Bill Doba obit

Long-time WSU football coach 

Bill Doba dies at 85, remembered with great affection

Palouse Posse in 1994, two Rose Bowls, a top 10 team in 2003 among his sterling crimson achievements

 He was not on the list.

PULLMAN, Wash. – Former Washington State Football Coach Bill Doba passes away at the age of 85.

Doba, a longtime defensive coordinator and five-year head coach of the Cougars (2003-07), worked 19 seasons at the Washington State coaching staff. Doba posted 30 wins including three Apple Cup victories his five seasons leading WSU.

“Coach Doba was a tremendous Coug and an incredible friend and mentor, who we will miss dearly,” WSU Vice President / Director of Athletics Jon Haarlow said. “Our thoughts are with Coach Doba’s loved ones and the entire Cougar family during this difficult time.”

Doba became Washington State’s 30th head football coach December 18, 2002, after serving as a Cougar assistant for 14 years. During that time WSU won two Pacific-10 Conference championships and made four bowl appearances, including two trips to the Rose Bowl. Doba’s appointment was the culmination of 40 years in the coaching profession at the high school and collegiate level.

In 2003, Doba’s first as WSU’s head coach, he won more games than any first-year coach in program history, reaching the 10-win plateau for the third straight season. No other Pacific-10 Conference school had back-to-back-to-back 10-win seasons since the early 1930’s and for the feat, Doba shared Pac-10 Coach-of-the- Year honors with USC’s Pete Carroll.

Doba joined WSU as an assistant coach in 1989 and served as linebacker coach for Mike Price’s Cougar teams for 14 years. His progression toward Price’s replacement as head coach at the end of the 2002 season included being named assistant head coach in 1991 and then defensive coordinator in 1994.

Throughout his tenure as an assistant at WSU, Doba tutored linebackers, including some super stars that went on to play in the National Football League. Mark Fields, Chris Hayes, James Darling, Rob Childs and Steve Gleason are among the NFL linebackers who took their game to the “A” level under Doba’s watchful eye and instruction at WSU. While serving as WSU’s defensive leader from 1994-2002, Doba mentored eight players named first team all conference, six All-Americans, and 2002 Outland Trophy Winner Rien Long.

It is hard to imagine a rookie head coach having more success than Doba did during the 2003 season. The Cougars finished second in the Pac-10 conference and then recorded the biggest bowl victory in the history of the program. WSU’s defeat of Texas in the Holiday Bowl was its first over a top five program since 1988 and without question was the school’s biggest bowl victory in the modern era of college football.

The 2003 Cougars featured a defense that led the nation in takeaways (48) and fumble recoveries (24), and finished second nationally in interceptions (24). WSU was also in the top 10 in pass efficiency defense and rushing defense. Doba’s guidance resulted in a No. 9 national finish in both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls.

In 1994, Doba’s first season as defensive coordinator, the Cougs finished second in the nation in total defense, yielding a mere 229 yards per game, and third in rushing and scoring defense. The “Palouse Posse,” spearheaded by all-conference performers in linebacker Mark Fields, defensive end DeWayne Patterson, and defensive tackles Chad Eaton and Don Sasa, capped a 9-3 season by holding Baylor to just 151 yards total offense and three points in an Alamo Bowl victory.

The South Bend, Ind., native’s defensive units have always been highlighted by a penchant for speed and an attacking style. In 2001, the Cougars racked up 40 sacks and grabbed 26 interceptions, second only to national champion Miami. During the Cougars’ run to the roses in 2002, WSU broke the school record for sacks with 55, and led the conference in rushing defense, surrendering just 152 yards on the ground over the final five contests.

Doba entered the college ranks in 1977, joining former ESPN College Gameday host Lee Corso’s staff at Indiana University. He coached outside linebackers for five seasons and spent one season tutoring the quarterbacks and receivers. In 1979, the Hoosiers went 8-4 and knocked off Brigham Young in the Holiday Bowl.