WHERE I COME FROM: How we became die-hard Coug fans
by Jeff Nusser on Jul 5, 2010 1:42 PM PDT
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Jeff Nusser: I imagine my story starts out like a lot of other Cougs. I grew up in Western Washington, was a Husky fan -- my dad had football season tickets until this past year -- and since my college financing options were limited, I was faced with the choice of going to UW or WSU. After being taken on what amounted to a recruiting trip to Pullman by one of my teachers, I was hooked -- I just flat-out loved the idea of going to school in a college town.
That said, there's a big difference between choosing a school and becoming the kind of crazy fan who will devote insane amounts of hours to writing about a school's sports teams. You know when I first knew I was going to love this place? When I learned the fight song during orientation. Seriously. I got goosebumps singing it with the other incoming freshman at the end of the second day.
Brian (cougfan): I also grew up in Western Washington, but in a family that was all Cougs. My dad's entire side of the family went to Washington State, so we had deep roots there. One of my first memories was watching the "Snow Bowl" with the family and watching Philip Bobo slide into the snow banks in a game that looked like the best thing in the world to a 7 year old.
Being a Seattle sports fan conditioned me for life as a Coug. I found out I was accepted to WSU while watching the Cougs battle undefeated Stanford on the hardcourt in 2004. One minute I was celebrating what looked like a sure win over the No.1 Cardinal; the next I was wondering what happened as Matt Lottich had his prayer answered while falling out of bounds. I knew then that I was in for a rough time as a Coug, but a time that I would love every minute of.
Jeff: Funny thing about that Snow Bowl -- I was heartbroken as a Husky fan. Now I own it as a Coug. Is that legal?
Craig (Dancing Football): You paid thousands of dollars in tuition and interest on student loans to "own" that game, Jeff. So own away!
My story is similar to Nuss. I grew up in Yakima rooting for the Huskies because they were the team on television. I never formed any real strong bond with their teams and I don't really have any lasting memories from any particular game. They were the "local" team so I felt the need to give them my allegiance.
When it came to applying to college I had two criteria: the school had to be in-state and the school had to have major college athletics. Needless to say, I only sent applications to two schools.
Contrary to a common myth in Husky circles, I did get into the University of Washington (so did my WSU-grad girlfriend). I chose WSU because of the scholarships and because my two best friends were headed there. The biggest allure for me to UW was living in Seattle, because I "never would live there otherwise" and I wanted to
experience life in a big city. Turns out I made an excellent choice. Pullman was a perfect college experience and I moved to Seattle right after college anyway.
Now it's seven years later and I'm one of those crazy fans that Jeff mentioned, spending hours of my life each week on my beloved Cougs.
Brian: With Pullman being so isolated, and being a true college town, it seems like it's easy to become a die-hard fan without even realizing it. The sense of community created by living in Pullman and attending WSU translates directly into fandom. Where else does it seem normal to camp out all night for basketball and football games, braving temperatures well below freezing?
The fact that there's nothing else to do in Pullman besides drink and go to football games almost breeds die-hard fans. The town shuts down on Cougar Football Saturdays -- and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Jeff: I think that's the thing that people from more metropolitan areas have a hard time understanding. They can't for the life of them fathom why someone would enjoy being there. And on its surface, they're sort of right -- I mean, Pullman isn't as big or diverse as any other city in the Pac-10.
But as Paul Wulff has continually sold to recruits, that's the charm. With nothing else around, everyone is stuck there together -- something commuters at UW will never understand. And, by the way, you can actually walk the streets at 2 a.m. without worrying about getting stabbed.
Grady, you're actually from a WSU hotbed -- how did your fandom form?
Grady: No doubt I was in the right place -- Spokane. But I also had the fortune of being there at the right time. My family moved around a lot when I was a kid, before we finally settled in the Lilac City. When your first college football experience is in Pullman, and the year is 1997, it's hard not to get hooked.
I thought at the time I was seeing a juggernaut -- we went to the 77-7 routing of the Lousiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. It was like someone had turned the skill level down to junior varsity on NCAA Football for the XBox (plug!) and was beating up on the opposition just for fun. However, I was also hooked on the atmosphere (one of the reasons I'm falling for the Sounders now), and the joy of the pilgrimage to the middle of nowhere just to support your team. Everyone else there was in the same boat.
Of course, being a Coug fan is a series of ups and downs. And the high of the '97 regular season was followed by the sting of the fact there should still be two seconds left in the 1998 Rose Bowl. It was then that I truly 'got it'. Not only were WSU the underdogs, but the odds were stacked against us too. Not all college programs were created equal. It made me want to root harder for the Cougs to succeed. It also made me hate Lloyd Carr. But I digress.
My Coug fandom leveled off for a few years before I spurned Oregon and Washington to come to Pullman in 2003. I chose Wazzu because, among many reasons, it felt like home. I can't help but think driving down there with my dad on a few random Saturdays had something to do with that. I was a staunch Gonzaga basketball fan at the time. But Dick Bennett made me fall in love with defense -- and college basketball for that matter -- and by the time the Zags came to town for the first time in my college career I came dressed in crimson, rooting against GU and for the Cougs. The Cougs lost that year, but they put up a better fight than they had put up against Zags in years. I didn't matter; I was a Coug fan. I never looked back.
Jeff: I suppose we all have those moments that we look back on and realize that was "it" for us. So we throw it out to you guys: How did you become a died in the wool, bleeding crimson Coug?
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I'm pretty sure I made this a FanPost, but I never get tired of talking about it.
My entire extended family went to Wazzu. My Dad rooted for whomever was good, citing a love of Washington sports regardless of who they were. I never hated the Huskies, but I never really rooted for them, either.
My sister got engaged to a Coug, and I made my first trip over to Pullman in 2002. I didn’t get to attend the game, but you could hear the crowd at Martin Stadium roar everytime something good happened. We were playing Oregon (who was ranked in the Top 25 at the time), and we won. Going to Dissmores after the game for some choice beverages, I ran into a really old lady with a walker. She didn’t look like she even knew where she was, but made a point to say “Go Cougs” to me as I walked on by.
The next year, I was able to attend the game against UCLA in Pullman. That’s when it was over for me.
I wish I could talk about how I went to school there and all, but unfortunately, that’s just not the case. For now. I’m one quarter shy of getting my AA, and I’ve been talking to a counselor, and there’s a good chance I wind up taking online classes through WSU. No, I wouldn’t be in Pullman, but I’d have a degree from Washington State University, and that’s pretty much all I’ve ever wanted.
I love the Cougs. I love NCAA Football. And I love all of you.
Well, except for you, Nusser. I may only like you as a friend.
Sad!
I’ll be your friend too. Come visit me in New Mexico, where Cougar fans are like a different religion
by johnnycougar on Jul 6, 2010 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I like to say that I was happily brainwashed
Neither of my parents went to college, but my dad has been a lifelong fan. Ever since I can remember, I have been ever so subtly pushed toward the crimson and I followed because everything made since to me. It also helped that, for me personally, I found most Husky people in my life to be complete jerks.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t hate the Dawgs and love the Cougs. It’s been a lifelong thing. Now here I am, I only applied to one school last year, and in a months time I’m off to Pullman for freshman year. I couldn’t be more excited. GO COUGS!
Im with you kyle, these stories never get old!
I was born and raised In Spokane by two die-hard coug parents who attended WSU together. As far back as I can remember my parents have had season tickets (and they were in Pasadena when those two seconds were stolen from us!) and I started going with them when I was 10 and always enjoyed myself (Ferdinand’s Icecream on a chilly autumn day with the sun shining will always be a special memory) . But I was sold when my parents took me to the Holiday Bowl in 2003 where we defeated Texas 28-20. I knew WSU was for me.
When it was time for me to apply for schools, I tried to remain neutral and not let my affection for WSU swing me. but after weighing all my options, it was a dead draw between WSU and UW (there really is no difference between the Engineering programs). It was no contest then, I didn’t even bother paying the $50 to apply to UW. I knew where I was destined to be. Now I’m going in to my 3rd year and will be out with my Bachelors by this time next year, so I have to start thinking about Grad schools. I will force myself to apply to the big names (UC Berkley, Stanford etc.) but have a feeling deep down in my gut that I won’t be going anywhere for a long time. Pullman is my home, and no matter what happens in the future, that will always be true.
Hell, I’m not even in the country this summer, and I still regularly keep tabs on my Cougs!
In addition to what I said in the post...
My “it” moment had to be the Notre Dame game in 2003. It was the absolute perfect setup.
My two best friends from high school and my roommate. My freshman dorm room. A 13 inch television and a case of Busch Light. I’m wearing the first Cougar shirt I’ve ever owned (I bought it at Alive! and still wear it to this day) and my new school is beating the piss out of one of the most storied programs in the history of sports.
I’ll never forget the disbelief and joy when Sammy Moore caught that duck from Matt Kegel. I’ll also never forget the anger, frustration, and sadness when ND won in overtime. I was a hardcore sports fan from the age of eight, but not until that moment had I experienced so much emotion watching a sporting event. It was different than watching the Seahawks, Sonics, or Mariners. I was a part of it, I was watching from the very campus the team was representing.
From then on, I was hooked.
CougCenter WSU's second main blog
A Born Coug here
Parent both went to WSU and Dad played football and ran track for the Cougs. I never have known anything else. I grew up in the Palouse and hated the UW and thought GU was cute. I couldn’t believe when I found out Harshman once coached at WSU. I hated the Dawg’s growing up but that has cooled over the years.
I remember keeping game stat’s listening to BobRob on the radio, going to Spokane for “home” games, and watching the Kenyan’s dominate on the track. It was a great way to grow up I have to say.
My Coug story is probably pretty different than most. Although I didn’t grow up thinking I would go to WSU I am so glad that I stuck around for college.
Turned die hard Coug at a very low point
I grew up on the westside and always wanted to be a Husky. I even had a UW Rose Bowl jersey that I wore all the time. I was asked to walk on for football at both the UW and WSU, but decided to head to the Palouse after a visit my senior year on a recruiting trip. I fell in love with the campus and atmosphere. I had about 6 high school friends heading that way and it seemed like the right fit.
I graduated in December of ’07 following a great season for the football team. I followed them down to Pasadena and enjoyed the whole experience. I returned to Pasadena for the Oklahoma game and to each and every Seattle game.
The moment I turned into a die hard Coug fan was the day after one of the worse Apple Cup losses for the Cougs. It was somthing like 52-0. The next morning I drove to Bellevue and got the Cougar logo tattooed on my ankle. The pain of that loss hurt so much, that I knew I loved Cougar football, etc. Being a true die hard Cougar fan is tough. There are many highs and lows. The highs don’t happen often, but when they do, man they feel great. The lows, well there are many, but they only make me more of a fan because I really want to see them win again.
I have my first one on the way and I will spoil her with Coug gear and hope she attends WSU. I know after attending a few Cougar events, she see how much Cougar fans are like family.
Go Cougs!
Born, Raised, Indoctrinated and Continuing the Insanity
that is Cougdom is the story of my life as a coug. My dad and three uncles went to WSU, as much to spurn their Mutt father as for themselves I assume. I was born in 1989, one of my first clear memories is the 1992 Apple Cup in the snow. The first song I learned was the fight song, and literally before I could speak I could clap when someone said “cougars” and blow a raspberry when someone said Huskies. Got a wonderful home movie of me doing it, I’ll never lose that.
Being raised from day one as a Coug on the west side put into me a hatred for the pups that easily rivals my love of the cougs. Separating the two for me is impossible, my hatred of the mutts is the ying to my coug loving yang. When I was in high school, I was a 6’3 280 pound OL and started getting some collegiate attention. After I got my first recruiting letter (from EWU), my dad sat me down and told me that firstly, he was incredibly proud, and secondly, if I contacted UW or someone from there came to his home he would disown me and meet the recruiter at the end of the driveway with a loaded 870. His words, not mine, and I’ve never been prouder to be that mans son.
When it came to school, I first had to decide what my future in football was. I had an invite to walk on at WSU, as well as a few other D-1 places and some D-2 offers. I knew i wanted to go to WSU, but didn’t feel I was Pac-10 caliber and would never see the field (with our injury woes, looking back I definitely would have), and I also decided to not exacerbate already growing knee problems. Once I decided to hang up the pads, the choice was easy. I applied to one and only one school, and I am heading into my third year at WSU and could not be happier with my decisions.
GO COUGS!!!
by Fightfightfight on Jul 5, 2010 6:45 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
There is Gray mixed with the Crimson I bleed...
What a great idea for a blog topic! I love reading these…keep ’em coming!
My entire family is from California…both of my parents graduated from San Jose State. If you ask them who their rival school is, they usually respond with “I don’t know…Stanford?” So, rooting passionately for a college program was something I was surrounded by as I grew up.
We relocated to Washington when I was in middle school, and moved to a small town an hour north of Seattle. Naturally, most of the kids I went to school with cheered for the huskies (I still refuse to capitalize their name…). And, when the Apple Cup came around, I usually sided with them, just to fit in and not be the weird new kid who didn’t root for uw and who didn’t know where Pullman was…
Like many of our fellow classmates, my main desire was to GET OUT OF MY HOMETOWN for college and yet remain in-state to pay less in tuition fees. I was accepted without ever stepping foot within the city limits of Pullman. But, from the minute I arrived on campus for my Alive! session, I knew I’d found my new home. I was surrounded by genuine people, who all shared the same passion for the same thing: Washington State.
The moment that I remember most which sealed my fate as a life-long Coug, was at a football game during my sophomore year in 2001. It was the game against Cal, just after the attacks of 9-11. I’ll never forget watching the planes fly over, just after our team burst out from the tunnel. We were led onto the field by our military veteran running back, Dave Minnich. Not only did he emerge with his usual energy, but he was also holding the American Flag, which made all our hearts burst with the combination of American and Cougar pride. The roar of that crowd still echos in my mind and within the depths of Martin Stadium…
It’s been said before, but Pullman is such a special place, in that the entire corner of the state follows any and everything that is Washington State. There are no annoying professional teams or other college programs to steal the spotlight. Everyone is eager to follow the success of anything associated with our university. And I was (and continue to be) a proud part of that community.
Finally, I’d be a terrible husband if I didn’t mention this, but I also proposed to my wife in the locker room at Beasley Coliseum in 2007. (No, not during a game or an event…I’m not “that guy”…). That would be her "it’ moment, as she’s become an adopted Cougar fan. And oh yes, I’ll always have that as another “Cougar Moment”…
Once a Coug, ALWAYS A COUG!
I also have strong memories of that game in 2001
Minnich coming out of the tunnel was an amazing moment. Minnich was such an amazing story to begin with, but to have him lead the team out that day was the thing that made it seem OK that we were playing football again.
I didn't know what I was getting into
My parents and aunt went to WSU, and I grew up in Kennewick, so I always rooted for the Cougs growing up. But outside of the Apple Cup, my parents didn’t really watch Cougar sports, so I was more of a general sports fan. I ended up applying to WSU because of the engineering program and Honors College, the latter having promised me a great chance at studying abroad for a year if accepted. So I initially wanted to go to WSU in order to go elsewhere, little did I know…
I was accepted at WSU and visited the campus, and that’s when I fell in love. I am no architect but the beautiful brick buildings among rolling grass and wheat hills… Brian Tower at night, or the chimes at 5:15… the stadium right in the middle of campus, set below Stadium Way so you can actually see the field from the road… the small town where everyone wears crimson and smiles at you… I was instantly hooked.
My first year at school was the 2002 Rose Bowl year, and my best friend was a year above me so he was already initiated into the Ways of Cougar Football. From game 1, we were in line three hours early, in the first ten rows two hours early, we knew all the chants, we sang the fight song every time (even the third time in a row right before kickoff!), and we helped bang the thunder sticks so loud USC cried to their mommas and got them banned. I think WSU made the top 25 loudest stadiums in NCAA 04 the next year. It was the first time in my life where I felt like rooting, cheering, yelling for a team actually made a difference, and I’ve been a hardcore Coug ever since!
You're All Still Wet Behind the Ears
Love reading these stories from all the young whipper-snappers out there, but some of us go back a few years when wins were few and far between, but it made your blood pump crimson along the way to beat the ‘big boys’.
It all started for me with the Throwin’ Samoan-Jack Thompson. Those were the years of trying to put more points on the board then the competition and the games were always exciting, but defense was a foreign language.
From there I graduated with a degree in Agronomy & Soils, got a job at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation controlling radioactive tumble weeds, and became the President of the Yakima Cougar Club.
Jim Walden brought us respectability, our first Bowl Game in recent time (1981 Holiday Bowl vs. BYU led by Jim McMahon, lost in the last minutes 38-36 after a furious comeback just fell short) and got the Apple Cup back on campus, turning it into the rivalry game that it is today.
Heckfire, I proposed to my wife in a druken haze in Husky Stadium in 1983 with the Cougs leading 10-6 at the half, figuring no way would they prevail in Seattle (we were married the next weekend as they won 17-6).
My goal was to see Wazzu back in the Rose Bowl in my lifetime and to make it twice was an accomplishment. With Bill Moos at the helm, the 12 PAC a realitty and money about to flow into the coffers, this can become a regular thing.
Anyway, my memories go way back and until you have watched the amber waves of grain from atop Kamiak Butte in the Fall before a game or flyfish for steelhead (Washington’s State Fish) from the Grand Ronde River above Asotin, you will never know what a magical place the Palouse can be.
Go Cougs!
That's awesome
I didn’t know old people knew how to use the internet!
J/K, thanks for sharing. My dad worked at Hanford in the 80’s but I think you guys had put down the tumbleweed rebellion by then.
My first cougar game was in 1996!
I was 9 years old and my cousin took me to watch the cougs take on USC and Keyshawn Johnson. I learned many things at that game. First I learned that cougar games are awesome and a blast because of the great environment. I learned to hate that stupid USC song that they play after first downs. Most importantly this game would prepare me for a life as a coug. If I remember correctly (maybe I don’t because I was only nine) the game was extremely exciting with guys like Michael Black and Ryan Leaf making plays and the cougs were driving with about a minute left and were on the USC 11 yard line or so about to go in for the go ahead score. This would have been an upset of one of the best teams in the country the team that went to the Rose Bowl that year. As you may know though it just wasn’t to be and I believe Ryan Leaf fumbled the center/QB exchange on the 11 yard line and USC recovered and that was that.
Since that day I have witnessed the joys of victory over USC in 2002 in OT and some recent apple cups but I have also witnessed some the greatest melt downs of all time. For instance when the cougs blew a 21 point first quarter lead against UCLA and allowed Jones Drew to win it in OT. Also the 2006 Apple Cup and actually the last 4 weeks or so of that season. But for every three of those is a big win against a higher rated team. Hopefully we start to witness more of those wins and less of those heartbreaking losses and can truly start to view our teams as favorites rather than underdogs.
by Cougars Hunt and Kill on Jul 6, 2010 1:53 PM PDT reply actions
Raised under a puple haze (Western Washington)
I was born and raised in Western Washington. I spend my first 23 years of life in the state of Washington cheering for all Washington sports. I grew up watching the Huskies, because that is what most people (I knew) did in Western Washington, but for some reason I always had a fondness for the Cougars. I remember watching Steve Emtman, Mario Bailey, Warren Moon, Napoleon Kaufman, Corey Dillon, Brunnell and Hobert, but also I remember Bledsoe, Philip Bobo, C.J. Davis, Boose, Bender and many other Cougs. While watching the 1992 Snow Bowl I found my self rooting for the Cougs—I just liked their playing style, colors and logo better then the Dawgs. I also liked the fact that they were underdogs. I still can remember like it was yesterday watching Bobo slide into the snow at the back of the end zone. I liked that fact WSU wasn’t a glitzy school with all these snooty, fancy boosters—plus purple and gold are hard colors to like. Another aspect that kept me following the Cougs was that my High School produced a lot of Cougars that included: Deron Pointer, C.J. Davis, Singor Mobley, Jay Dumas, Torey Hunter and probably a couple more that I am forgetting. I also had a close friend play football at WSU.
I went to junior college before transferring to WSU and during that time I had a friend (who is also a Coug at heart) who always got us free courtside seats to UW basketball games. I watched the likes of Mark Sanford, Donald Watts, Todd MacCulloch, etc. I enjoyed watching UW in Hec Ed, but I had an unexplainable fervor for Isaac Fontaine and WSU basketball, even though they had never been great. During my community college time, I visited friends at WSU and stayed in their dorms (Stimson) and apartments, while enjoying parties at CCN and various other places. They would take me to Dissmore’s, Sella’s and Cougar Country—which I thoroughly enjoyed. I decided to go to WSU, because I loved the college town atmosphere, I had friends there, plus it was a way to get away from home. Besides, going to school at WSU I can’t pinpoint the day of conversion and the specific reason why I love the Cougs, but I will try and explain my reasons. I love Cougar players like Will Derting who had to take time off of practice to go home and help his family brand cows. I loved the blue collar players the Cougs get and I love the underdog mentality—I think being a life long Washington sports fan has set me up for this. Even though I loved Pullman, I eventually transferred out of WSU after a year, because I decided to head a different direction in my career. I also found myself spending too much time at Shakers, Shermers and The Coug. This did not help me focus on my academics. I transferred to a small private university in Southern California, where I used up my athletic eligibility and graduated. While down here I got to see the Cougs with Jason Gesser (who I sat near in Biology while at WSU) play against the Sooners. I met my wife down here and have been living in SoCal ever since. Even though there is probably only a hand full of die hard Cougs in California, my love for the Cougs has grown over the past 11 years keeps growing. I think I may be going crazy. O ya, last reason for being a die hard Coug fan—the Bennett basketball era. The Bennett’s help me fall in love all over again. Crap this post was a little long…sorry.
"Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle ... Costanza?"
Raised in the shadow of Albi Stadium.......
I was raised 4 blocks from Albi Stadium (site of most Cougar home games until Walden moved them back where they belong in Pullman.) When I was in grade school in the fifties, I would ride my Schwinn two speed bicycle over to Albi on Saturdays to watch the Cougs play. I really didn’t know much about the UCLA’S, STANFORD’S, OREGON, OSU, ETC… or their fans when they came to play at Albi. But I did notice the Washington fans. I don’t remember the exact year I first noticed their unique “booster” buttons. They simply said, “Huskies Undo Moo U.”
Huskies Undo Moo U.
The quintessential embodiment of condescension spelled out in purple and gold.
From then on, and without fail, as the t shirts boldly declare,
“On Saturdays in the fall I root for two teams, WASHINGTON STATE and whoever’s playing Washington.”
GO COUGS!
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