Jim Walden and Bill Doba are being remembered on the biggest day of the Washington State football calendar.
For the 118th Apple Cup, WSU is honoring both former Cougar coaches with a decal on the backs of the helmets, a tribute to two men who left a deep mark on the program and built their reputations by winning this rivalry. Walden died in July at age 88, and Doba passed away last week at 86.
Kickoff is set for 1 pm, with NBC carrying the game.
Walden’s time in Pullman stretched across 10 seasons, including one year as an assistant before he took over as head coach for nine seasons from 1978-86. Doba spent 19 years in crimson as an assistant coach, including his celebrated run as defensive coordinator, before leading the Cougars for five seasons from 2003-07.
Doba’s record in the Apple Cup as head coach was especially sharp: he won three times in five tries. He also coordinated the defense in the unforgettable 1997 Apple Cup win in Seattle that sent Washington State to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 67 years. In those 2004, 2005 and 2007 victories over Washington, Doba’s starting quarterback was Alex Brink, who remains known in Cougar Nation as The Husky Killer.
Walden’s impact on the rivalry was just as seismic. He pushed relentlessly for the Apple Cup to be played in Pullman instead of Spokane, where the game had been held when WSU was the home team since the 1950s. He believed Spokane undercut the Cougars’ home-field edge, and after the program’s big 1981 season, he had enough clout to make it happen.
That led to the game’s return to Pullman in 1982 for the first time since 1954. Washington arrived ranked No. 5 and expected a stopover on the way to the Rose Bowl, but Walden’s Cougars stunned the Huskies 24-20, snapping an eight-game losing streak in the series. WSU would then win two of the next three meetings with Washington, adding another chapter to the rivalry under Walden.
Former Washington State standout linebacker Will Derting attended Doba’s funeral this week, and Nichol Derting posted a reflection Thursday on the Post 5 Cattle Co. Facebook page about how Coach Doba changed Will’s life in a profound way.
In Other News...
Apple Cup Tradition Just Took A Hit WSU Fans Will Notice
The Apple Cup lost a familiar piece of its pageantry when the Washington State band did not take the field for the halftime show, ending a long-running tradition that had helped give the rivalry its own distinct sound and feel. Washington State officials pointed to logistical and experiential concerns in deciding not to send the band, while the Cougars and Huskies both have had to navigate the practical headaches that come with moving a full band to a road game.
Washington has said the change ties to Big Ten conference rules and cost considerations, and both schools have acknowledged that financial and operational issues are becoming harder to ignore around band travel and placement. For a rivalry built as much on atmosphere as on the scoreboard, the absence stood out immediately, and it adds another wrinkle to how the Apple Cup is being staged going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Future WSU Quarterback Is Already Embracing The Apple Cup Rivalry
Ryan Harrington is already leaning into the kind of game Washington State fans circle on the calendar. The Anacortes High School quarterback, who has committed to the Cougars, is coming off a strong season opener and will be in the stands for the upcoming Apple Cup as a fan, taking in the rivalry he hopes to be part of down the road. For a player with a record-breaking high school career and two state championships already on his resume, the trip is as much about observing the atmosphere as it is about watching the matchup.
Harrington has made plenty of noise on the prep level, but his connection to this rivalry gives his commitment a little extra edge. He has already imagined himself in the game someday, which is exactly the sort of mindset Washington State will want as it keeps building toward future Apple Cups. For now, he gets to watch, learn and picture where he fits when the series comes around again with him on the field instead of in the stands. [Read more 🡒]
WSU's New-Look Roster Carries One Pressure Fans Can't Ignore
Washington State heads into 2026 with a roster that looks dramatically different again, though not quite as turned over as last year. The Cougars have 50 new players this time around, down from the 75 they brought in for 2025, and the group includes 41 transfers from four-year schools with 14 coming from Power-5 programs. Even with all that movement, the offense will have some continuity after returning four starters, and several players on the roster have already graduated, giving this group a mix of urgency and experience.
The bigger test, though, is whether all of that reshuffling can translate into something the program has not done since 2022: win a road game against a ranked opponent. Washington State also enters the season with several coaching and player connections to Washington, which only adds another layer to a rivalry backdrop that already tends to sharpen every detail. For a roster built as much through the portal as through patience, the next step is less about how new it looks and more about whether it can handle a pressure point that has lingered for years. [Read more 🡒]