Memorial Day: A salute to departed Cougs

THEY ARE GONE, BUT never forgotten. War heroes, childhood heroes ... above all else, crimson heroes. Here's a look at some Cougars who have made us cheer, on the field or off. It's a Memorial Day walk down memory lane that is sure to wake the echoes.

THE WHOLE NOTION SEEMED absurd: rooting for a team besides George Blanda's Oakland Raiders or Willie Davis' L.A. Dodgers. But by mid-October 1971, I had one more favorite team -- the Washington State Cougars. Considering they hadn't won a conference game since 1968, this might have seemed a rather odd attraction, except when you factored in the centerpiece on offense: running back Bernard Jackson.
Full story: SEARCHING FOR BERNARD JACKSON

SPORTSWRITERS OFTEN DESCRIBE athletes with generous amounts of melodrama and grandeur, using (and overusing) terms like “heroic” to describe their feats. But when the big picture makes its way back into our consciousness -- say, when our nation goes to war -- we realize what an inadequate home a basketball court or football field is for a word like “hero.”
Full story: REAL CRIMSON SOLDIERS

I REALLY HAD NO idea who Johnny Bley was until about five years ago. Sure, I'd seen his name on an all-time Cougar roster, but it was just that: A name. Today, though, I can’t possibly think of Washington State football without thinking of him.
Full story: CAPTAIN BLEY!