PULLMAN, Wash. -- -
Six former and current Cougars will be inducted into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies set for February 15 at the Compton Union Building on the Pullman campus, according to WSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk.
Scheduled for induction are the "Voice of the Cougars" Bob Robertson, long-time track and field coach and USA Olympic coach in 2000 John Chaplin, plus four former athletes. They are placekicker Jason Hanson, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, pitcher/slugger John Olerud, and middleblocker Sarah Silvernail.
The induction program includes a 6:00 p.m. no-host social, dinner at 7:00 p.m. and the induction ceremonies at approximately 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $25.00 each and can be ordered through the WSU Athletic Department, 509-335-0200. Reservations must be made by Monday, February 11.
The addition of six new members brings to 99 the number of Cougar greats inducted since the charter class of 1978. Silvernail, Robertson and Olerud have confirmed they will be attending the induction, while Hanson will not be able to attend because of a prior commitment. Both Bledsoe and Chaplin are attempting to clear their calendar and attend the dinner.
The 2001-02 inductees are:
Drew Bledsoe - An All-American quarterback, playing for the Cougars 1990-92...lead WSU to its 1992 Copper Bowl victory over Utah, has been with the New England Patriots since being drafted in 1993,
John Chaplin - A record-setting sprinter at WSU 1960-63, he returned in 1968 as cross country coach and in 1973 was named track and field head coach...one of the most successful WSU coaches all-time...head coach of the USA track and field team at 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia,
Jason Hanson - Earned All-America honors for three years on the field and in the classroom, playing in 1988-91...has been with the Detroit Lions since being drafted in the spring of 1992,
John Olerud - College baseball's national player of the year in 1988, then battled back from a brain hemorrhage to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1989 season...now a key member of the Seattle Mariner's record-setting team of 2001...never played a day in the minor leagues,
Bob Robertson - Began broadcasting Cougar football in 1964...after three years away from the program, returned in 1972 and has been the voice of Cougar football since then...also broadcast WSU men's basketball games until 1993,
Sarah Silvernail - The two-time All-American is the most honored volleyball player in Cougar history...as a senior she was named player of the year in the Pacific-10 Conference...she has played professionally in the USPV League and is currently playing in Switzerland.
DREW BLEDSOE has been a fixture in the NFL since the day he was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1993. During his three seasons at WSU Bledsoe ranked as one of the best quarterbacks ever to wear the Crimson and the Gray at Quarterback U. He began his career as a true freshman in 1990 by starting the final five games of the season. Two years later he ended his career leading WSU to a thrilling 31-28 victory over Utah in the Copper Bowl. During his career Bledsoe, who came to WSU from Walla Walla, threw for 7,373 yards and 46 touchdowns. In 1992 he set single-season records for passing yards, 3,246, pass attempts, 432, and pass completions, 241. He also established five single-game records, including 476 passing yards and 468 total offense yards against Utah in the Copper Bowl. Since then he has become one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL. It took Bledsoe just four years to lead New England to the Super Bowl and at age 22 he became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to play in the Pro Bowl. Bledsoe and Jim Plunkett are the only quarterbacks in Patriot history to start the first game of their careers. Although injured and on the sidelines much of the current season, Bledsoe owns numerous New England franchise records, including pass attempts, completions and yards.
JOHN CHAPLIN ranks as one of the most successful coaches in the history of Washington State University. Chaplin starred as a sprinter for the Cougars in the early 1960's, then returned to his alma mater in 1968 as head cross country coach. In 1973 he was named head track and field coach, guiding the program for 21 years. Last summer Chaplin was honored as the head coach for the USA team at the Olympic Games in Australia. During his Cougar tenure Chaplin's teams won 202 of 217 dual meets. He coached the Cougars to the 1977 NCAA Indoor Championship, mentored nine undefeated dual meet teams and his squads won four Pacific-10 Conference outdoor championships and were NCAA runner-ups four times. His athletes won 105 All-America certificates and 61 conference titles. As a sprinter for the Cougars and head coach Jack Mooberry, Chaplin set world records indoors in the 220 and 330 yard dashes, with times of 22.1 and 33.4, respectively. He was team captain in 1963. Following graduation, Chaplin coached and taught at Wapato (Wash.) High School until 1966, compiling a 50-4-1 dual meet record. In 1966 Wapato became the first small school to win the District championship with a perfect 20-0-0 record. After two years at Oregon State as an assistant, Chaplin returned to his alma mater. Then, in 1973 when Mooberry retired, Chaplin was named his successor.
JASON HANSON is one of the most prolific and successful place kickers in the history of both WSU, the NCAA and now the NFL. During his Cougar career from 1989 through 1992 he set Cougar records that have stood the test of time. He is credited with kicking the longest field goal in NCAA history, 62 yards at UNLV, without the use of a kicking tee. An outstanding scholar as well, Hanson was a three-time All-American as a kicker/punter and a three-time Academic first team All-American as well. At the end of his career he received a Football Foundation post-graduate scholarship and was a 1991 NCAA Top Six Award winner. Hanson hit 63 of 96 field goals as a Cougar, including a remarkable 19-of-30 (.633) from 50-59 yards. He made 80 percent of his field goal attempts inside 40 yards and 61.3 percent of his kicks from 40-49 yards. Hanson also was an outstanding punter, averaging 43.2 yards in his two seasons handling the punting chores. Nearly one-quarter of his punts, 28, were 50 yards or longer. Hanson is one of just three kickers in Pacific-10 history to be named to first teams both as a kicker and punter. He is now one of the most prolific kickers in Detroit Lion and NFL history. He has been Detroit's top scorer for nine straight years, has been to two of the last four Pro Bowls, and has kicked the two longest field goals in Detroit history, 55 and 56 yards.
JOHN OLERUD is the only Cougar baseball player ever to be named College Player of the Year. The outstanding first baseman and pitcher spent three seasons with the Cougars before turning professional with the Toronto Blue Jays, then the New York Mets and now a star for the Seattle Mariners. Olerud is the only pitcher in NCAA history to win 15 games - he was 15-0 in 1988, and also hit 20 or more home runs - he hit 23 that year. John Olerud still holds numerous WSU records, including career batting average at .434 and single season batting average at .464. Olerud was 26-4 and posted a 3.17 ERA while throwing 241.1 innings over three seasons. His sophomore season was truly magical - he set or equaled 12 school records while being named player of the year by Baseball America. Included was a 22-game hitting streak and a slugging percentage of .876. During his career he set two Pac-10 records and 10 Pac-10 North marks. In January prior to his junior year at WSU, Olerud suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of brain seizure. He missed the first 28 games of the spring season, but returned to hit .359 for WSU over the final 27 games. Weeks prior to the start of his senior season, Olerud signed a contract with Toronto and went directly to the Major Leagues. In 1993, Olerud became the first Blue Jay to win a batting title, hitting .363. That year he became just the ninth MLB player since 1900 to collect 200 hits and walk 100 times. Olerud played for the New York Mets two seasons, 1997-98, then signed with Seattle. John now joins his father John Sr. in the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame.
BOB ROBERTSON is the long-time voice of Cougar football, starting his association with the Cougars back in 1964. He currently is in his 35th season calling the action of Cougar football and for many years also broadcast WSU basketball. Robertson is the most recognized sports voice in the state of Washington and has been named the State's Sportscaster of the Year a record 15 times. Robertson, who grew up in British Columbia and attended Western Washington, has broadcast Wenatchee Chief baseball (1949-50), Notre Dame football and basketball (1955-56), Pacific Coast League Baseball (1984-98), North American Soccer League matches (1972-82) and Spokane Indian Baseball (1999-present). He also has served as sports director at several West Side stations, including KSTW (originally KTNT), KMO Radio-TV, KVI Radio and KAYO Radio. The voice of the Cougars was named co-Dad of the Year at WSU in 1978 and this fall was inducted into the Inland Empire Sports Hall of Fame. A master at re-creating broadcasts from the home radio station studios, Robertson is credited with being the last announcer to re-create a baseball road game from home. The voice of the Cougars is perhaps best known for his trademark signature at the close of every broadcast, "Always be a good sport, be a good sport all ways."
SARAH SILVERNAIL dominated Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA volleyball during her illustrious career with the Cougars. She was a two-time All-American, the 1996 Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year after earning Pac-10 Player of the Week honors six times in her career, and a three-time All-District VIII selection. Silvernail still holds the WSU records for career kills (1,848), single season kills (649), and most kills in a match (39). Born in Spokane, schooled in Yakima and Tacoma, the 6-1 middle blocker truly was the best player in the state of Washington and was selected 1996 Female Athlete of the Year by both the Greater Spokane Sports Association and the Tacoma News Tribune, in addition to being a finalist for the Seattle P-I's Star Award. Silvernail was the backbone of Cougar volleyball teams that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1993, the first round in 1994, the second round in 1995 and the regional championships in 1996, her final collegiate season when she won team MVP honors. During her career she tallied double-figure kills in 96 of 120 matches (.800). In March of 1997, she was named to the USA National Team and spent the summer in Colorado Springs training for the 2000 Olympic Games. Silvernail played professionally with the USPV league in Chicago and is currently playing on a pro team in Switzerland
