Summer 2020
New coach, new era
Nick Rolovich brings his style of football, his humor, and his generosity to WSU. » More ...
Coach
Summer 2020
Nick Rolovich gets creative with scholarship awards
In the ever-revolving carousel of college football, a team’s head coach is often the most permanent fixture of a program.
Whether engendering support with their winning records or quotable moments during press conferences, college coaches must become well known if they hope to maintain a supportive fan base and attract the next generation of standouts on the field.
WSU Head Football Coach Nick Rolovich has spent the past four months acquainting himself with Coug fans; in-person at spur of the moment fan meetups or with his deft use of social media. His love … » More …
Spring 2019
Athlete, coach, winner
Legendary Washington State University track coach and alumnus John Chaplin led the most successful athletics program in school history, with multiple Olympians and an NCAA championship, but never lost his priority of students' education. » More ...
Spring 2019
Chaplin’s athletes
Washington State University men’s track and field coach John Chaplin ’63 led the most successful sports program in Cougar history.
The Cougars went undefeated in dual meets nine seasons en route to a 202-17 record during his 21-year tenure. WSU won four Pac-10 outdoor championships, was NCAA runner-up four times outdoors, and claimed the 1977 NCAA indoor championship. Chaplin’s athletes earned 105 All-America certificates and 61 conference titles. Below are just a few of the many athletes he mentored and coached over his years with the program.
Read more about Chaplin and his legacy in “Athlete, coach, winner.”
TUARIKI JOHN DELAMERE: Tuariki “John” Delamere … » More …
Spring 2017
How you play the game
It took a while for the guys to start passing her the ball during pickup games at the gym.
Jeanne (Eggart) Helfer ’82 stuck with it, spending much of her free time back in 1977 simply running the length of the basketball court waiting for a chance to show she knew her way around the paint. It was her first semester at Washington State, a few months before she would start setting school records, and Helfer patiently waited for the guys to discover what her older brother and his friends already had learned back in Walla Walla.
That girl can shoot. And pass. And rebound.
… » More …
Fall 2015
Memories of Bobo
A player and coach larger than life in every way » More ...
Spring 2015
A winning style
While most reporters covering Ernie Kent focus on his affinity for fast-paced basketball and his ability to recruit, inevitably the subject of his sartorial splendor arises. He’s the “man of a million clothes,” according to The Seattle Times and in the Oregonian’s view, a “clothes horse,” with “tight ties,” and “sharp collars.”
Whether he’s coordinating plays or coordinating outfits, Ernie Kent is a man with a brand.
“In this day and age, your brand is huge,” says Kent. “If you don’t understand that at a young age, it’s going to be a shock to your system as you go from the bright lights of college … » More …
Fall 2013
Composing Cougar soccer
A music business graduate from Birmingham-Southern College, Keidane (Kih-Dawn-EE) McAlpine had designs on moving to Atlanta to work in the music industry.
He soon realized his disposition and the music business were discordant. “I’m not mean enough for that,” he says with a laugh.
Fortunately, McAlpine’s time at college had created other, more harmonious, opportunities.
“The doors that kept opening were the soccer doors,” says McAlpine, who is now the Washington State women’s soccer coach.
After his college playing days, BSC women’s coach, Lorrin Etka-Shepherd, offered him a position.
“She said I got a parttime job if I want it,” he remembers. “Next thing … » More …
Videos: Mike Leach comes to WSU
Videos of WSU head coach Mike Leach at press conferences in 2011 and early 2012.
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Fall 2012
A talk with Mike Leach about life, animals…and Cougar football
I understand how the interview with Washington State University’s new head football coach Mike Leach drifts from Cougar football to life in Pullman and pirates in Key West (I asked that one), but bulls in ancient Rome? The Tokyo fish market?
It starts out on track, as I meet with Leach at his office in Bohler Gym looking onto the practice field and the south side of Martin Stadium. As workers on scaffolds rush to complete the new addition to the stadium before fall, Leach points out proudly how the project is on time and under budget.
He grabs several posters of the proposed football … » More …