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Cougars – Drew Bledsoe
Bledsoe had a record-setting career in his three years at Washington State. After gaining the starting job at the end of the 1990 season as a true freshman (joined later by Jeff Tuel as the only two in school history), he quickly became the face of the Cougars offense. In 1992 Bledsoe led his team to a 9–3 record (ranking #10 in the coaches poll and #12 in the AP) and a 31–28 win against the Utah Utes in the Copper Bowl. Bledsoe completed 30/46 passes for 476 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. He also established WSU records in single-game passing yards (476), single-season pass completions (241), and single-season passing yards (3,946). He was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
Following an impressive junior year, Bledsoe decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 1993 NFL Draft. In the 34 starts of his collegiate career, he amassed 9,373 yards, 532 completions, and 66 touchdowns.
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Washington State – Klay Thompson
Thompson led the Pac-10 in scoring as a junior, again earning All-Pac-10 first-team honors. He became just the third Cougar to win first-team all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches twice in his career. In addition, he became the first Cougar to be named Pac-10 Player of the Week three times when he won the award for the week of Nov. 22–28, extending the record to four after the week of December 6–12. Soon after, Thompson was named one of the 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award. In the 2011 Pac-10 tournament, he set tournament records with 43 points and 8 three-pointers. Thompson finished the season by setting WSU’s single-season scoring record with 733 points. He is WSU’s 3rd all-time leading scorer.
On January 18, 2020, Washington State retired the No. 1 that Thompson wore in college. He became the second WSU men’s basketball player to receive this honor, joining Steve Puidokas, and the seventh WSU athlete in any sport whose number has been retired.
After every touchdown and Cougar win, the WSU ROTC Department fires a blank round from a “Pack-75” 75mm Towed Howitzer. The concussion from the celebratory blast is seen, heard and felt by everyone in and around Martin Stadium. The cannon is property of the Washington Army National Guard and on loan to the university in support of WSU Athletics and the WSU ROTC Department. The ROTC “Cannon Crew” is composed exclusively of ROTC Cadets who are also members of the Washington Army National Guard. The cannon was first brought to WSU in 1993 and was fired from a balcony atop the Compton Union Building (CUB) overlooking Martin Stadium until 2006. Following the 2006 season, due to the CUB remodel, the cannon was absent from WSU Football. The cannon returned for the 2010 and 2011 seasons and now fires from atop the newly remodeled WSU Library, also overlooking Martin Stadium. The Pack-75 Howitzer is of WWII vintage where it saw combat service with units of the Washington Army National Guard in both the Philippines and Guadal Canal.
College Sports Established
1917
Location
Pullman, Washington
College Name
Washington State University
Collegiate History
1973 – Present / NCAA Division 1
1921 – 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
1917 – 1921 / Athletic Association of the United States
Conference History
2010 – Present / PAC 12 Conference
1978 – 2010 / Pacific 10 Conference
1962 – 1978 / Pacific 8 Conference
1958 – 1962 / Independent
1917 – 1958 / Pacific Coast Conference
Nickname
Cougars – After a match up with California in 1919, a local cartoonist depicted the football team as cougars chasing golden bears. The student’s at WSU took a liking to the nickname and made it official almost immediately.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men’s Basketball 0
Women’s Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0