Washington State University Athletics

Sam Jankovich joined Jim Sweeney’s Washington State football staff in 1968. After four seasons, he was named Cougar Athletic Director Ray Nagel’s assistant, overseeing the Cougar Club. Jankovich doubled the organization’s membership and tripled funding in four years before becoming Nagel’s successor in July, 1976. Jankovich left an indelible mark on Cougar Athletics, undertaking the monumental project to increase the Martin Stadium capacity by over 10,000 from the 27,500 it seated at the time. His forward looking facility improvements, including the lowering of the stadium floor 14 feet and the reworking of Washington State’s football schedule, allowed the Cougars to play key games in Pullman and impacted future football successes for many years. He championed the creation of the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978, pushed for other facility improvements and expanded staff areas focusing on student support. In 1984 Jankovich was named athletic director at Miami (Fla.). He later served as the general manager of the NFL’s New England Patriots.