PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State Athletics will recognize Cougar Baseball legend and WSU Hall of Famer John Olerud with a statue dedication in his honor at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday, October 23.
The dedication ceremony will be held Friday, October 23 at the Bailey-Brayton Field entrance from 4-6 p.m.
During his three seasons in a Cougar uniform, Olerud (1987-89) had one of the finest careers of any Cougar student-athlete, in any sport, in Washington State history, rewriting the WSU record books and becoming the only Cougar baseball athlete ever to be named College Athlete of the Year. In 1988, Olerud became the only player in NCAA history to win 15 games on the mound and hit 20 home runs in the same season, going 15-0 with 23 home runs that year. Olerud went 26-4 overall with a 3.17 ERA over 241.1 innings during his three seasons, hitting .434. He set two Pac-10 records and 10 Pac-10 North marks, highlighted by his sophomore season when he was named Athlete of the Year by Baseball America. In January prior to his junior year at WSU, Olerud suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of brain seizure. He missed the first 28 games of the spring season, but returned to hit .359 for WSU over the final 27 games.
Prior to his senior season, Olerud signed a contract with Toronto and went directly to the Major Leagues. In 1993, he became the first Blue Jay to win a batting title, hitting .363. Olerud played for Toronto, the New York Mets and Yankees, Seattle and Boston during his 17-year career, winning back-to-back World Series titles with Toronto in 1992 and 1993.
In 2001 he joined his father, John Sr., in the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and is a member of the College Baseball, State of Washington and Inland Northwest Sports Halls of Fame. The John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, given annually by the College Baseball Hall of Fame, was named in his honor.
In 2016, Olerud was named the Pac-12 Conference's Baseball Player of the Century and in 2019, the conference inducted Olerud into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor.
Olerud joins Cougar Track and Field legend Henry Rono as the only student-athletes with a statue at Washington State.
General Event Details:
Event: John Olerud Statue Dedication
Date/Time: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 4-6 PM
- 4-5 pm: Social Hour
- 5-6 pm: Dedication Ceremony
Location: Bailey-Brayton Field