1979 Washington State Cougars football team

The 1979 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Walden, the Cougars compiled a 3–8 record (2–6 in Pac-10, ninth), and were outscored 366 to 241.[2][3]

1979 Washington State Cougars football
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
1979 record3–8 (2–6 Pac10)
Head coach
Home stadiumMartin Stadium,
Joe Albi Stadium (Spokane)
1979 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 USC $ 6 –0 –1  11 –0 –1
No. 11 Washington 5 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
Arizona 4 –3 –0  6 –5 –1
Oregon 4 –3 –0  6 –5 –0
California 5 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
Stanford 3 –3 –1  5 –5 –1
Arizona State † 3 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
UCLA 3 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Washington State 2 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
Oregon State 1 –7 –0  1 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • † – Arizona State later forfeited 5 wins (3 in conference) due to NCAA sanctions[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Steve Grant with 1,565 passing yards, Tali Ena with 844 rushing yards, and Jim Whatley with 513 receiving yards.[4]

Martin Stadium's seating capacity was increased over the summer (track removed, field lowered) and hosted its first game of the season in mid-October for homecoming.[5][6] The 17–14 upset of UCLA was the Cougars' first win over the Bruins since 1958.[7][8]

The traditional Battle of the Palouse game with neighbor Idaho went on hiatus beginning with this season (the Vandals had moved down to Division I-AA in 1978);[9] it was played in 1982 and 1989. When Idaho rejoined Division I-A, there was a ten-year resumption (1998–2007).

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 8Arizona
L 7–22 26,753
September 15Montana*
  • Joe Albi Stadium
  • Spokane, WA
W 34–14 20,157
September 22at No. 16 Ohio State*
L 29–45 87,495
September 29at Syracuse*
L 25–52 10,004
October 6at No. 1 USC
L 21–50 55,117
October 13UCLA
W 17–14 32,651
October 20at Arizona State
W 17–28 (forfeit win) 70,729
October 27Oregon
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
W 26–37 (forfeit win) 18,650
November 3at Oregon State
W 45–42 21,500
November 10California
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
L 13–45 22,055
November 17at No. 16 Washington
L 7–17 57,750
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster
1979 Washington State Cougars football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
TE 89 Pat Beach So
RB 39 Tali Ena Sr
QB 18 Steve Grant Sr
RB 43 Tim Harris Fr
T 75 Steve Johnson Jr
T 72 Allan Kennedy Jr
SE 49 Bevan Maxey Sr
G 63 Gary Patrick Fr
C 52 Scott Rogers Sr
QB 11 Samoa Samoa Jr
FB 10 Brian Sickler Jr
G 58 Greg Sykes Jr
RB 31 Ray Williams Sr
SE 86 Mike Wilson Jr
FL 21 Jim Whatley Jr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT 95 Ken Collins So
DT 73 Matt Elisara So
CB 41 Jeff Files So
MG 61 Brian Flones Jr
FS 28 Bob Gregor Sr
FS 4 Don McCall Sr
LB 39 Don Nevels Sr
CB 27 Hugh Parker Jr
LB 47 Scott Pelluer Jr
DT 91 Dave Schneider Jr
CB 13 Mike Snow Sr
LB 36 Tom Thompson Sr
DE 62 Mike Walker Jr
SS 44 John West So
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P 16 Tim Davey So
K 1 Mike DeSanto Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Dave Elliott
  • Gary Gagnon
  • Rich Glover
  • Lindsay Hughes
  • Steve Morton
  • Scott Ricardo
  • Pat Ruel
  • Dave Walker
  • Harold Wheeler
  • Ken Woody
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt
Source:[10][11][12][13]

Season summary

UCLA

Mike Snow blocked two field goals and deflected a pass in the end zone as Washington State upset UCLA in front of a record home crowd. Brian Sickler capped an 84-yard fourth quarter drive with a one-yard plunge as the Cougars completed a rally from a 14–7 halftime deficit.[14]

no one ever talks about Don McCall's contribution in that 1979 WSU vs UCLA football game. It is worth noting McCall recorded 2 interceptions, 7 tackles and a fumble recovery. Only Saying.Just for the record it was a great victory for Cougars everywhere.

NFL Draft

Four Cougars were selected in the 1980 NFL Draft.

Player Position Round Overall Franchise
Bob Gregor S 4 108 San Diego Chargers
Tali Ena RB 11 292 Seattle Seahawks
Ray Williams WR/RB 12 307 Detroit Lions
Tyrone Gray DB 12 309 St. Louis Cardinals
Source:[15][16][17]

References
  1. "2017 Media Guide" (PDF). thesundevils.com. ASU Athletics. p. 127. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  2. "1979 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  3. "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). WSUCougars.com. Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 77. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  4. "1979 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  5. Van Sickel, Charlie (October 12, 1979). "Major questions face WSU in UCLA clash". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 25.
  6. Barrows, Bob (October 13, 1979). "WSU: For both teams, it's a battle for survival". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
  7. Emerson, Paul (October 14, 1979). "Upset". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 4D.
  8. Van Sickel, Charlie (October 15, 1979). "Kicking, defense WSU keys". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 23.
  9. Van Sickel, Charlie (September 18, 1978). "WSU-Idaho rivalry ends none too soon". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 27.
  10. "Wildcats vs. Cougars: probable offensive starters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 8, 1979. p. 18.
  11. "Grizzlies vs. Cougars: probable starting lineups". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 15, 1979. p. 21.
  12. "Starting lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). October 27, 1979. p. 2C.
  13. Emerson, Paul (November 17, 1979). "Braggin' rights". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 3C.
  14. Ocala Star-Banner. 1979 Oct 14. Retrieved 2018-Oct-28.
  15. Missildine, Harry (April 30, 1980). "Huskies popular in draft". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
  16. "Tatum, Stanford QB big news in NFL draft". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. May 1, 1980. p. 25.
  17. "NFL draft". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. May 1, 1980. p. 1C.
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