Bender was a star player on the Cougars' 1997 Pac-10 Championship team and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. But on May 30, 1998, just five weeks after the NFL Draft, Bender passed away from complications stemming from an epileptic seizure suffered while in Georgia preparing for the Raiders' mini-camp.

Read about Bender in this 2007 story as part of the 2007 story as part of the "Relive The Roses" series looking back on the Cougars' historic run to the 1998 Rose Bowl.

The poster will be available to order online at WSUCougars.com early next week.

Go Cougs!

After 21 seasons in the NFL, Cougar great Jason Hanson has announced his retirement. Hanson played in more games with one team, the Detroit Lions, than any other player in NFL history. 

Read the story from ESPN.com HERE.

Also follow The Cougar Football Project Twitter page for what's happening with the Football Operations Building construction.

CQ: You are a student of history. What is it about history that you love?

Leach: First of all, you don't need to go to the television set to find drama. We are in the middle of it. There are incredible stories and levels of achievement in the past. There are a lot of lessons to be learned.

CQ: You are working on a book about Geronimo?

Leach: The opportunity to work with a historian like (WSU professor) Buddy Levy on a book about Geronimo, who was certainly incredibly courageous and a visionary, is a rare opportunity and one I couldn't pass up.

CQ: Do you take what Geronimo represents and apply it to your coaching?

Leach: I think so. We'll illustrate some of those points in the book. Not specifically in the context of coaching, but working with groups of people and what a group of people together can achieve and accomplish; some of the forces and influences that bind them, hold them together, motivate them and drive them.

CQ: Speaking of history, have you seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies, such as Zero Dark Thirty and Argo?

Leach: Yes, Zero Dark Thirty I liked. It felt like a documentary but I liked it and enjoyed it. I saw Argo. I was in high school when those events took place and I remember them. It was impressive to see the inside story about that on the screen.

CQ: Did you see Lincoln?

Leach: I saw Lincoln. I think Daniel Day-Lewis will be Best Actor because as you sit through the movie I found myself sub-vocalizing some of the phrases and trying to morph into Lincoln because of the effective job he did.

CQ: Any other favorites?

Leach: Django Unchained is my personal favorite. More my type of movie. The most impressive is how quickly he (director Quentin Tarantino) can develop and illustrate characters and even though they're over the top, they still stay within a semi-realistic fashion and I thought it was really impressive.

Washington, a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame, was running back for the Cougars from 1951-54 and Brink quarterbacked WSU from 2004-07. Though their careers span a half century apart, the two have something in common: defeating Washington three times. Washington's Cougar Football team defeated the Huskies in 1951, 1953, and 1954 and Brink was on the team that defeated Washington in 2004, 2005, and 2007, becoming the first quarterback in Cougar Football history to defeat the Huskies three times.

When the Cougars visited Texas in October, 1954, Washington became the first African-American to play at Memorial Stadium in Austin. The historic game and the story surrounding it is recounted in this Washington State Magazine feature from Fall 2009.

Brink and Washington are among the numerous student-athletes at Washington State who have earned the prestigious the prestigious Gray "W." For more information on the Gray "W" Varsity Club click HERE.

INSIDE COUGARS FOOTBALL

Mike Leach Post-Practice: CLICK HERE

Joe Salave'a Post-Practice: CLICK HERE

INSIDE COUGARS FOOTBALL VIDEO: Rickey Galvin

Washington State returned to the practice field Monday afternoon, working out in helmets and shoulder pads for just over two hours on Rogers Field.

The Cougars worked through some individual drills and later went through some special teams segments that focused on kickoff coverage and return. A few loud pops seemed to dial the intensity up a notch as WSU moved into 7-vs.-7 where both the offense and defense turned in a couple nice plays. For the offense, freshman wideout Gabe Marks made a couple nice catches, as did Marquess Wilson and Rickey Galvin. For the defense, linebacker Justin Sagote came away with an interception after he broke up a pass intended for Brett Bartolone as the ball bounced off of both players before Sagote snatched it up and raced to the end zone.

In 11-vs.-11, Leon Brooks exploded through a hole for a big gain late in the day. The end of practice saw head coach Mike Leach bring both sides together and once again said the two sides would square off in a best of three in a third-down situatoin. The loser would do a couple up-downs at the end. The defense won the first play, stuffing a third down and four running play but the offense came back with a pair of completions. Quarterback Jeff Tuel found Carl Winston in space to pick up a third and short before Tuel clinched the win by hitting Wilson down the field to convert on a third and long.

The Cougars continue fall camp Tuesday at 2:45 on Rogers Field.

INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL VIDEOS

Head Coach Mike Leach Post-Practice

Gabe Marks Post-Practice

Washington State worked out for two hours in shoulder pads and helmets on Rogers Field Friday afternoon.

The Cougars worked through their individual workouts before breaking out into one filed working on running offense/defense while on the east field, wide receivers and defensive backs went one-on-one.

From there, WSU worked on punt coverage while the quarterbacks threw fades into trash cans on the east field.

There was a brief 7-vs.-7 with Chester Su'a and Deone Bucannon intercepting passes for the defense.

In the day's final segment, 11-vs.-11, the offense rebounded from a tough Thursday practice with an impressive Friday as the quarterbacks made a number of nice throws throughout the day. Connor Halliday found Gabe Marks and Isiah Myers on consecutive plays for scores.

Similar to earlier in the week, head coach Mike Leach put the ball inside the five yard line for the final three plays. It was the defense that won earlier in the week but it was all offense today as Jeff Tuel found Gino Simone for a score on the first play. Tuel then connected with Bennett Bontemps who dove across the goal line for the score and the offense went to post a sweep as Tuel fired a quick strike to Isiah Myers for a touchdown.

WSU will hold its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday at 4 p.m. at Martin Stadium with a fan autograph session scheduled to follow from 5:30-7 p.m. Gates to Martin Stadium will open at 3:45 p.m. and fans will be allowed on the field following the scrimmage.

INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL: Head Coach Mike Leach Post-Practice

The Cougars continued to mix things up at fall camp, working out on Rogers Field in full pads for an hour before heading down into Martin Stadium for the final hour and a half.

WSU opened practice with some individual segments that focused on technique before splitting off and working on the running game on the east field while receivers and defensive cornerbacks squared off in one-on-one battles on the west field.

Special continued to receive a little more time as the Cougars worked on punt coverage on Rogers Field before going through kickoff coverage in the stadium.

The Cougars held a brief 7-vs.-7 segment before going 11-vs.-11 and eventually another "live" scrimmage. Safety Tyree Toomer had a big hit on freshman wideout Brett Bartolone who held on for the catch and five yard gain. Linebacker Cyrus Coen turned in the best day for the defense, breaking up a pass while dropping back in coverage on one play before chasing down a running back from the backside and stopping him for a tackle-for-loss, one of nicer defensive plays made in fall camp so far.

Towards the end of the scrimmage, freshman cornerback Ray Ford broke up a pass intended for Marquess Wilson. It was a nice play by the Cougars newest addition.

The day ended with field goals as Andrew Furney connected on all four of his attempts from 37, 42, 48 and 52 yards.

The Cougars continue fall camp Thursday at 2:45 p.m.

INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL: Xavier Cooper Video

Washington State continued its fall camp with a two-hour workout in shoulder pads and helmets on Rogers Field Wednesday afternoon. Tons of energy throughout the day on both fields.

It was a defensive day as the Cougars worked through some individual drills before going through special teams drills that focused on kickoff coverage and returns.

In 7-vs.-7, Matthew Simmons was the first to tally a turnover, picking off a pass before freshman Taylor Taliulu picked off Connor Halliday on the west field. Minutes later, linebacker Eric Oertel recorded an interception off of a deflected pass and safety Mitchell Peterson later picked up an INT of his own with a diving grab on the east field.

It was more of the same in 11-vs.-11 as the defense opened the segment with a "sack." Tyrone Duckett later caused a turnover by forcing a fumble before head coach Mike Leach dialed up the intensity a little more at the end of the day.

Leach placed the ball at the three yard line and decided the two sides would square off in a best of three plays. The first play saw Jeff Tuel connect with freshman Brett Bartolone for a score but the defense rebounded with a "sack" by Travis Long and a pass breakup in the end zone to clinch the win. The offense did a couple up-downs for losing.

The Cougars continue fall camp Thursday at 2:45 p.m.

INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL: Xavier Cooper Video

Washington State continued its fall camp with a two-hour workout in shoulder pads and helmets on Rogers Field Wednesday afternoon. Tons of energy throughout the day on both fields.

It was a defensive day as the Cougars worked through some individual drills before going through special teams drills that focused on kickoff coverage and returns.

In 7-vs.-7, Matthew Simmons was the first to tally a turnover, picking off a pass before freshman Taylor Taliulu picked off Connor Halliday on the west field. Minutes later, linebacker Eric Oertel recorded an interception off of a deflected pass and safety Mitchell Peterson later picked up an INT of his own with a diving grab on the east field.

It was more of the same in 11-vs.-11 as the defense opened the segment with a "sack." Tyrone Duckett later caused a turnover by forcing a fumble before head coach Mike Leach dialed up the intensity a little more at the end of the day.

Leach placed the ball at the three yard line and decided the two sides would square off in a best of three plays. The first play saw Jeff Tuel connect with freshman Brett Bartolone for a score but the defense rebounded with a "sack" by Travis Long and a pass breakup in the end zone to clinch the win. The offense did a couple up-downs for losing.

The Cougars continue fall camp Thursday at 2:45 p.m.

Head Coach Mike Leach

Photo Gallery

Washington State worked out in helmets and shoulder pads for just over two hours on Rogers Field Sunday afternoon.

The Cougars continued to work through a similar practice schedule as the first three, opening with individual position drills before working through some team segments and then moving on to 7-vs.-7 drills.

In 7-vs.-7, freshmen linebacker Jeremiah Allison made one of the best athletic plays so far in camp, leaping to make an interception has he was dropping back into coverage. On the west field, sophomore linebacker Chester Su'a closed out 7-vs.-7 with a pick that he took to the house.

Special teams followed 7-vs.-7 and the Cougars focused on punt coverage, shedding blocks and working on containing the punt returner.

During 11-vs.-11 at the end of the day, again both the offense and defense traded big plays. The defense came up with a couple interceptions and later made a couple stops in a red zone drill. The offense received a couple long runs from Teondray Caldwell, a long pass from Connor Halliday to freshman Gabe Marks for a score, a diving catch by freshman Brett Bartolone and a leaping catch by Ricky Galvin.

The intensity will pick up a little more tomorrow as the Cougars will go full pads for the first time in fall camp. Practice is set to begin at 2:45 p.m.

Photo Gallery

WSU continued fall camp with a two hour workout in helmets only on Rogers Field Friday afternoon.

The Cougars worked through a similar format as Thursday, going through individual position segments before moving on to team segments with the defense on the east field and the offense on the west side. From there, they went into a 7-vs.-7 segment where walk-on wideout Mark Urtz made a leaping one-handed catch along the sideline.

On the west field during 7-vs.-7, quarterback Connor Halliday and freshmen wideout Gabe Marks provided the highlight of the day. On a long pass from Halliday, Marks out-jumped two defenders and held on to the ball as he tumbled into the end zone.

WSU then worked through some special teams segments that focused on punt coverage.

In the day's final segment, 11-vs.-11, both the offense and defense made plays but neither side able to gain the upper hand. Quarterback Jeff Tuel closed his day with a touchdown strike to Bobby Ratliff.

In his post-practice media session, head coach Mike Leach announced that cornerback "Raymond Ford is Cougar and we are excited to have him and he just got in today."

The Cougars will add shoulder pads to tomorrow's practice, slated for 2:45 p.m. on Rogers Field.

Washington State continued spring drills Thursday, working out in helmets for two hours on Rogers Field.

The Cougars covered a number of drills including a walk-thru on how they will stretch and warm up prior to Saturday's Crimson and Gray game in Spokane.

WSU worked through individuals before special teams focused on punt coverage and kickoff return. With the pads off, the intensity was lacking and coach Mike Leach pointed it out during his post-practice media session.

A couple highlights in the team session was linebacker Cyrus Coen who made two athletic interceptions while in coverage. For the offense, wideout Dominique Williams made a nice over-the-shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone thrown by Jeff Tuel. Fellow wideout Bobby Ratliff also made a nice catch, reaching behind him to corral a pass with only his right hand.

Saturday's spring game is scheduled of 1 p.m. at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. The final spring workout will be Tuesday at 3:10 p.m. on Rogers Field.

Check out the post-practice interviews with Coach Leach and Dominique Williams by visiting INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL.

Washington State continued springs drills Thursday afternoon, working out in helmets and shoulder pads for two and a half hours.

The Cougars continued to work through individual position segments mixed in with a couple special teams segments before moving into 7-vs.-7 and team.

In special teams, the Cougs kicked field goals as Andrew Furney went 2-of-3, hitting from 15 and 28 before slightly missing left from 40 yards out. Michael Bowlin knocked in both of his kicks while working with the second unit, hitting from 34 and 42. Special teams coordinator Eric Russell then put the team through punt coverage with Bowlin taking a majority of the kicks.

WSU then worked through 7-vs.-7 before capping the day with a team segment. The defense held their own early on as Daniel Simmons highlighted the early series with an over-the-shoulder pick in the end zone. The offense closed out the day with a couple touchdowns while working during the red zone segment. Quarterback David Gilbertson threw a pair of touchdowns, hitting Marquess Wilson in the back of the end zone before dropping a fade into the arms of Blair Bomber in the back left corner for the score that ended the day.

The Cougars continue spring drills Saturday at 10:10 a.m.

Check out the post-practice interviews with Coach Leach, Bobby Ratliff and Oertel by visiting INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL.

Washington State returned to the practice field Tuesday afternoon, working out in helmets and shoulder pads under the sun on Rogers Field.

The Cougars continued to work through all aspects of the game, offense, defense and special teams. The first segment of practice saw the wideouts focus on getting rid of the defensive back while getting off the line of scrimmage. On the other field, the linebackers and running backs squared off in a blocking drill, simulating a blitz while the running back stepped up to pick up the blitz.

Following a 7-vs.-7 drill, the Cougs worked through a special teams segment that focused on kickoff coverage and kickoff return. Horton closed out the 7-vs.-7 segment with a one-handed pick, holding on to the ball with his right hand while battling a wideout along the sideline. Nice play by the all-conference corner.

WSU then capped the day with a team segment. Cornerback Daniel Simmons made a nice pick on the sideline, dragging his feet as he fell out of the bounds to register the INT. Horton later picked up his second pick of the day after Deone Bucannon broke up a pass and Horton corralled the tipped ball for the INT.

The offense received a couple nice catches by Marquess Wilson who went high up to snatch the ball away from a DB in traffic. Jeff Tuel later connected with newcomer Drew Loftus for a long touchdown pass.

The Cougars continue spring drills Thursday at 3:10 p.m.

GO COUGS!

Check out the post-practice interviews with Coach Leach, Deone Bucannon and John Fullington by visiting INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL

The Cougars worked out in helmets and shoulder pads for just over two hours on Rogers Field Thursday. Despite no being in full pads, intensity was probably the highest its been all spring as a couple skirmishes broke out during the practice.

Practice opened with the offense working on one field with the defense working on the opposite field. The defense was working on a pop and chase drill, with four players popping the sled before racing to one sideline. There were three cones set up on the sideline and the four players were racing to grab one of the cones, the one that didn't get a cone, did a couple up-downs. High intensity drills that set the tone for the day. Tons of energy by each defensive coach as well as the players.

The offense continued to work through its passing drills before working through 7-vs.-7. Quarterbacks Connor Halliday and Jeff Tuel rotated operating the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses. The highlight of the day came from the offense after a couple big hits by the defense. Running back Leon Brooks took a screen pass from Tuel, got behind his blockers and scampered some 50+ yards for the score, causing the offensive players to storm the field and sprint to the end zone to celebrate with the always-smiling Brooks.

A newcomer followed with a nice play of his own minutes later as running back Teondray Caldwell juked a defender, resulting in the defender falling down and offense to again celebrate on the field.

Much more competitive practice today, just what coach Leach said he was looking for after Tuesday's sluggish workout.

Saturday's practice has been pushed back to 1:10 p.m. in Martin Stadium. The Cougars will work out and are expected to scrimmage for a majority of the practice.

GO COUGS!

Check out the post-practice interviews with Coach Leach, Deone Bucannon and Jeff Tuel by visiting INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL

Washington State resumed spring drills with a full pads workout for just over two hours on Rogers Field Tuesday. The Cougars focused a little more on "skelly" and team segments today.

With each practice, the Cougs are implementing more and more of special teams. Today they focused on the technique to blocking kicks and field goals. There were a ton of plays in the team session as some of the series' saw the Cougs play "live" with tackling and moving up and down field to simulate and actual "drive."

The defense probably won the day, mainly on the defensive line and linebackers with Toni Pole and Chester Su'a each blowing up a running play to bring "ooohs" and "aaahhs" from the other defensive players.

Quarterback Jeff Tuel made a couple nice throws to Bobby Ratliff and Andrei Lintz in traffic to highlight the day for the offense. Kickers Andrew Furney and Michael Bowlin capped the day with field goals. Furney worked with the first team and was a perfect 4-for-4, hitting from 47, 42 and twice from 39. Bowlin later hit from 39, missed from 47 and ended the day hitting from 45 with room to spare.

WSU continues spring drills Thursday at 3:10 p.m. Saturday's practice has been pushed back to 1:10 p.m.

GO COUGS!

The Cougars practiced for just over two hours in helmets and shoulder pads on Rogers Field Thursday. The rain held off until the final 20 minutes of practice when it really started to come down, making the post-practice media session a little fun.

Coach Mike Leach and the coaching staff continued to put the team through another up-tempo practice that saw all players received a good number of reps. There were a couple solid hits but nothing that stood out. Just as the defense won during most of Tuesday's practice, the offense settled in and turned in most of the highlights.

Early in the team session, the final segment of practice, Jeff Tuel connected with Dominique Williams for a score. While that play was happening, Max Hersey caught a long pass on the opposite field for a score. A couple plays later, Henry Eaddy also got behind the defense for a long touchdown catch. Tuel finished practice very well, spreading the ball to nearly every receiver from sideline to sideline, hitting Blair Bomber in stride for a score before finding Bobby Ratliff in traffic for another score. Marcus Mason capped his day with a long scoring run, sprinting past a couple defenders before they could get a hand on him.

The defense started the team session well with Deone Bucannon corralling a tipped pass for the INT. Damante Horton later made a great play, jumping a route to make the pick and keep his feet inbounds on the play. Tyree Toomer made the hit of the day, "de-cleating" Hersey as he came across the middle.  There wasn't anything dirty about the play, Toomer made a great read on the ball and collided with Hersey as he came across for the catch, which he held on to and even flipped the ball back at Toomer after he got back up.  Nice play by the freshman tight end who redshirted this past season.

WSU will practice Saturday at 10:10 a.m. The first hour or so is expected to be a practice before the team will head down to Martin Stadium for a scrimmage.

GO COUGS!

Check out the post-practice interviews with Coach Leach and Jeff Tuel by visiting INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL

The Cougars worked out in shoulder pads for the first time this spring, practicing for just over two hours on Rogers Field Tuesday afternoon.

With the addition of shoulder pads, there was a lot more energy throughout the field today. Loud smacks could be heard from all over the field. The biggest smacks came during a couple drills that occurred at the same time on two different fields. The first couple and the loudest of the day came from linebacker Darryl Monroe during a running game drill that featured the offensive line and running back against the defensive line and linebackers. Just like what he did last spring and fall, the young backer quickly stepped up to fill a running lane and either blow up the pulling lineman or the running back.

On the offensive field, there was 7-vs.-7 taking place and the biggest "pops" came from a familiar name on the defensive side in safety Deone Bucannon. The junior to be squared up a couple receivers coming over the middle on a few occasions, bringing some yells from his defensive teammates. The defense turned in one of its better days as a whole, popping a lot and even getting "pick-6" from linebacker Cory Laufasa who has moved to the defensive side of the ball after spending the past two seasons at fullback.

The offense saw wideouts Bobby Ratliff and Andrei Lintz each turn in another good practice. Both are catching everything in sight. Not to be overlooked but Marquess Wilson and Kristoff Williams each had catches that went for scores.

The Cougars will keep the pads on for Thursday's practice at 3:10 p.m.

GO COUGS!

Check out the post-practice interviews with Coach Leach and Andrei Lintz by clicking HERE to visit INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL

The Cougars practiced at Rogers Field in helmets and shorts for two and a half hours Saturday. Head Coach Mike Leach and his coaching staff continued to work the Cougs through a fast-paced up-tempo practice.

There were a number of individual segments that allowed each position coach to teach the new terminology. There were segments that focused on on-on-one matchups between the receivers and defensive backs and later went 7-vs.-7 while the linemen squared off in the opposite end of the complex.

There were a couple extra minutes put into special teams today, with the focus on punt and kickoff coverage. New kicker Michael Bowlin punted the ball very well in his first outing as a Coug to impress the attending fans and media members. Special Teams coordinator Eric Russell also put the team through some kickoff coverage drills.

Once again, the highlight of the practice was the team segment held at the end of the day. Both sides of the ball turned a couple nice plays as Tyree Toomer and Chester Su'a each picked off passes. Su'a's INT came towards the end of practice as he jumped an inside route to make the pick from his left outside linebacker position. On the offensive side of the ball, Blair Bomber had a number of catches in space and broke off some big runs. Towards the end of the day, Jeff Tuel connected with Marquess Wilson over the middle for a long score. Wilson, along with newcomer Hawaii transfer Drew Loftus made a couple nice catches throughout the day.

Coach Leach was very happy with the second day of practice. He said he implemented another third of the offense today and is looking forward to putting pads on next week.

The Cougars are expected to put on shoulder pads for their next practice, Tuesday at 3:10 p.m. at Rogers Field.

Check out the post-practice interviews with coach Leach and Travis Long by clicking HERE to visit INSIDE COUGAR FOOTBALL