1967 Washington State Cougars football team

1967 Washington State Cougars football
ConferenceAthletic Association of Western Universities
Record2–8 (1–5 AAWU)
Head coach
Home stadiumRogers Field, Joe Albi Stadium
Seasons
← 1966
1968 →
1967 Athletic Association of Western Universities football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 USC $ 6 1 0 10 1 0
No. 7 Oregon State 4 1 1 7 2 1
UCLA 4 1 1 7 2 1
Stanford 3 4 0 5 5 0
Washington 3 4 0 5 5 0
California 2 3 0 5 5 0
Oregon 1 5 0 2 8 0
Washington State 1 5 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1967 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) during the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Bert Clark, the Cougars compiled a 2–8 record (1–5 in AAWU, tied for last), and were outscored 266 to 141.[1][2]

The team's statistical leaders included Jerry Henderson with 836 passing yards, Mark Williams with 415 rushing yards, and Doug Flansburg with 461 receiving yards.[3]

The Cougars won their first Apple Cup in nine years, a 9–7 win over the Huskies in Seattle. It was the final game on natural grass in Husky Stadium, which switched to AstroTurf in 1968.

The Cougars played six conference opponents and finally met USC and UCLA; both were last on the schedule in 1958, the final season of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). The only conference team missed by WSU in 1967 was California.

Clark was fired in late November with a season remaining on his three-year contract.[4][5] He was succeeded in early January 1968 by Jim Sweeney, the head coach at Montana State in Bozeman, who agreed to a one-year contract at $20,000,[6][7][8] and led the Cougars for eight seasons.

  1. ^ "1967 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  2. ^ "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). WSUCougars.com. Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 76. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  3. ^ "1967 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bert Clark parts company with Cougars; search on for successor". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). November 29, 1967. p. 10.
  5. ^ "WSU begins search for new grid coach". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 29, 1967. p. 10.
  6. ^ Missildine, Harry (January 6, 1968). "New WSU coach Sweeney faces task with optimism". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 10.
  7. ^ "Omen indicates fortune of Cougars may brighten". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). January 6, 1968. p. 13.
  8. ^ "Sweeney new head football coach at Washington State University". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). January 6, 1968. p. 9.