Cougar Legends - June 8-9, 2012 at Coeur d'Alene Resort

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Drew Bledsoe Bledsoe 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-American 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). He was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jason Gesser Gesser 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 Dave O'Brien Watch List as a senior, signifying the nation's top quarterback. Gesser left WSU owning 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. Following his playing career, Gesser coached five years of high school football in Washington and worked the past two seasons on the Idaho coaching staff, serving as the interim head coach the final four games of the 2012 season. He joined the Wyoming coaching staff as the quarterbacks coach in February, 2013.

Klay Thompson Washington 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. This past season, Thompson helped lead Golden State to the NBA Western Conference Semifinals.

Mike Price During 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, WSU finished the regular season with a 10-1 record and captured a share of the Pac-10 Conference championship with a 7-1 record. The Cougars earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, where they lost to eventual national champion Michigan (21-16). It was WSU's first Rose Bowl appearance since 1931. Price was the Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year, and was honored nationally as Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and The Sporting News Coach of the Year. The 2001 season culminated in a victory over Purdue in the Sun Bowl. After posting a 10-2 record, Price was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Despite being picked to finish last in the Pac-10, Price steered WSU into a tie for second. During his 14 seasons in Pullman, Price coached four Cougars picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. With 177 career victories, Price was the sixth-winningest active head coach in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) prior to retiring at the end of the 2012 season.

Collin Henderson Henderson was two-sport athlete for the Cougars from 1999-2002, playing wide receiver for four years and three seasons in the outfield for WSU's baseball team. Henderson, a three-time Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic selection, finished his football career with 62 catches for 566 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 11 passes for 499 yards and six touchdowns and was part of both WSU teams that played in the 2002 Sun Bowl and the 2003 Rose Bowl. On the diamond, Henderson appeared in 141 games, recorded 16 doubles, two home runs, 51 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Bud Norris Norris was a two-sport star at Washington State, lettering in basketball for coach Marv Harshman 1964-77 and in football for coach Bert Clark 1964-66. On the court, Norris averaged 7.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg while appearing in 56 games for the Cougars. The Sedro-Woolley, Wash. native was fourth on the team in scoring at 7.9 ppg in 1964-65 and was fifth on the team in scoring at 8.3 ppg in 1965-66. On the field, Norris started his career on offense but switched to defensive back and finished his career with four interceptions, three coming as a senior in 1966.

George Reed Reed was a running back and a linebacker at Washington State from 1959-62 for head coach Jim Sutherland. Reed finished his career with 325 carries for 1,216 yards and 19 touchdowns, a school record at the time, for the Cougars. The Vicksburg, Miss. native rushed 489 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior in 1961 and for 503 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior in 1962. Following his senior season, Reed was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl. He later joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in 1963 and in 13 seasons with the Roughriders, he gained more yards than any other player in the history of the game. Reed was a member of the Saskatchewan Grey Cup championship team in 1966. He was named an all-pro nine seasons and led the league in scoring five times. He set the Saskatchewan record for rushing yards in a season with 1,768 and was named the league's most valuable player in 1965. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame in 1979, the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980, the Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. Last month, he and fellow Cougar Hugh Cambell were inducted into the Michigan Gridiron Greats Hall of Fame.

Tom Niedenfuer Niedenfuer pitched three seasons for coach Bobo Brayton from 1978-80. He made 37 appearances and posted a 14-7 record with three saves, six complete games and a 3.83 ERA in his three years at Washington State. The righthander picked up two saves and posted a 2.35 ERA in five games as freshman in 1978 and followed up with a 7-3 mark while making 18 appearances, including three complete games in 1979. As the ace in 1980, Niedenfuer closed his Cougar career by being named first team All-North Division after posting a 6-4 record with a 3.62 ERA, along with 40 strikeouts in 77 innings. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers following his junior campaign and went on to play 10 seasons, seven with the Dodgers (1981-87), two with the Baltimore Orioles (1987-88), one with the Seattle Mariners (1989) and one with the St. Louis Cardinals (1990). In 1983, he had 11 saves, an 8-3 record with a 1.90 ERA and later recorded 19 saves in 1985 and 18 in 1988. He finished his career with 97 saves, 36 wins and a 3.29 ERA in 484 appearances.

Keith Lincoln Lincoln, known as the "Moose of the Palouse," ran, passed and kicked for the Cougars from 1958-60 for head coach Jim Sutherland. Lincoln was a Coaches All-American as senior and earned All-Pacific-10 Conference accolades as junior. He led the Cougars in rushing as a junior and senior and earned invitations to the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game following his senior year. He left WSU as the career rushing leader with 1,501 yards and the single-season record holder in punting average (40.3). Lincoln was a fifth-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears and went on to star with the San Diego Chargers, earning a selection to the AFL All-Star game in 1963 and was named the most valuable player in the 1963 AFL Championship game. Following his playing career, he returned to his alma mater where he was the long-time director of the WSU Alumni Association. In 2001, Lincoln was enshrined in the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.

Erik Coleman Coleman played safety for the Cougars from 2000-03, appearing in 45 games and making 32 starts including the final 26 of his career. 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 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 Holiday Bowl win over Texas. 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 where he played three seasons. Coleman ended his nine-year NFL career after two seasons with Detroit Lions.

Clete Casper Casper 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.

Rueben Mayes Mayes 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. His son, Logan is an outside linebacker for the Cougars.

Casey Kelley Kelley was a three-year letterwinner from 1997-98 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.

Bill Doba Doba coached 19 seasons at Washington State, 15 as an assistant (1989-2002) and five as the head coach (2003-07). As an assistant under head coach Mike Price, Doba helped the Cougars win two Pac-10 Conference championships, reach five bowl games including the 1997 and 2003 Rose Bowls and post back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2001-02. While serving as WSU's defensive leader from 1994-2002, Doba mentored eight players named first team all-conference, six All-Americans, and 2002 Outland Trophy Winner Rien Long. In his first season as Washington State's head football coach, he won more games than any first-year coach in program history, guiding the Cougars to a win over No. 5 Texas in the Holiday Bowl, and helped WSU reach the 10-win plateau for the third-straight season, the first time that had been accomplished by any Pac-10 school since 1931-33. Doba shared conference Coach of the Year honors with the USC's Pete Carroll. The 2003 Cougars featured a defense that led the nation in takeaways (48) and fumble recoveries (24), and finished second nationally in interceptions (24). Seven defenders on that unit earned All-Conference consideration, including first team selections free safety Erik Coleman, cornerback Jason David, and linebacker Will Derting. The 2003 Cougars finished the year ranked No. 9 in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls. Doba's teams later went to post three Apple Cup victories over the next four seasons.

Alex Brink Brink was a four-year letterwinner for coach Bill Doba from 2004-07, starting at quarterback his final 40 games. In 46 games, Brink finished his Cougar career with school-records for touchdowns (76), passing yards (10,913), completions (848), pass attempts (1,451), 400-yard games (5) and tied for the most 300-yard games (12). The Eugene, Ore. native was a three-time All-Pac-10 selection, earning second team honors as a junior and senior, and led the Cougars to three Apple Cup victories. Brink was also a three-time All-Academic honoree and a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. In 2005, Brink passed for a WSU single-game record 531 yards at Oregon State and finished the year with 24 touchdown passes. He capped his Cougar career by passing for 3,818 yards, second-most in a season, and 26 touchdowns, tied for third-most in a season. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.

James Darling Darling 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.

Chris Jackson Jackson was a two-year letterwinner during his three seasons at Washington State from 1995-97, appearing in 23 games and making 13 starts. The Santa Ana, Calif. native transferred to WSU in 1995 after playing one season of basketball at UC Riverside (1993-94) and one season of football at Orange Coast College (1994). He totaled 64 receptions for 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns during his Cougar career. As a senior, Jackson earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention after catching 54 passes for 1,005 yards and a school-record 11 touchdowns. His most memorable performance helped seal a trip to the Rose Bowl as a senior in 1997, catching eight passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-35 Apple Cup victory against Washington. He capped his WSU career with five receptions for 89 yards in the Rose Bowl. He later signed free agent contracts with the Tennessee Titans and played two seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Jackson went on to produce one greatest careers in Arena Football League history, posting eight 1,000-yard seasons, earning first team All-Arena three times and left as the league's all-time leader in postseason touchdown catches with 45. He was later named one of the 25 greatest players in AFL history.

Gail Cogdill Cogdill 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.

Fat Five #76 Ryan McShane, #71 Cory Withrow, #62 Lee Harrison, #66 Jason McEndoo, #79 Rob Rainville The "Fat Five" were the five offensive lineman during the Cougars 1997 Rose Bowl team. WSU claimed a Pac-10 Conference title and set the conference single-season record for total offense with 5,524 yards while averaging 42.5 ppg. Rainville was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at left tackle for the Cougars. As a senior in 1998, he earned All-Pacific-10 Conference honorable mention and was a team co-captain. He was later inducted into the Idaho State High School Hall of Fame. McEndoo was a four-year letterwinner and started 34 straight games at left guard for the Cougs. He earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention as a junior in 1996. As a senior, he was named an All-America third team selection by Football News and to the All-Pac-10 second team. Harrison was a two-year letterwinner for the Cougars and started at center the entire 1997 season. Harrison took over the starting role just prior to the season and went on to anchor one of the best offensive lines in conference history. Withrow was a four-year letterwinner and started 34 straight games on the offensive line, including all 12 at right guard during the 1997 season. He started all 12 games at right guard a sophomore in 1995, 11 games at center in 1996 before moving back to right guard during fall camp prior to the 1997 season. He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team as a senior and went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL, seven with the Minnesota Vikings, two with San Diego and one with St. Louis. McShane was a four-year letterwinner and started at right tackle the entire 1997 season. He started nine games as junior before starting all 12 games as a senior.

Matt Elisara Elisara was a three-year letterwiner as a defensive lineman for coach Jim Walden from 1979-81. The American Samoa native finished his career with 198 career tackles, nine sacks and one interception returned for a touchdown. Elisara registered 57 tackles as a sophomore and 58 during his junior campaign. As a senior, Elisara earned All-America honorable mention and first team All-Pac-10 honors after making 83 tackles including seven sacks. During the 1981 season, he posted a pair of 11-tackle performances, at Arizona State and at Oregon and capped his career with two sacks against BYU in the Holiday Bowl.

Mkristo Bruce Bruce was a defensive end for the Cougars from 2003-06, earning All-American honors as a senior and twice earning 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 Campbell Campbell, 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.

Daven Harmeling A 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.

Lamont Thompson Thompson was a four-year letterwinner for the Cougars from 1997-2001, appearing in 44 games and making 34 career starts. He led the Cougars and the Pac-10 with six interceptions as a freshman in 1997, all coming in the final three games, two against Stanford, three at Washington to tie a school record and one against Michigan in the Rose Bowl. The Richmond, Calif. native picked off four passes in both his sophomore and junior seasons before earning First Team All-America honors after setting WSU and Pac-10 records with 10 interceptions as a senior in 2001. During his senior season, along with the interceptions, he led the team with 93 tackles, picked off a WSU record four passes against UCLA, was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and was later named MVP of the Sun Bowl after picking off two passes in the victory over Purdue. Thompson finished his career with a WSU and conference record 24 interceptions. Thompson was selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals where he played for one season before playing four seasons with the Tennessee Titans (2003-06) and later splitting time with the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2007 season. Thompson finished his pro career with 259 tackles, 11 pass breakups, nine interceptions and one interception returned for a touchdown.

Matt Kegel Kegel 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. 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.

Kerry Porter Porter 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.

Chad Eaton Eaton was a three-year letterwinner as a defensive lineman for coach Mike Price at Washington State from 1992-94. The Puyallup, Wash. native was a two-time All-Pac-10 selection and tallied 146 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks while helping the Cougars to bowl game wins over Utah at the Copper Bowl in 1992 and Baylor in the 1994 Alamo Bowl. As a junior, Eaton earned second team All-Pac-10 accolades after starting all 11 games and making 62 tackles including 13 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. As a senior, he was named third team All-America and first team All-Pac-10 and was voted the Morris Trophy Award winner as the league's top defensive lineman after making 69 tackles, 14.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks and also blocked two kicks. Eaton was a seventh round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 1995 and went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL where he totaled 15.5 sacks and two touchdowns. He played five seasons with New England Patriots (1996-2000), appearing in Super Bowl XXXI and later posted a six-sack campaign in 1998. He also played three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2001-03) before closing his career with the Dallas Cowboys (2004).

Abe Lodwick A 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.

Marcus Capers The Cougar with the most games played under his belt, Marcus Capers was a member of the Washington State University men's basketball team from 2009-12, appearing in a school record 135 games and starting 109 of them. A 6-foot-4 guard, Capers made three postseason appearances in a WSU uniform, two National Invitation Tournaments (NIT) and one College Basketball Invitational (CBI), advancing to the NIT Semifinals in 2011 and the CBI Championship Round in 2012. He ranks on WSU's all-time list for games played (first ?“ 135), minutes played (seventh ?“ 3,447), blocked shots (13th ?“ 82), assists (17th ?“ 232), rebounds (18th ?“ 537) and blocks average (19th ?“ 0.61). As a senior he was named Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention, compiling 30 blocked shots and 25 steals. Over his WSU career Capers averaged 5.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while blocking 82 shots and notching 83 steals. Following his Cougar career, Capers spent the 2012-13 season playing professionally in Europe for ToPo in Finland. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 33.0 minutes per game while playing 23 games as a rookie.

Jim Walden Walden brought stability to a struggling WSU football program in 1978 and three years later had the Cougars in the Holiday Bowl, WSU's first postseason appearance since the 1931 Rose Bowl. He left WSU after the 1986 season as the school's second winningest football coach, having defeated every team in the Pac-10 Conference. He owns the third-most overall wins in school-history (44) and took WSU to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, its first bowl game in 51 years. He was later named the 1981 Pac-10, UPI West Coast and AFCA/Kodak District 9 Coach of the Year. In 2009 he was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Ray Hattenburg Hattenburg was a four-year letterwinner, two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection and two-time Pac-10 First Team All-Academic honoree at Washington State from 1997-2000. The Spokane native appeared in 198 games and made 176 starts, starting a game at every position except for shortstop, pitcher and catcher for the Cougars. He finished his career with the eighth-highest career batting average in school history at .355 to go along with his 127 RBI, 56 doubles and 13 home runs. He finished with the fifth-most hits (255) and doubles. As a redshirt-freshman in 1997, Hattenburg was third on the team with a .339 batting average before producing one of the best seasons in WSU history in 1999. He earned All-America honorable mention and First Team All-Pac-10 honors after leading the Cougars in hitting at .398, good for second in the Pac-10 that season and the fourth-highest average by a Cougar in program history. He recorded 20 doubles, seven homers, drove in 59 runs and posted 26 multiple-hit games while hitting .426 during conference play. In 2000, he again earned First Team All-Pac-10 accolades after hitting .359 with 80 hits, 17 doubles, four home runs, 31 RBI and 40 runs scored. He signed with the Kansas City Royals following the 2000 season.

Mike Leach In his first season in Pullman, Leach's high-powered offense led the Pac-12 Conference in passing, averaging 330.42 yards per game. That figure ranked ninth nationally and marked the second-highest average in school history. Seven times the Cougars threw for more than 350 yards, including the season-ending, 31-28, overtime win against Washington. In a season that produced a 3-9 overall record, the Cougars saw a bit of a youth movement as 17 freshmen played and only four seniors started regularly. Academically, nine Cougars received Pac-12 All-Academic honors while the 2012 fall semester football GPA of 2.66 marked the first time the football team had been over a 2.60 GPA for fall semester. Leach brought 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.