I dunno...maybe. but without what Walden did here, do we have the success over the next 20 years (2 Rose bowls) and up to even the Leach years? Taihtsat
We need to confront reality: we have terrible leadership at WSU
- Thread starter ttowncoug
- Start date
This coming year, my wife and I have decided that it might be time to end going to 7:30 starts. They are just not fun. Getting home at 1:00 AM. It totally throws off Sunday. Other schools have the luxury of being able to be at the stadium in 20 mins or so. WSU is unique in that the bulk of the fan base lives hours away. It’s normal for a rural school. But Nov. games that start at night suck. College football was always geared to be played Saturday afternoon, which when I was younger was awesome! Once the networks took over that all became a moot point. I’m just becoming less and less invested in CB and it hurts.
This became part of why I gave up my season tickets. Too many late starts, especially late in the season when weather is iffy anyway. Can’t stay in Pullman, between the hotel price gouging and whatever is going on at home Sunday morning. The 1-2 AM arrival home and 4-5 hours of sleep really impacts Sunday too. The bus from Pasco was a nice alternative for late games, but then WSU took it over and jacked the price so it was no longer a reasonable option…and then they eliminated it altogether.
To be honest, the late starts are less of an issue for sharing the road with drunks. Not very many head west after late games. I like to have someone about 1/4 mile in front of me to screen for deer and cops, and with the late games there’s often nobody else in sight from the fairgrounds to 395.
Oh, good lord. Why revise history and speculate for Jim Walden? The guy slinked out of town before he got fired.
Yeah ... i hear you . A guy who had winning seasons in 81(played for the Rose Bowl) 83 had best team in Pac 10 by the end of the season, in 83 and 84 if he had Leach's schedule and not going to Michigan, Ohio State and Tenn he would have been 9-2 and 8-3 in 83 and 84.
He shared a practice field with the intramural program, 1/4 of the season was over before the kids were on campus, stopped the turnstile of coaches, kept WSU relevant when USC wanted us out if the conference and our rivals and USC and UCLA hadnt stepped foot on campus in 25 years plus He could have left when the going was good. He stabilized the program. But I know that has no value inside that AI head of yours
Career record at WSU 44-52-4, and was trending downhill the last three years.
And maybe if he wasn't a colossal douche bag he wouldn't have gotten himself fired from the radio team. Ifs, buts, candy, nuts.
Well Walden was Jake Dickert before Dickert was Dickert. Took the worst situation in college football and kelt them in the conference. What happened to WSU in 2023 was suppose to happen in 1980.
And records.. you know what is strange about that? Sweeney is in the college hall of fame . What was his record at WSU?
Jackie Sherrill was 3-8 at WSU and was offered the second best job in the country.
Warren Powers was 7-4 and got a Big 8 job.
Dennis was .500 and got the number one job in the country and won with Waldens players. A number pick at qb, Utley, Dyko, Broussard, the front four .... but I understand uou would have preferred to be in the WAC in 1983 and uou woukd have been anle to enjoy Utah, BYU etc .
Dickert was 23-20.
If you want to talk about other jobs, Walden was 28-57-3 at Iowa State, capping his career with a winless season. Walden didn't win with Walden's players.
Happy Holidays.
Oh didnt realize we were talking about his work at Iowa State . Like I said there was a much greater factor than wins and losses and I guess Keith Millard and Erik Howard and the like werent hsi recruits.
Imagine what Leach's record would be if he didnt have the FOB ane worked in the facility Walden and staff worked in. Or going to Ohio State , Michigan and Tennessee instead of Boise, Rutgers, Portland State, Idaho State and Eastern .
Imagine Leach flying or busing to Seattle to okay USC, or busing up to Spokane to play the UW.
Like now, there is way more to won/loss record for the program
I mean even a two dinensional thinker can figure that out.
Right. Walden was the great table setter. Everyone owes everyone to Walden. That’s why he left town before getting fired.
You’re all over the place. Less organized than a fart in a hurricane, as usual. Sure, other coaches went on to success after leaving WSU. Walden was not one of those coaches.
You want to grade him on a curve, for what? Nostalgia? You’ve proven you suck up propaganda like a vacuum. Walden has you hook, like and sinker. You and Krusty should crack open the egg nog and talk about the good ole days.
I definitely think Walden missed a step or 2 with Wulff, but what he did with/for us was AMAZING.
Walden is forever a Cougar great.
John Cooper at OSU lost one game a year and was run out of town.
But I get it, when you started grading papers when you were 8 you had full view of what was happening south in Pullman.
I also understand you would rather be in the WAC right now, and before that you enjoyed watching WSU play USC in Seattle or Joe Albi, and UCLA in Joe Albi, and UW in Joe Albi, and you would have preferred that when you got on campus.
I also get you would have hated winning 3 out of four Apple Cups, something we never saw Leach do despite UW being ranked in the top 10 on two of those occasions.
Yes, Walden was going to be run out of town because he told admin and the people of Spokane to step up and they didn't like it. Makes sense now why we are without a conference. It just happened 40 years later than people expected it to.
Nope...I realize the heavy lift he had in comparison to Leach and the important role he played in staving off where we are now. I understand your position...you prefer the WAC.
Another post proving you’re a sad sack WSU fan, AND mentally defective. You’d rather beat the huskies and have a one win season, and call it a success because Walden let you ride the moped that ran him over. Walden is a very special coach who gets graded on the CougEd 1980s curve because you’re still wearing parachute pants and a Members Only jacket.
And you’re blowing hot air out your backside on John Cooper’s record. Even with a smartphone in your hand you’re too lazy to look up his record. But of course you think Walden is some kind of superstar. Even on the CougEd curve missing by over 3x is a failing grade.
Blithers .... I get you cant get that brain wrapped around the concept. His importance wasnt about beating the Huskies as he did three times more than Leach, but keeping us out of the WAC . But I understand to you 10-2 in the Wac is better than getting a shot at the Rose Bowl.
Last edited:
At this rate Walden’s revisionist, CougEd curve, winning percentage will be 150 percent in four or five more posts.
I get it Ed. No need to repeat yourself. The deity known as Jim Walden single handedly saved WSU from extinction. And Coach Walden told this in person at freshman orientation as you stared longingly at his BIKE brand, 100 percent polyester shorts and butterfly collar WSU shirt, while the boombox was pumping out Endless Love.
C'mon man. Were you there with Walden's battles? I was. I remember what a joke our stadium looked like. Nobody wanting to travel. Us being at freaking Joe Albi.
What Walden pulled off with us basically purchasing gear from Goodwill, outhouses instead of locker rooms, etc...
Walden was our Moses of the Cougar Bible
For those of us who lived it on campus, the Walden era was indeed special and in no way can be understood/appreciated fully just by comparing stats.
I understand Blithers....let me help you with a reference. GBC started Cougzone. Had the forethought, dedicated the time, and maybe just maybe he brought a new level of interest that would not have been there. And maybe we don't have a rivals board. Is he a deity? Nope. But I can appreciate the work that he did even tho his site was remedial and very basic.
It needs to be said, if Mike Leach was one of the two finalist for the current job. Say he was 25 and full of energy. The other candidate was the guy from MSU. And if I had a crystal ball and said in three years Leach would be sub .500, and the MSU coach would be 24 and 20, you would take the 24 and 20, as the other coach's record sucked and graded on a curve.
Meanwhile, Leach being Leach, keeps us in the news, rails against the bigger conferences for not letting us in. He uses his weight and mouth to help land us in a better situation.
If the next coach loses, but helps get us to a better conference and a better situation, that is who I want, as the MSU coach doesn't have that in him.
But when you were 8 and evaluating the Cougs back in 1983 I am sure your brain wasn't able to factor in anything but wins and losses....just like today 40 years later.
Not to mention by October 5th he had to take the team back into Martin stadium on carpet on top of cement to practice because his fields were destroyed. Imagine the knees, ankle and shoulders after practicing on that surface 30 straight days, espcially when teh surface froze.
I am not sure they even put a pad below the carpet back in the day.
I'll jump in and defend Walden's W/L record at WSU. He coached in an era when we were at an overwhelming disadvantage against the upper crust of the P10. The fact that we were able to recruit anyone of significance in the early 80's was remarkable. We had nothing to sell. We had 5 games/year against USC, UCLA, UW, Arizona, ASU. Those programs had top-20 rosters in all of college football. Recruiting was monumentally easier for them. They raked in all of the top California and West coast talent.
The 80's was a great decade for WSU football. It was truly a David vs. Goliath era.
The 80's was a great decade for WSU football. It was truly a David vs. Goliath era.
5591 - No, Gibby was not there for Walden's battles. Gibby was somewhere around 3 when Walden was hired, and around 12 when Walden left (+/- a year or two either way). And I'm pretty sure he spent most of his formative years getting picked on by bullies, thus his current state.
So no, our resident expert on everything was not among us elders (and betters) when we finally returned to Martin Stadium in 1982 (thanks 100% to Walden) and knocked the mutts out of the Rose Bowl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we knock them out in 1983 as well? And the 1984 Apple Cup, again against a highly ranked mutt team, was closer than the score. Damn near 4 Apple Cups in a row.
Nor was Glibby there when we beat Rodney Peete and USC 34-14 in 1986. Or at any time after which Walden became our 4th HC in 4 years. Given that era of College Football, a 44-52-4 record was pretty goddam impressive. And Walden left some decent players for Erickson. Guys like Mike Utley, Steve Broussard, Rosenbach, Dyko. And Wulff, which explains a lot about his loyalty towards his former player. Misguided or not.
I think Walden still lives in Harrison, ID. Did you know his boat is/was Cougar colors? I saw it a couple of times over there.
The "Bible Belt South" apparently has no problem elevating coaches and wins above any such principles. It is the same everywhere where sports has become an idol.
The Real, Honest, Actually Truth, Facts, Good, BAD, Ugly, about Walden.
Walden was a kinda like a cross, combination of Doba, Leach, Price, as far as record, impact, etc.
1. First off, with 4 different head coaches in 4 years, 1 new HC a year, each year, and those coach not leaving much in cupboard, despite their semi success.
2. WSU had to travel to Spokane, Seattle, Neutral Sites, Road games, NO HOME GAME IN PULLMAN.
3. This was the time that teams like USC had unlimited scholarships, until in the 80's, toward the end of Walden's time as WSU's HC.
This meant that USC, UCLA, UW, etc, not only outrecruited WSU, got the 4,5 stars, but then they stockpiled all the 2,3 stars, and had them rot on Bench, just to keep them out of the hands of WSU, Ore St, etc.
4. USC, UCLA wanted to get rid of WSU, Ore St, kick them out of conference, and only tolerated WSU because WSU was easy automatic win.
5. And the relative few recruits left that didn't goto USC, UCLA, UW, Stanford, Arizona, Blue bloods outside conference, etc, DID NOT WANT TO GOTO WSU, and so WSU didn't get them.
6. WSU got stuck with NR, not rated, 1 star, Whitworth College level recruits.
Walden walked into that mess. At first he struggled his first 1,2 seasons, semi struggled, had a 5-6 like record his 3rd season like a Leach.
Considering all the SHIT that Walden had to deal with that was reasonable, understandable, forgivable, rightfully got a pass on, and was still a good coach.
Walden did 3 awesome things at WSU.
1. Walden got WSU to the 1981 Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl was a hell lot more prestigious back then, then now, and was comparable to the Gator Bowl, Insight Bowl, Cotton Bowl(Before cotton bowl became a BCS, playoff bowl), Alamo Bowl(not the 80's, 90's Alamo Bowl, but the PAC 12 2nd place bowl that got 11-1, 10-2, 9-3 teams)
And WSU played BYU in that Holiday Bowl. And if WSU had lost 1 less game, before the Holiday Bowl, then WSU would have gone to the Rosebowl, and if goto, win that Rosebowl, WSU would have likely been co national champions.
2. Walden used that 1981 season, Holiday Bowl, to Change everything at WSU for the better.
A. He got better, awesome recruits.
B. He shut up, stopped USC from trying to kick WSU out of conference.
C. He demanded, got ALL the PAC 10 teams to play at WSU, in, at Pullman, at, in Martin Stadium.
D. He beat UW 3 times.
Without those things, that Walden did, it's a fact that WSU would have extremely likely have been kicked out of PAC 10 conference into either WAC, Big Sky, FCS, etc, an or if had remained in conference, would have been a Paul Wulf like team, winning 0,1,2,3 games almost all seasons.
WALDEN SAVED WSU, JUST LIKE LEACH.
Then things started to go down hill, and went completely downhill from there.
Walden had 1 more good season, and 1 more 4,5 win season, and had 2 more bad seasons, 1 was a 2,3 win season, 1 was his last season, which was a 1,2 win season.
It was so bad that Walden would have either been on Hotseat, or been retired, or would have been fired, if he hadn't seen the writing on the wall, and got out of dodge, and gone to Iowa.
Despite that bad, ugly, etc, Walden still had left the cupboard full, set up for Erickson. If Walden had stayed and not been fired, etc, he might probably have had 1,2,3 more successful seasons, and probably would have had 2 bad 1,2,3,4 win seasons, per every good 7,8,9 win season kinda like what Mike Price did before Rosebowl, and before WSU's 3 straight winning seasons.
But then again Walden might have had bad seasons, as Walden's scheme, system, was not good vs the pass happy PAC 10. And Walden wasn't changing, adapting, and Walden had pretty much hit his PETER PRINCIPLE, PEAK, AND WAS DECLINING, DECLINED, etc.
Walden was between a semi bad at times, semi mediocre at times, semi good at times, semi great at times, semi legendary 1 season, semi saved WSU, and was kinda semi like a combination of Doba, Price, Leach, in a way as far as things semi like record, Doba's 10-3 record, Price's lose 2,3 seasons per every 1 good season, Leach's saving WSU from the Paul Wulf DUMPSTER FIRE.
And Walden came back, moved back into the area, became a radio person, supported WSU, etc, which was good.
But then he badly supported Paul Wulf, and TORE into WSU, Admin, Fans, etc, and called names, went scorched earth, alienated WSU, admin, fans, etc, which was bad, wrong.
Walden is a semi legend at WSU that kinda like the Gesser story, except not as successful as Gesser, and except didn't do something as scandalous as Gesser, but is semi quasi semi somewhat semi similar to Gesser, in that he had success, and then alienated WSU, admin, fan base, etc.
Walden is a semi legend because:
1. He saved WSU.
2. He got games in Martin
3. His 1981 Holiday Bowl Season.
4. ALL THE EXTREME LOTS OF SHIT he had to deal with.
5. He beat UW 3 times.
6. He recruited awesomely
7. He filled up the cupboard, set the table for Erickson as far as Rosenbach, Broussard, etc.
We can, should recognize the good, bad, ugly about Walden.
We shouldn't say Walden was a bad coach, he wasnt a bad coach.
We shouldn't say that Walden was a great, awesome, best, legendary, Excellent Coach, wins, results, etc, wise, as he wasn't that kind of a coach.
Rather we should recognize that there was a lot of good, bad, ugly in Walden, and that overall Walden was close to being a 500 like, Doba like Head Coach.
That's the truth, facts, reality, true story about Walden.
So Gibbons, Ed, your both right and wrong about Walden.
Gibbons Walden was not a bad coach.
Ed, Walden was not a awesome, great, best ever, excellent, legendary, saint, etc.
And he was not as good as Price, Leach, etc.
Now Gibbons, Ed, please stop this ridiculous argument, debate about Walden.
And Gibbons please stop the ridiculous name calling, insults, as it makes you childish or come across as childish.
Walden was a kinda like a cross, combination of Doba, Leach, Price, as far as record, impact, etc.
1. First off, with 4 different head coaches in 4 years, 1 new HC a year, each year, and those coach not leaving much in cupboard, despite their semi success.
2. WSU had to travel to Spokane, Seattle, Neutral Sites, Road games, NO HOME GAME IN PULLMAN.
3. This was the time that teams like USC had unlimited scholarships, until in the 80's, toward the end of Walden's time as WSU's HC.
This meant that USC, UCLA, UW, etc, not only outrecruited WSU, got the 4,5 stars, but then they stockpiled all the 2,3 stars, and had them rot on Bench, just to keep them out of the hands of WSU, Ore St, etc.
4. USC, UCLA wanted to get rid of WSU, Ore St, kick them out of conference, and only tolerated WSU because WSU was easy automatic win.
5. And the relative few recruits left that didn't goto USC, UCLA, UW, Stanford, Arizona, Blue bloods outside conference, etc, DID NOT WANT TO GOTO WSU, and so WSU didn't get them.
6. WSU got stuck with NR, not rated, 1 star, Whitworth College level recruits.
Walden walked into that mess. At first he struggled his first 1,2 seasons, semi struggled, had a 5-6 like record his 3rd season like a Leach.
Considering all the SHIT that Walden had to deal with that was reasonable, understandable, forgivable, rightfully got a pass on, and was still a good coach.
Walden did 3 awesome things at WSU.
1. Walden got WSU to the 1981 Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl was a hell lot more prestigious back then, then now, and was comparable to the Gator Bowl, Insight Bowl, Cotton Bowl(Before cotton bowl became a BCS, playoff bowl), Alamo Bowl(not the 80's, 90's Alamo Bowl, but the PAC 12 2nd place bowl that got 11-1, 10-2, 9-3 teams)
And WSU played BYU in that Holiday Bowl. And if WSU had lost 1 less game, before the Holiday Bowl, then WSU would have gone to the Rosebowl, and if goto, win that Rosebowl, WSU would have likely been co national champions.
2. Walden used that 1981 season, Holiday Bowl, to Change everything at WSU for the better.
A. He got better, awesome recruits.
B. He shut up, stopped USC from trying to kick WSU out of conference.
C. He demanded, got ALL the PAC 10 teams to play at WSU, in, at Pullman, at, in Martin Stadium.
D. He beat UW 3 times.
Without those things, that Walden did, it's a fact that WSU would have extremely likely have been kicked out of PAC 10 conference into either WAC, Big Sky, FCS, etc, an or if had remained in conference, would have been a Paul Wulf like team, winning 0,1,2,3 games almost all seasons.
WALDEN SAVED WSU, JUST LIKE LEACH.
Then things started to go down hill, and went completely downhill from there.
Walden had 1 more good season, and 1 more 4,5 win season, and had 2 more bad seasons, 1 was a 2,3 win season, 1 was his last season, which was a 1,2 win season.
It was so bad that Walden would have either been on Hotseat, or been retired, or would have been fired, if he hadn't seen the writing on the wall, and got out of dodge, and gone to Iowa.
Despite that bad, ugly, etc, Walden still had left the cupboard full, set up for Erickson. If Walden had stayed and not been fired, etc, he might probably have had 1,2,3 more successful seasons, and probably would have had 2 bad 1,2,3,4 win seasons, per every good 7,8,9 win season kinda like what Mike Price did before Rosebowl, and before WSU's 3 straight winning seasons.
But then again Walden might have had bad seasons, as Walden's scheme, system, was not good vs the pass happy PAC 10. And Walden wasn't changing, adapting, and Walden had pretty much hit his PETER PRINCIPLE, PEAK, AND WAS DECLINING, DECLINED, etc.
Walden was between a semi bad at times, semi mediocre at times, semi good at times, semi great at times, semi legendary 1 season, semi saved WSU, and was kinda semi like a combination of Doba, Price, Leach, in a way as far as things semi like record, Doba's 10-3 record, Price's lose 2,3 seasons per every 1 good season, Leach's saving WSU from the Paul Wulf DUMPSTER FIRE.
And Walden came back, moved back into the area, became a radio person, supported WSU, etc, which was good.
But then he badly supported Paul Wulf, and TORE into WSU, Admin, Fans, etc, and called names, went scorched earth, alienated WSU, admin, fans, etc, which was bad, wrong.
Walden is a semi legend at WSU that kinda like the Gesser story, except not as successful as Gesser, and except didn't do something as scandalous as Gesser, but is semi quasi semi somewhat semi similar to Gesser, in that he had success, and then alienated WSU, admin, fan base, etc.
Walden is a semi legend because:
1. He saved WSU.
2. He got games in Martin
3. His 1981 Holiday Bowl Season.
4. ALL THE EXTREME LOTS OF SHIT he had to deal with.
5. He beat UW 3 times.
6. He recruited awesomely
7. He filled up the cupboard, set the table for Erickson as far as Rosenbach, Broussard, etc.
We can, should recognize the good, bad, ugly about Walden.
We shouldn't say Walden was a bad coach, he wasnt a bad coach.
We shouldn't say that Walden was a great, awesome, best, legendary, Excellent Coach, wins, results, etc, wise, as he wasn't that kind of a coach.
Rather we should recognize that there was a lot of good, bad, ugly in Walden, and that overall Walden was close to being a 500 like, Doba like Head Coach.
That's the truth, facts, reality, true story about Walden.
So Gibbons, Ed, your both right and wrong about Walden.
Gibbons Walden was not a bad coach.
Ed, Walden was not a awesome, great, best ever, excellent, legendary, saint, etc.
And he was not as good as Price, Leach, etc.
Now Gibbons, Ed, please stop this ridiculous argument, debate about Walden.
And Gibbons please stop the ridiculous name calling, insults, as it makes you childish or come across as childish.
Epic post Mik. Concise
and spot on, other than the errors that the Benevolent Loyal One won't correct. I did summarize the most important parts of your post (above). Perhaps we can now move from childhood memories and focus on these modern times........Walden was the right guy at the right time in the right place when he started. By the end of his tenure in Pullman, it was time for change.
Should have gone 4 years in a row vs. the UW but Kevin Gogan biting Rico Tipton and the subsequent 15 yard penalty killed that upset in 84.
Haven't run into him at One Shot Charlies to buy him a beer but hope to at some point. Can't afford to drink with Uncle Denny at Shooters.
Should have gone 4 years in a row vs. the UW but Kevin Gogan biting Rico Tipton and the subsequent 15 yard penalty killed that upset in 84.
Haven't run into him at One Shot Charlies to buy him a beer but hope to at some point. Can't afford to drink with Uncle Denny at Shooters.
I underestimated. With revisionist history and the CougEd curve, Walden is 2.000 guy.
The Dukes of Hazzard was on Friday nights, so I got to stay up late to watch that. But then It was bedtime.
Nostalgia doesn’t make Walden better.
Being bullied as a child can lead to difficulties in relationships, alcohol abuse and attention seeking as an adult. That must sound familiar to you.
You can put any decade into that last sentence, including the 2020s, and that statement would be true.
Not true.
It was much different back then.
Imagine Idaho today in the big-10 or SEC trying to compete.
Christ, the team had to BUS to the Apple Cup, Oregon and OSU.
Imagine having schools in your conference simply refusing to play you unless it was an away game.
Players often times had adversarial relationships with their own professors about scheduling labs and test taking and had zero admin support.
Walden was an imperfect trailblazer at WSU.
@dgibbons, I like your posts but your failure to understand and appreciate Jim Walden’s coaching tenure at WSU is quite baffling to this Coug. (Now, Color Commentator Jim Walden is a completely different story)
Grabbed the first name I could think of. I'm sure there are better Bible Belt examples.
https://apnews.com/article/bobby-pe...-coordinator-1d6ae0664d95e80a04757f4944430be6
I stand by what I said. Any decade and WSU is David and almost everyone else (sans Oregon State) is Goliath.
Living legend, program savior coaches dont slink out of town before they get fired. And for what it’s worth, you all are the guys putting him on a pedestal and demanding all revere him.
By the way, all of you fine historians of WSU football will recall that the 95 scholarship limit went into effect in 1978. But, as with all good stories, don’t let facts get in the way.
Thanks for insulting and analyzing me at the same time, Dr. Phil. Quite clever! On Xmas morning no less.
Fact is, you don't know jack shit about Walden or the landscape at WSU other than what you have read. 44-52-4 was a good if not great record given what he was up against. It was his first HC job as well. So give it a f-ing rest. Talk about seeking attention. 14 hours on WW was it Monday? I'll go back and count your posts after I lint-pick my toes. Might paint them too. Crimson.
And my relationships with people and alcohol have always been just fine so worry not but thanks for checking. Your seeming fascination with running down some random guy at every turn is troublesome, Dr. Phil. Perhaps you need to ramp up YOUR counseling schedule?
My only life's regret so far is that I have a bunch of great stories that I can't tell my kids, and even more that I can't tell my grandkids. I may write a book.
I’m not putting him on a pedestal, it’s just that there’s a lot more nuance than you are aware of and/ or willing to consider.
USC in Pullman was a historic event. (Even though the game didn’t sell out)
One elusive AC win for a Rose Bowl birth was simply beyond the realm of reality for most. He got there.
Uncle Denny donors working to ride him out of town behind the scenes as his career was developing worked counter to Walden as well.
Not a hill I’m willing to die on but, the fact Walden laid the foundation for Erickson and Price to build on is undeniable.
