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Winter 2023

Sports

Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson on the field
Spring 2023

Quite the kicking career

Jason Hanson booted his way into football history over more than two decades on the gridiron.

He set college records as the Cougar placekicker at Washington State University, then went on to even more in professional football during his 21 years with the Detroit Lions.

By the numbers

WSU career:

57.1 percent of field goals completed from 50 yards or greater (remains a Pac-12 Conference record)
Most field goals from 50 yards or more (20), and 40 yards or more (39) in NCAA football
62-yard field goal against UNLV in 1991 is still a WSU and Pac-12 record
WSU records: Second … » More …

Scene from video game Rocket League with a car hitting the ball
Winter 2022

Wide world of esports

In a thrilling finish to the tournament, Team “Candy Shop,” composed of students from Washington State University’s Tri-Cities and Vancouver campuses, came back from a 0-2 deficit to defeat a Pullman-based team 3-2 in the tournament’s final round.

But this game took place not on turf or court, but in a Rocket League video game in the first-ever WSU Global Gauntlet. The March and April 2022 event launched WSU’s esports through Global Campus.

Esports, alternatively known as competitive video gaming, allows students to compete remotely in a wide variety of video games and gaming platforms. The … » More …

Karen Troyanello
Fall 2022

The face of the case

Track-and-field standout Karen (Blair) Troianello (’80 Comm.) became the face of the benchmark equal rights case against Washington State University.

Blair vs. Washington State University was a milestone for women’s rights in Washington, setting a precedent for public four-year colleges and universities. The case went to the state Supreme Court, which—in 1987—ruled in favor of the coaches and athletes.

Coaches and female athletes at WSU had sued the university in 1979 over inadequate funding and other support for women’s athletics under the state Equal Rights Amendment, enacted the same year as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act. The 1972 federal law states: “No person … » More …