Sports at Washington State University have certainly faced significant changes throughout the past year, with the Pac-12 conference shrinking to two teams, plus budget concerns and new faces. As the national landscape of college athletics also rattles from seismic shifts, two people with deep WSU connections have stepped in to help Cougar Nation.
When former athletic director Pat Chun left WSU, Anne McCoy was appointed in late March 2024 as interim AD. WSU president Kirk Schulz made her the permanent AD on June 25.
McCoy became the first woman to serve as WSU athletic director, but she was already very familiar with WSU Athletics on many levels. She started at WSU in 2001 as an associate AD in internal operations and budget under Jim Sterk. Since then, McCoy has worked with every sport and administrative unit under athletic directors Sterk, Bill Moos (’73 History), and Chun.
“It’s been a great and special ride. I don’t know that I would have imagined 23 years ago sitting here as the athletic director. I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be,” McCoy told WSU Regent Enrique Cerna (’75 Comm.) in a July interview.
She plunged right into the fray of a rapidly shifting college sports environment. In addition to national changes, McCoy had to find new basketball and volleyball coaches. Meanwhile, there are also budget issues and the continuing fallout of the Pac-12 conference losing 10 members.
McCoy points to her long relationships with staff, campus leadership, and the conference as advantages for her to hit the ground running.
“I see this as a defining moment, a time to turn the page,” McCoy said during the July interview with Cerna.
Listen to a chat with McCoy about the future of WSU Athletics on the Washington State Magazine podcast.
Chris King (’09 Comm.) is the new voice for Cougar sports. He took over announcing duties from Matt Chazanow this fall.
“We are thrilled to bring Chris King home and have him as the play-by-play voice of Cougar Athletics,” says WSU Athletics Director Anne McCoy.
King returned to Pullman after 13 years of Division I broadcasting experience with the University of Idaho Vandals and at Boise State University. He was honored as the Idaho Sportscaster of the Year in 2017 and 2023 by the National Sports Media Association.
King works for Washington State Sports Properties, a division of college athletics media company Learfield.
Podcast: King talks about coming home to Pullman and Cougar sports.