The All-Tim Team – Defense

Happy Weekend, Cougs! A couple weeks ago, I checked in with my personal list of favorite Cougs on the offensive side of the ball. After a Memorial Day weekend hiatus in the Windy City, I’m back and ready to present the All-Time defensive unit. As a reminder, this is a team comprised of my personal favorite players that left an impression on me for one reason or another. There have been plenty of defensive greats to roam the Palouse in my time as a fine so my apologies to anyone who didn’t make the cut. I’m sure this is a difficult day for you. On to the list…

Defensive End – DD Acholonu, Isaac Brown, Dorian Boose, Mkristo Bruce, DeWayne Patterson

Acholonu and Brown come as a package deal. It wouldn’t seem right to have one without the other. To have one player with the kind of speed they possessed off the edge was enough of a weapon. To have two was borderline unfair. On top of that, I once “helped” DD move a couch for a mutual friend of ours and can personally attest to his freakish strength. He can also personally attest to my freakish lack thereof. I have a mild obsession with how cool football players look in their jerseys. Nobody ever looked as totally badass as Dorian Boose did. He perfectly combined the late 90’s aesthetic with already looking like a bad dude. Also, he was really really good. I loved watching Mkristo Bruce. I’d be hard pressed to believe that guy could ever run out of energy. Aside from his play on the field, one of my favorite Mkristo memories was when he returned to the field with a handful of teammates after the Grambling State game at Qwest Field to dance along with the Tiger Marching Band. Boose and Bruce also have the added bonus of everyone celebrating their plays where it sounds like booing (Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuce) which requires the obligatory “that’s not booing, folks” from the commentator. A quick note to Steelers fans: this does not work with Heath Miller. I don’t get why you started doing it. It’s dumb. I don’t like you. Patterson piled up 30.5 sacks in 1993 and ’94. That’s absurd.

Defensive Tackle – Leon Bender, Rob Meier, Chad Eaton,Don Sasa, Rien Long

This was a difficult decision to whittle down. When the Cougar defenses have been at their best, dominant defensive tackles have been the foundation. Bender was the most obvious choice for me and probably was the easiest choice on the whole team. The ’97 team was the first Cougar team that I was able to watch with some frequency and LB obviously stood out (as All-Americans tend to do). To lose one of my first favorite Cougs at far too young an age was a sad day. His legacy lived on among me and my brothers who diligently “poured some out for LB” throughout our college careers. Getting drafted off the WSU football team in 2000 was no small feat, but Rob Meier proved to be an NFL caliber player on a roster that was clearly lacking in that regard. The anchors of the Posse had to be on the team. I have particularly fond memories of Sasa who had a great name and a great look. Defensive tackle isn’t typically thought of as a playmaking position, but it sure was one when Long was wreaking havoc on his way to the Outland Trophy. What he did in OT against USC to almost single-handedly stop the Trojans and put the Cougs in position to win was incredible. That game stands as quite possibly my personal favorite that I’ve attended in person and Long played a huge role.

Linebackers – Mark Fields, Ron Childs, Anthony McClanahan, Steve Gleason, Will Derting,Raonall Smith, Doc Farley, CJ Mizell

The resumes of Fields, Childs and McClanahan speak for themselves. That Steve Gleason played linebacker at a high level in the Pac-10 with his size was amazing. That he then turned it into a lengthy NFL career was simply incredible. For his heart and passion, I’m sure Gleason makes plenty of “favorites” lists. Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but Will Derting didn’t have a phone at his home in Okanogan so recruiting him required personal visits. OK, EVERYONE has heard that one, but you have to admit the legend of the small-town kid is always a good story. That the story kicked off with three interceptions including a lengthy return TD makes it that much cooler in Derting’s case. That his knee gave out him was really a shame. When he was at his best, Derting may have been the most fun Cougar to watch. I’ll always enjoy watching the clip of him taking down Onterrio Smith and giving the “You’re going nowhere, you may as well take your Whizzinator and go home because where you going? Nowhere!” celebration. Raonall Smith and Doc Farley, in the interest of full disclosure, make the team because they qualify in the great guys I’ve hung out with category. For his part, Smith was also an incredible athlete who made some huge plays in a Cougar uniform. Admittedly Doc didn’t have as many moments, but he was a special teams demon as a walk-on before injuries cut short his Cougar career. Mizell is a hopeful addition to the list. The WWE style tackle in last year’s Cal game may be enough to make the list in and of itself, but I truly hope Mizell can harness his incredible potential and consistently play at the level we all think he can.

Cornerback – Marcus Trufant, Jason David, Singor Mobley, Torey Hunter, Nolan Washington

Trufant is in the running for best player I’ve ever seen play in a Cougar uniform. I also admired the quiet confidence with which he played. Speaking of quiet confidence, we have Jason David. OK, not so much. David was more brash than his cornerbacking counterpart, but at his size, I think that was a must. I loved watching him make plays. Quick, think of a cooler name than Singor Mobley. Yeah, I didn’t think so. Again keeping a great tandem together, Hunter can line up opposite Mobley and shut down passing games for me. Another current player to make the team, Washington has a chance to be the next in a long line of greats in my opinion. Perhaps more importantly, I like the attitude and energy that he has seemingly brought to the locker room at a time when it was desperately needed.

Safety – Lamont Thompson, Erik Coleman, Eric Frampton, the Brothers Abdullah

As if I haven’t enough already, I’m really trending toward the recent past here, but the last decade has really been a golden age in the WSU secondary. Thompson makes my list by any of the ridiculous measures I’ve used: production, cool name, looked badass and a personal story when he checked out my college girlfriend and inflated my ego. Leadership won’t be an issue on my team as long as Coleman and Frampton are around. As an added bonus, they’ll both also knock the crap out of anyone that comes their way. The Abdullah brothers, Husain and Hamza may not have starred for the best of WSU teams, but their individual talents were undeniable. Plus, it’s just cool to have “the Brothers Abdullah” on the team, don’t you think?

So there you have it, Coug fans; one man’s list of his favorite Cougars is complete. It was difficult to make some cuts, but somehow I managed. I’m sure everyone has a list of their own. Fortunately we’ve been able to see plenty of terrific players come through and wear the Crimson and Grey over the years. Hopefully over the next decade, there will be plenty more candidates to add to the list.

Go Cougs.