Just yards away from where he played with a passion that defines his life, Steve Gleason was once again excited.
"I'm stoked to be a small part of this," Gleason said on the fifth floor of the Cougar Football Complex during the dedication ceremony of the recruit suite that bears his name.
Small is not a word normally associated with Gleason, a man who is such a large inspiration in the lives of so many Cougars and others around the world.
On this early August Wednesday afternoon, the Cougar legend returned to the scene of many of his accomplishments: a four-year letter winner from 1995-99, three-time All-Pac-10 honoree, two-time team captain and 282 career tackles, ninth most in school history.
"Pullman has been a big part of my development," said Gleason. "I have amazing memories from my time here and am excited I could be here in person today."
It was a day of not only honoring the past but a day about looking ahead and inspiring the future of Cougar football, because of the generosity of a fellow Cougar alumnus.
"I think we should all thank Glenn Osterhout for providing the funding for the room and facility," Gleason said of the man standing beside him.
Like Gleason, Osterhout has many amazing memories of WSU, from being in attendance at Martin Stadium when the Cougars upset No. 5 Washington in the 1982 Apple Cup to camping out in the freezing cold outside Beasley Coliseum just to get the opportunity to watch George Raveling's Cougars take on UCLA the following day.
After graduating in 1983, another experience that crossed Osterhout's path was the 1998 Rose Bowl season.
Fond memories abound from that season but one athlete in particular stayed with Osterhout.
Steve Gleason.
"Steve was a very successful athlete at Washington State," said Osterhout. "Not only was he an outstanding athlete he was outstanding academically."
Osterhout kept following Steve's career, from his time with the New Orleans Saints to his ALS diagnosis and how he is living with the disease.
"Every step of the way in his life, Steve is moving forward," said Osterhout. "Even with his diagnoses with this disease he's not stopped for a minute.
"There was never a moment when he felt sorry for himself. He just kept moving forward and tried to make things better."
A certified financial planner in Bellevue, Osterhout remained connected to his alma mater since graduation, including as a longtime Cougar Athletic Fund member.
"First and foremost, I donate because of a love of the institution and creating opportunities for others," Osterhout explained. "Whether it's scholarships or facilities, it's about creating opportunities for young men and women so they have the opportunity to get a world-class education."
With the arrival of Bill Moos as Director of Athletics in 2010, Osterhout became especially interested in facility development, learning from Bill how important they are to the success of Cougar Athletics.
He made a naming donation for an office inside the Cougar Football Complex and Osterhout decided to make an additional pledge of $250,000. With that pledge the opportunity was presented to Osterhout to name the recruiting room inside the Cougar Football Complex.
"The recruiting room was something I was very interested in because that is a big part of what the football operations building is about, bringing in top-notch student-athletes." Osterhout explained.
When deciding on the name, the choice was obvious.
"I wanted the room to be about somebody," Osterhout said. "Steve will be an inspiration to a lot of young men who will come through that room. I want recruits to know that you need to always be moving forward in your life."
Osterhout hopes his donation inspires other Cougars to do the same in honoring someone who may have inspired them.
"It's important for people to stay engaged. I want to get others thinking along this path, that I can donate and not have it be about me, be about somebody else.
"I encourage all WSU alumni and friends, if they don't want to name a building or room for themselves, they should consider a past student-athlete, a mentor, family member, someone in their life who was important and an inspiration."
Such as the man he stood beside inside the Steve Gleason Recruit Suite.
For information about and to join the Cougar Athletic Fund, visit CougarAthleticFund.com