March 17, 2008
PULLMAN, Wash. - Former Washington State football player Rueben Mayes and former Cougar head coach William "Lone Star" Dietz were announced as candidates for induction into the National Football Foundation's 2008 Bowl Subdivision College Football Hall of Fame, the NFF announced recently.
The 2008 Hall of Fame ballot includes 75 players and eight coaches.
The FBS Hall of Fame Class will be announced live on ESPNEWS at a press conference in New York City's prestigious Waldorf=Astoria, May 1, and inducted at The National Football Foundation's Annual Awards Dinner, Dec. 9, also at the Waldorf=Astoria. They will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2009.
As a junior Mayes set WSU, Pacific-10 Conference and NCAA records after rushing for 357 yards against Oregon. Mayes led the Pac-10 in rushing as both a junior and senior, garnering offensive player of the year honors following each season. Mayes completed his career as the Cougars' all-time leading rusher and ranked sixth on the conference career rushing list with 3,519 yards. He was the first Cougar running back to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and held WSU's single-season rushing mark of 1,637 yards (1984) for more than 20 years until Jerome Harrison eclipsed that mark in 2005.
Dietz, head coach of the Cougars from 1915-17, compiled a record of 17-2-1 with WSU. Dietz led the Cougars to the 1916 Rose Bowl, the first in school history for WSU. The Cougars defeated Brown 14-0 to cap a perfect 7-0 season.
-- wsucougars.com --
