Jim Walden

Jim Walden was a force of personality, tenacity, and genuine love for the game — a football coach whose booming southern drawl, unforgettable catchphrases, and relentless spirit made him one of the most beloved figures in the history of Washington State University. Born on April 10, 1938, in Aberdeen, Mississippi, Jim discovered his passion for football early. He played quarterback at Itawamba Junior College before transferring to the University of Wyoming, where he led the Cowboys to back-to-back Skyline Conference championships in 1958 and 1959 and was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year. In 1960, both the NFL's Cleveland Browns and the AFL's Denver Broncos drafted him, but Jim chose the Canadian Football League, spending three seasons with the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders, and Edmonton Eskimos. His coaching career began in 1964 at Amory High School in Mississippi, where he spent five years building young men before moving on to the University of Nebraska under Bob Devaney. There, he was a part of the coaching staff that won consecutive national championships in 1970 and 1971. After four seasons at the University of Miami, Jim arrived at Washington State in 1977, and a year later was handed the keys to a program that had not seen a bowl game in half a century. What followed was nothing short of a transformation. In nine seasons as WSU's head coach, Jim compiled a 44–52–4 record — numbers that barely capture what he built. In 1981, he led the Cougars to the Holiday Bowl, ending a 51-year postseason drought, and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. In 1982, he engineered a stunning 24–20 Apple Cup victory over No. 5-ranked Washington, ending an eight-game losing streak to the Huskies. He was, as players remembered, a man whose word was his bond and who created a culture of belief where none had existed. After seven seasons coaching Iowa State — where his 1992 team toppled No. 7 Nebraska with a third-string quarterback — Jim retired from coaching in 1994. But Washington State wasn't finished with him. He returned as a radio color commentator for 11 seasons, his voice becoming as much a part of Cougar Saturdays as the crimson and gray. He was inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. Jim Walden passed away on August 2, 2026, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at age 88. He is survived by his wife Nancy, his children Lisa, Murray, and Emily, and seven grandchildren. He called himself "TMB" — too many birthdays — but for everyone who loved him, there could never have been enough.