Hall of Fame
A two-sport athlete at Washington State, Robert Newman earned three letters in football under head coach Jim Sutherland (1956-58) and one in baseball under head coach Buck Bailey (1957). Considered one of the nation’s great passers, Newman set 12 individual passing and total offense records for the Cougars over his three seasons. As a junior in 1957, he led the nation in total offense (1,391) and completions (104) and was named to the All-Pacific Coast Conference First Team and to the All-West Coast First Team by the Associated Press. Newman had his senior season interrupted when a knee injury sidelined him. He finished the season 51-for-79 for 541 yards and was selected to play in the annual East-West Shrine Game. Over his career, Newman set school records with 246 completions in 437 yards for 3,172 yards and 27 touchdowns. A native of El Cerrito, Calif., Newman was selected in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers following his junior season, but opted to return for his senior season.
