1966 Washington State Cougars football team

The 1966 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. Led by third-year head coach Bert Clark, the Cougars compiled a 3–7 record (1–3 in AAWU, tie for sixth), and were outscored 211 to 132.^[1][2] Two home games were played on campus at Rogers Field in Pullman, and three at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane.

1966 Washington State Cougars football
Conference	Athletic Association of Western Universities
Record	3–7 (1–3 AAWU)
Head coach	Bert Clark (3rd season)
Home stadium	Rogers Field Joe Albi Stadium (Spokane)
Seasons ← 1965 1967 →

1966 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
USC $	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
No. 5 UCLA	3	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Oregon State	3	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Washington	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
California	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Oregon	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Washington State	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Stanford	1	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Jerry Henderson with 989 passing yards, Ammon McWashington with 298 rushing yards, and Doug Flansburg with 613 receiving yards.^[3]

The trip to the Houston Astrodome in September included a jet flight, the first for Cougar football.^[4] It was the first college football game played on artificial turf, the majority (baseball outfield) of the AstroTurf was installed two months earlier in July.^[5][6]

After consecutive losses in the Battle of the Palouse,^[7][8] WSU scored two late touchdowns to defeat Idaho 14–7 in the chilly mud at Neale Stadium on October 22;^[9][10][11] the Cougars have not played in neighboring Moscow since.

Washington State defeated Oregon in the final varsity football game at Hayward Field.^[12][13][14] In the rivlary game with Washington at Spokane,^[15][16] the Cougars lost for the eighth straight year.^[17][18][19]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	California	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	L 6–21	23,300	[20][21][22]
September 23	at Houston*	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX	L 7–21	36,104	[4][23]
October 1	Baylor*	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	L 14–20	18,500–19,775
October 8	Arizona State*	Rogers Field Pullman, WA	W 24–15	18,700	[24]
October 15	at Utah*	Ute Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	L 15–26	20,051	[25]
October 22	at Idaho*	Neale Stadium Moscow, ID (Battle of the Palouse)	W 14–7	16,500	[9][10][11]
October 29	Oregon State	Rogers Field Pullman, WA	L 13–41	18,500	[26][27]
November 5	at Oregon	Hayward Field Eugene, OR	W 14–13	17,500	[12][13][14][28]
November 12	at Arizona*	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	L 18–28	23,000	[29]
November 19	Washington	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA (Apple Cup)	L 7-19	33,800	[17][18][19]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Roster

1966 Washington State Cougars football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class FB 32 Del Carmichael Jr OT 78 Greg Elliot Jr SE 80 Doug Flansburg Jr FB 31 Ted Gerela Jr QB 12 Hank Grenda So QB 11 Jerry Henderson So G 67 Robin Larson Sr HB 45 Ammon McWashington Sr G 68 Dave Middendorf Jr QB 15 Dave Petersen Sr HB 40 Glen Shaw So TE 88 Rich Sheron Sr TE 42 Bob Simpson Jr OT 55 Dave Thomas Sr C 52 Ron Vrlicak Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class MG 60 Jerry Anderson Jr LB 32 Dick Baird Jr DT 72 Burgess Bauder Sr LB 66 Steve Boots Jr S, QB 10 Mike Cadigan Jr DE 85 Craig Goodwin Jr LB 61 Larry Griffith Sr DB 44 Bud Norris Sr S 15 Dave Petersen Sr CB 14 Rick Reed So DE 83 John Thompson Jr MG 78 Bob Trygstad Sr DT 77 Steve Van Sinderen So LB 34 Mark Wicks Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 31 Ted Gerela Jr P 84 Jim Engstrom Jr	Head coach Bert Clark (3rd year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Laurie Niemi King Block Red Smith Jim Shanley John Nelson Sam Adams Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Source:^{[15][30][31][32][33]}

NFL/AFL Draft

Three Cougars were selected in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft.

Player	Position	Round	Overall	Franchise
Rich Sheron	TE	2	37	New York Jets
Bud Norris	TE	6	138	Miami Dolphins
Bob Trygstad	DT	11	271	Minnesota Vikings

^[34][35]