PULLMAN — Former Washington State football coach Mike Leach, who passed away in 2022, is one of five inductees set to enter the WSU Hall of Fame in September, the school announced Thursday.
The other four members include track and field’s Alissa Brooks-Johnson, soccer’s Micaela Castain, basketball’s Don Collins and football’s DeWayne Patterson.
Those five will be inducted with a Sept. 6 dinner at Beasley Coliseum and at the WSU/Texas Tech football game the following evening.
“The 2024 WSU Athletic Hall of Fame class represents some of Washington State’s greatest student-athletes and coaches dating back more than four decades and we are honored to highlight the successes of such an incredible group,” WSU athletic director Anne McCoy said via release. “The accomplishments of this class are tremendous and the pride and passion each displayed while representing WSU is well documented. We look forward to celebrating their impact on our great history.”
Here is more on the five inductees into the WSU Hall of Fame, which already includes 232 individuals.
Alissa Brooks-Johnson, women’s track and field, 2013-18
Finished WSU career as one of the elite track and field athletes in school history; two-time First-Team All-America in the heptathlon (2017, 2018); three-time Pac-12 champion in the heptathlon, was second as a freshman; continues to rank on WSU’s top-10 lists in four different events, including second in heptathlon and fifth in 400m hurdles; three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection; graduated with degrees in apparel, merchandising, design and textiles and sport management.
Micaela Castain, soccer, 2010-13
Earned four varsity letters as she started 71 of 74 matches, finishing her career third all-time with 33 goals and 80 points, and sixth with 14 assists; appeared in three NCAA Tournaments; senior year had 11 goals and 11 assists and Pac-12 leading 33 points; was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, the only Cougar to receive the award since its inception in 1995; 2013 NSCAA All-American second-team and Madness Soccer All-America first-team selections; two-time All-Region and two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection.
Don Collins, men’s basketball, 1976-80
Four-year letterwinner at WSU; left WSU second in career scoring; in 1980, the only WSU men’s basketball player named conference MVP; senior year named Associated Pres All-America second team, United Press International All-America honorable mention and Citizen Savings Athletic Foundation All-American first team; set Pac-10 single-season scoring record in 1980 with 442 points; spent parts of seven seasons in the NBA following WSU as well as the CBA, where he was named to the 50th anniversary team.
Mike Leach, football coach, 2012-19
Guided the Cougars to 55 victories in his eight seasons in Pullman, third-most in program history; was a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year and 2018 AFCA National Coach of the Year; is the only coach to lead WSU to six bowl games; in 2018 led WSU to a school-record 11 victories, a win in the Alamo Bowl and a No. 10 final national ranking; WSU led the nation in passing in four of his eight seasons, top 9 in all eight years; in his 21 seasons, compiled a 158-107 (.596) record, guided his teams to 19 bowl games and set school records for bowl appearances at both Texas Tech (10) and Washington State (6); passed away at the age of 61 in 2022.
DeWayne Patterson, football, 1990-1994
One of the leaders of the Palouse Posse defense of the early 1990s; finished his Cougar career with 154 tackles, and WSU records of 52.5 tackles for loss and 37.5 sacks, both of which remain school records following the 2024 season; senior year was named to Football News All-America first team and Associated Press All-America second team; two-time All-Pac-10 Conference first-team selection; following WSU career, played three seasons in the Canadian Football League.
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