Bill Doba, the former Washington State football coach who helped shape some of the program’s best defenses before guiding the Cougars through a memorable run as head coach, has died at 85.
Doba spent 19 seasons on the WSU staff, working his way through roles as linebackers coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator before taking over the program in 2003. Long before he became the head coach, he was already part of the backbone of Cougars football, including the 1994 Palouse Posse defense that limited opponents to 12.1 points per game, third-best in the country.
His name is also tied to one of the program’s biggest achievements. In 1997, Washington State won a share of the Pac-10 and earned its first Rose Bowl trip in 67 years.
The Cougars reached the Rose Bowl again in 2002, when they split another Pac-10 title. After that season, Doba was elevated to head coach when Mike Price left for the Alabama job.
Doba’s first season at the top was a strong one. The 2003 Cougars went 9-3 and capped the year with a 28-20 Holiday Bowl victory over No.
5 Texas. That season earned him a share of Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors, which he split with USC’s Pete Carroll.
He also guided Washington State to Apple Cup wins in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Over five seasons as head coach, Doba finished 30-29.
Before arriving in Pullman, Doba coached high school football in Indiana, then spent six seasons as an assistant at Indiana University under Lee Corso. He followed that with three seasons at Purdue and two at The Citadel before joining Price’s staff at Washington State.
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