selector" has selected a Washington State team as national champions. The university does not claim any national titles for football. The 1915 WSC team was 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 the

1916 Rose Bowl Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," the second of what is now known as the Rose Bowl Game was played on January 1, 1916. The Rose Bowl game has been played annually since this game. The first game, the 1902 Tournament Eas ...

, where they defeated Brown University 14–0. This was the second Rose Bowl game, after the original in

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...

, and the first in the now annual continuous series. There was no contemporary system for determining a national champion in the early years of college football. NCAA-designated major selectors have retroactively variously named

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...

, Oklahoma, and

champions or co-champions for the

1915 college football season The 1915 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Cornell, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh as having been selected national champions in later years. Only Cornel ...

. Rose Bowl referee

Walter Eckersall Walter Herbert "Eckie" Eckersall (June 17, 1883 – March 24, 1930) was an American college football player, official, and sportswriter for the ''Chicago Tribune''. He played for the Maroons of the University of Chicago, and was elected to the ...

, who also officiated a Cornell game that season, was quoted as saying " SCis the equal of Cornell. There is not a better football team in the country." 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. In 2014,

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olymp ...

Resolution 8715 recognized the team as national champions on the season's 99th anniversary. The senate resolution was adopted with WSU head football coach Mike Leach in attendance.

Unclaimed national championships

Conference championships

Dating back to their days in the Pacific Coast Conference, Washington State won four conference titles. :^

Division championships

Bowl games

Washington State has made 18 bowl appearances, with a record of 8–10 through the 2021 season. The Cougars have played in four

Rose Bowls The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. The Rose ...

three

s the Sun Bowl (2 wins),

(2 wins),

(1 win),

Copper Bowl The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989. Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then ...

(1 win),

(1 loss), and

LA Bowl The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West and Pac-12 conferenc ...

(1 loss). Prior to the

season, the Pac-8 allowed only bowl team, to the Rose Bowl. From 2015 through

, the Cougars made four consecutive bowl appearances for the first time in program history, all under head coach Mike Leach.

Head coaches

Rivalries

Washington

Washington State has had a rivalry with

since first playing years ago in 1900. The series is in favor of Washington, with the Huskies taking the most recent game in 2022. The teams played for the "Governor's Trophy" from 1934 to 1961. The game was renamed the Apple Cup in 1962 because of

's national reputation as a major producer of

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

s. Since 2011, the game is commonly played on the Friday after

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

Idaho

The two

land-grant universities A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Signed by Abraha ...

are less than apart on the rural

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, prima ...

in the Inland Northwest; the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...

campus in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

is nearly on the Idaho–Washington border, and Washington State's campus is directly west, on the east side of Pullman, linked by

Washington State Route 270 State Route 270 (SR 270) is a state highway in Whitman County, Washington, United States. It connects the city of Pullman to U.S. Route 195 (US 195) at its west end and Idaho State Highway 8 near Moscow, Idaho, at its east end. The ...

and the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail. The first game was played in November

and resulted in a win for Washington State. The series has been played intermittently since 1978, It was revived as an annual game for a full decade (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

– 2007) and the Cougars won eight of the ten. Idaho returned to lower-level FCS play in

but the teams continue to schedule games.

Northwest Championship

Washington State wins the so-called Northwest Championship by sweeping

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

, and

. The four

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

rivals began playing in a round-robin format in the 1903 season.

Individual accomplishments

Heisman Trophy voting

Eight Cougars have finished in the Top 10 of the Heisman Trophy voting.

had the highest finish in the Heisman balloting in program history, at third in 1997.

Consensus All-America selections

There have been seven Washington State players named consensus

All-Americans The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

through 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. Additionally, Washington State has had 39 first team All-America selections through the 2017 season. :^

College Football Hall of Fame

Five players and three coaches from the program have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Two Cougars have been inducted into the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Four Cougars have been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Retired numbers

The Cougars have officially retired two numbers.

Special cases

Those numbers are not officially retired, but have not been reissued to any player either. ;Notes

FWAA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award

The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Mike Price is the first and only coach in the Washington State football program history to have received this distinguished award.

AFCA National Coach of the Year

The

AFCA Coach of the Year Award The AFCA Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football coach by the American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff ...

is given annually to a college football

by the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

(AFCA). Mike Leach is the first and only coach in the Washington State football program history to have received this distinguished award.

Pac-12 Coach of the Year

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

Notable players

* Hamza Abdullah * Calvin Armstrong *

Ed Barker Edward Ross Barker (born May 31, 1931 – September 6, 2012) was a National Football League (NFL) end who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Washington State University and was drafted ...

Kay Bell Kay Dee Bell (October 14, 1914 – October 27, 1994) was an American football player who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the tenth rou ...

Drew Bledsoe Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...

* Steve Broussard * Deone Bucannon * Michael Bumpus *

Hugh Campbell Hugh Campbell (born May 21, 1941) is a former American football and Canadian football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different professional gridiron football leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Unit ...

* Gail Cogdill *

Joe Danelo Joseph Peter Danelo (born September 2, 1953) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League for ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Buffalo Bills. Born and raised in Spokane, Washing ...

Devard Darling Devard Loran Darling (born April 16, 1982) is a former Bahamian-American wide receiver of American football. After playing college football at Florida State University and Washington State, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third r ...

Chad DeGrenier Chad DeGrenier (born January 13, 1973) is a former American football quarterback who played three seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Arizona Rattlers and Carolina Cobras. He first enrolled at Grossmont College before transferring ...

* Charles Dillon * Dan Doornink *

Chad Eaton Chad Everett Eaton (born April 6, 1972) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Washington St ...

Jack Elway Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

Luke Falk Lucas Andrew Falk (born December 28, 1994) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Washington State, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He has played fo ...

* Mark Fields * Jason Gesser *

Brandon Gibson Brandon Lewis Gibson (born August 13, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football and basketball at Washington State and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also p ...

* Steve Gleason * Ken Grandberry * Connor Halliday * Dick Hanley *

Jason Hanson Jason Hanson (born June 17, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker who spent his entire 21-year career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football with the Wash ...

* Tim Harris *

Jerome Harrison Jerome Harrison (born February 26, 1983) is a former American football running back who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Washington State University, and was recognized as a consensus All ...

James Hasty James Edward Hasty (born May 23, 1965) is a former professional American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders from 1988 to 2001. Career Footb ...

* Jason Hill *

* Milford Hodge *

Al Hoptowit Alphonse William Hoptowit (September 7, 1915 – April 6, 1981), nicknamed "Hoppy" and "Tonto", was an American football Tackle (American football), tackle who played four seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He ...

Porter Lainhart Porter Ward Lainhart (November 6, 1907 – August 18, 1991) was an American football quarterback who played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He played college football at Washington State University and att ...

* Mike Levenseller *

Keith Lincoln Keith Payson Lincoln (May 8, 1939 – July 27, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars befor ...

Rian Lindell Rian David Lindell (born January 20, 1977) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Washington State. Early years ...

Rien Long Rien Michael Long (born August 7, 1981) is a former American college and professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the early 2000s. He played college ...

* Hercules Mata'afa *

Rob Meier Robert Jack Daniel Meier (born August 29, 1977) is a former American football defensive tackle from Canada. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington State. Ea ...

* Keith Millard *

* Cody O'Connell * Don Paul *

Anthony Prior Anthony Eugene Prior (born March 27, 1970) is a former American football defensive back who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders. He was drafted by the New Yor ...

* George Reed *

Timm Rosenbach Timm Lane Rosenbach (born October 27, 1966) is an American college football coach and former professional gridiron football player. Rosenbach was the head football coach at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, taking the position at t ...

Elmer Schwartz Elmer George Schwartz (July 29, 1906 – March 21, 1949), sometimes listed as George Elmer Schwartz, and nicknamed "Elmer the Great", was an American football player. He played college football at Washington State College. He was the capta ...

Raonall Smith Raonall Carrig Smith (; born October 22, 1978) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the ...

Harland Svare Harland James Svare (November 25, 1930 – April 4, 2020) was an American professional football player, coach and general manager. Svare was a linebacker who played eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants of the National Foot ...

Kitrick Taylor Kitrick Lavell Taylor (born July 22, 1964) is a former professional American football player. A wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1988–1993, Taylor is probably best known for catching Brett Favre's first ever winning tou ...

* Lamont Thompson *

Robbie Tobeck Robert Lee Tobeck (; born March 6, 1970) is a former American football center who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Tobeck played seven seasons for the Seattle Seahawks after being acquired as a free agent from the A ...

LaVern Torgeson LaVern Earl "Torgy" Torgeson (February 28, 1929 – March 20, 2015) was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Washington State from 1948 through 1950. Torgeson played professionally in the National Football League ...

Marcus Trufant Marcus Lavon Trufant (born December 25, 1980) is a former American football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for Washington State University, and was chosen by the S ...

Marquess Wilson Marquess Willis Wilson (born September 14, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football for Washington State University. College c ...

Clancy Williams Clarence "Clancy" Williams, Jr. (September 24, 1942 – September 21, 1986) was an American football defensive back who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), all with the Los Angeles Rams. Born in Texas, Williams was raised ...

Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician who is regarded by some as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October ...

* Jerry Williams * Zack Williams * Cory Withrow * Logan Tago *

List of Washington State Cougars in the NFL Draft This is a list of Washington State Cougars selected in the NFL Draft. Key Selections : See also * List of Washington State University people References {{Washington State Cougars football navbox Washington State Washington (), o ...

Past uniforms

Future opponents

Non-division conference opponents

Washington State plays each of the other 5 schools in the North Division annually and 4 of the 6 schools from the South Division. Each season, Washington State "misses" two schools from the South Division: either UCLA or USC and one of the four Arizona or Mountain schools. This cycle repeats after eight seasons.

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of November 30, 2022.

References

External links

*
WSU Libraries: Football game programs
– archive
WSU Libraries: Football game films
– archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington State Cougars Football American football teams established in 1893 1893 establishments in Washington (state)