Hall of Fame
Rueben Mayes was once described by his Washington State University football coach as a "playful colt." Perhaps Jim Walden knew then, in 1982, that Mayes would soon be considered a stallion among collegiate running backs. By the end of his distinguished four-year Cougar career Mayes held numerous WSU rushing records and several Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA marks. Twice Mayes was honored by the Pac-10 coaches as the conference's outstanding offensive player of the year. As a junior Mayes burst onto the national scene in 1984 to finish 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting. In back-to-back games he rushed for 216 yards at Stanford, including five touchdowns, and then an NCAA, Pac-10 and WSU record 357 yards at Oregon. His two-game total of 573 yards also set NCAA, Pac-10 and WSU records. The Stanford game is one of the most memorable in Cougar history. Mayes earned numerous All-America honors his final two seasons at WSU and in the process set more than a dozen records, including 3,519 rushing yards, 23 career touchdowns rushing and 26 in all, 13 games with more than 100 yards rushing, and 4,418 all-purpose yards. The North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada native was the 1985 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. From WSU Mayes went on to star in the National Football League. Drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round in 1986, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987 and was the NFL Rookie of the Year after gaining 1,353 yards his first season. His professional totals included 866 carries for 3,484 yards and 23 touchdowns in seven seasons, the final two in Seattle. Mayes, who earned his master’s in business administration from WSU in 2000, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
