QB road Mapping the travels of great WSU quarterbacks

Drew Bledsoe

Bledsoe put together the greatest passing day in WSU bowl history when he threw for 476 yards — including touchdown passes to Phillip Bobo of 87 and 48 yards — in the Cougars' 1992 Copper Bowl victory over Utah. Bledsoe is No. 3 at WSU in career passing yards (7,373) and TD passes (46). He was taken by the New England Patriots with the first pick of the 1993 NFL draft. After starting Super Bowl XXXI and playing backup in last year's Super Bowl, Bledsoe was traded after nine seasons to Buffalo to be its starter.

Ryan Leaf

In 1997, Leaf had the best individual year for a quarterback in school history, racking up 3,698 passing yards and 34 TDs, both WSU records. On top of that, he led the Cougars to a 10-2 record and their first Rose Bowl berth since 1931. In the game, Leaf threw for 331 yards and a TD in the Cougars' 21-16 loss to eventual national champion Michigan. WSU finished No. 9 in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls. Leaf was drafted No. 2 overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1998 and retired this summer.

WSU hadn't been to a bowl game since 1981 before Rosenbach led the Cougars to a 24-22 victory over Houston in the 1988 Aloha Bowl. He threw and ran for a TD and passed for 306 yards. He is best remembered for leading WSU to a 34-30 victory in 1988 over top-ranked UCLA in Pasadena. Rosenbach played three years in the NFL for the Phoenix Cardinals and is in his third season as offensive coordinator at Eastern Washington.

Mark Rypien

Rypien is the only quarterback of this group to start for a winning Super Bowl team, throwing for 292 yards and two TDs to win the MVP in Washington's 37-24 victory over Buffalo in 1992. Although he never played in a college bowl game, Rypien ranks sixth in school history in total offense (5,101) and passing yards (4,573). Rypien is a backup with the Seahawks.

Jack Thompson

By the time he was finished playing for WSU, Thompson had thrown for an NCAA-record 7,818 yards, still a Cougars record. He is also WSU's all-time leader in total offense (7,698) and is second with 53 TD passes. After being named to The Sporting News All-America first team for the 1978 season, Thompson was taken with the third pick of the 1979 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He ended his career in 1984 with Tampa Bay. He is one of three WSU athletes to have his number retired.