PULLMAN, Wash. (July 3, 2026) – Washington State University Hall of Fame Football Coach Jim Walden passed away Thursday in Coeur d'Alene. He was 88.
Walden, who served as the Cougars head coach from 1978-86, was not one to hold back as a player or a coach, and neither were his Cougar football teams from the time he took over between the 1977 and 1978 seasons through his final campaign in the fall of 1986. The Cougars displayed many of the same characteristics Walden exhibited, including a passion for the sport and an outspoken and charismatic personality, plus a willingness to take more than a few chances.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Walden,” said WSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Jon Haarlow. “He will forever be remembered as a great Coug who deeply loved Washington State. Our heart is with Coach Walden’s family, friends and all the former players whose lives he positively impacted.”
Taking the reins after WSU had three head coaches in three years, Walden assured the Cougar faithful he not only would stay around, but he would stay to build a winner. Four years later he guided WSU to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, WSU’s first postseason bowl game since the 1931 Rose Bowl.
Walden delivered on his promises while defeating every team in the Pacific-10 Conference. He finished his nine-year Cougar stint with 44 wins, at that time, second on the Washington State all-time list, while also being named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice, in 1981 and 1983. After retiring from coaching in 1994, Walden showed his Crimson colors by returning to the Palouse, where he has served as Bob Robertson’s broadcast sidekick for 11 seasons.
Walden was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011, where he was an All-American quarterback. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.