So we put up the first "Coug of the Decade" poll for offensive players, and you have made your choice. LOUD AND CLEAR, I might add. In complete non-shocker fashion (and for good reason), congrats to Jason Gesser, WSU's offensive player of the decade!
Jason Gesser: 213 votes, 60.3%
Jerome Harrison: 80 votes, 22.7%
Jason Hill: 20 votes, 5.7%
Alex Brink: 20 votes, 5.7%
Brandon Gibson: 20 votes, 5.7%
Total number of voters: 353
First vote: Tuesday, 08 December 2009 09:47
Last vote: Monday, 14 December 2009 10:10
Gess pretty much ran away with it. Jerome Harrison was a solid #2, and then the remaining votes were split amongst Brink, Gibson and Hill.
The most impressive thing about Gesser isn't just the wins. Well, OK, the wins are super-impressive. He is the only Coug QB to ever win as many as 20 games over a two-year period, the first ever to post back-to-back 10-win seasons. But did you know that in Gesser's 35 collegiate starts, the Cougars won 24 of them? A winner in every possible way.
But it really is the passing numbers as well. Before Alex Brink passed him by in several categories, Gesser was at or near the top in pretty much everything. But he led in the "sexy" stats at the end of his time at WSU, breaking school records for career passing yardage (8,830) and TD passes (70). He also set a school record by throwing at least one TD pass in 25 consecutive games. The first Coug ever to be elected team captain for three straight years from '00-'02, he was 7th in Heisman voting in 2002 and won co-player of the year in the Pac-10 along with USC's Carson Palmer.
We salute you, Jason Gesser. And maybe, just maybe, you'll one day be on the WSU sidelines again, or even up in the coaches booth calling plays? WSU would be lucky to welcome him back into the fold....somehow, someday. However it happens, WSU needs Jason Gesser to be a part of Cougar football again.
Alright, enough of the offense. Time to look at the top WSU Coug defenders of the decade! This list was a little tougher to put together if you want to know the truth. But the final five we chose all stand their ground as the finest to don the crimson-n-gray this decade. So here they are, the nominess for Coug of the decade, defensive-style:
1) Marcus Trufant, cornerback - 1999-2002.
Ask your typical Coug fan, quick, who's maybe the best cornerback in school history? You may get a few different names, but more than likely, Marcus Trufant will be the one you hear the most. But take a look at the WSU record book, and it's hard to find a whole lot of mention of Trufant. 8th all time in school history in career interceptions, 9th in interception return yardage, but not really up there in a whole lot of other categories like INT's for TD's, tackles, etc. It's hard to judge Trufant simply by looking at the numbers. But there is a reason the overall numbers don't move the needle, and it's this - Trufant was a guy that opposing QB's just never really threw his way his whole career. He was the closest thing WSU has had in recent history in terms of "shutdown corner".
Sure, he was beaten a few times, but not much, and certainly not later in his career. In fact, per school records, Trufant didn't allow a single TD pass in his final two years at WSU! That, my friends, is BIG-TIME, and a huge reason he was a high first-round pick. An All-Pac-10 selection and All-American his senior year, Trufant is not just one of the best defensive players of the decade, he's possibly one of the greatest in school history.
2) Rien Long, defensive tackle - 2000-2002. An absolutely dominant defensive tackle and one of the most decorated players in WSU history, Long was a gigantic part of the success of the '02 Pac-10 champions. Long would rack up 21.5 tackles for loss, including 13 sacks in '02, on his way to first-team All-American honors and the Outland Trophy.
WSU fans will always remember his performance vs. USC that championship season, especially in overtime. Long would smother a running play for a big loss and rack up a QB sack, forcing a long field goal attempt that USC would miss. Long finished his career fifth in school history in tackles for loss, seventh in sacks, and ninth in sack yardage. One wonders what could have been had Long come back for his senior season. It's not hard to fathom that he would be at or near the top in pretty much every tackle-for-loss/sack category available, but still an impressive career from a defensive tackle!
3) D.D. Acholonu, defensive end - 2000-2003. Maybe a mild surprise to some of you, but it's hard to argue with the numbers of the wonderful speed-rusher off the edge. Acholonu had a linebackers body at 6-3, 230, but rushed the passer with speed and power, one of the top sack-specialists in school history. Acholonu's '03 season was really special, third in school history in tackles for loss (21), second in tackles for loss yardage (130), second in sacks (16.5), and second in sack yardage (121).
Acholonu would save his best for last, with three sacks for 30 yards vs. Texas in the '03 Holiday bowl. He was absolutely relentless the entire game, and made two huge plays to end the game with a strip, and then sacking Texas' Chance Mock to end the game as the Cougs got the 28-20 win. Remember?
2003 was special, but D.D. wasn't just a one-year wonder. He's third in school history in tackles for loss (44.5), second in tackle-for-loss yardage (261) and second in sacks (32.5) and sack yardage (235). Clearly one of the greatest pass-rushers in school history, and definitely one of the best in the decade!
4) Will Derting, linebacker - 2001-2005. Ah yes, #51. While not exactly a stat-monster, still, Derting is an all-time favorite among Coug fans with his relentless motor and huge hits. Unfortunately injuries robbed him of some playing time, or else Derting would be way up the ladder in terms of pure stats, but still, for basically starting three years worth of games, Derting made an impact. Sixth all-time in tackles for loss (32), tenth in sacks (14.5), Derting was all over the field whenever he was out there.
Derting was all-Pac-10 as a sophomore and a junior, showing just how dominant he was when he was able to get on the field. Injuries destroyed his 6-0, 233 pound body, to the point that he barely had anything left in his knee at the end of his career. However, he would scrape himself together and deliver in the '05 Apple Cup, his last collegiate game, leading the team in tackles playing on a knee described as "hanging by a thread". There is a reason you still see so many #51 jerseys around Pullman on gameday! Derting is truly an all-time fav, and without question one of the best defensive players of the decade.
5) Mkristo Bruce, defensive end - 2003-2006. One of the best pass-rushers in school history, and definitely one of the toughest players ever to don the Cougar uniform, Bruce rounds out the top five of the decade. Third in school history in sacks (29.5), fourth in sack yardage (154), second in tackles for loss (45.5) and fourth in tackle-for-loss yardage (209), Bruce is all over the WSU record book.
Bruce had a school-record FIVE sacks vs. Stanford in '06, on his way to all-conference and second-team All-American honors. He had a two-year stretch from '05-'06 where he totaled 21 sacks, the third best stretch in school history. Maybe not the most explosive player ala D.D. Acholonu, but certainly one of the most consistent pass rushers in school history and with a motor that never quit, Bruce is one of the best defenders of the decade.
So there you have it, the top defensive players of the decade. Get in there and vote!
Per cougfan premium article David Mahoney see WSU as a place he can definitely see himself. This group may not have shown us x's and o's on the field yet but they are really hitting the recruiting trail hard. We just need someone up front to remind us of our DL past. GO COUGS!
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Love the picks written by Brian from Portland,
December 14, 2009
Watching the film of DD brought back memories of the Cougar D I hope we can field again. Man, was he ever fast off the corner!
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Mahoney and DD written by SeanHawk,
December 14, 2009
Good to hear Stiffy! Are you a premium guy over there? I hope it works out, we could sure use him.
On DD, man, the speed on the edge was incredible. That last couple of plays, where he strips Mock and then sacks him to end it, the Texas o-tackle is just GASSED after trying to block him all game! That last sack, he just ran around him untouched.
DD is the best example ever of the Mike Price philosophy. Take those fast, athletic kids and move them up a defensive position. A lot of programs DD would have been a decent NCAA linebacker, but would he have been an all-decade kind of guy? Who knows. But his fast twitch ability made him a headache as a pass rushing d-end, and for that, he's one of the greatest of all time at WSU.
One thing I failed to mention is that there were some very good names left off this list, including Eric Coleman, Frampton, Greg Trent, Jason David, Isaac Brown, Scott Davis, etc. Even Lamont Thompson isn't here, but he only played one season in the 2K decade (missed '00, played in '01). But all things considered, we felt pretty good about these being the final five to pick from.
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DD written by Chris '04,
December 14, 2009
No question D.D. was the decades MVP. Games are won and lost in the trenches, and that guy was a stud. Derting wasted his abilities by getting into to much trouble. He was ALWAYS drunk. There's a reason why his nicknames was DUI Derting.
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Great list written by Portland Coug,
December 14, 2009
I feel bad for MKB. He was really good and consistent. He was hurt at the end of his career too but played as hard as he could. Remember that play against the bruins where he ran like 40 yards down the field and tackled the running back after nearly getting the sack on a screen play. MKB was high effort all the time but with the other players on the list there is no way he wins it.
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All these guys were very good individually, written by Magnolia Coug,
December 14, 2009
but they were Great collectively. Derting could roam free becauee his D-line occupied bodies and put pressure on the QB. The D-line was able to get pressure becasue you had Trufant, Coleman, et all, covering the WRs. The DBs didn't have to cover for long periods of time becasue the DL got pressure. I mean, since everybody did their job it made the whle defense a cohesive and devastating group.
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... written by kaddy,
December 14, 2009
MUCH harder poll, this time. Trufant, Long, DD...I can't choose right now.
Love Derting, but he was hurt quite a bit.
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Hear that Kaddy written by SeanHawk,
December 14, 2009
It is tougher. I can't imagine not voting for Rien Long, and still wonder what could have been had he not been talked into going pro by Mark May. But a vote for him is NOT a vote for Trufant, who is awfully special in his own right. And DD, who is right behind Dewayne Patterson for all the sack stuff? And Will Derting is maybe my favorite player ever! Jeesh. I know what Portland Coug meant by feeling sorry for Mkristo. He was fantastic yet I can't see him getting many votes against the rest of these guys.
They are ALL winners.
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Trufant written by VikingCoug,
December 14, 2009
It was hard not voting for trufant for me, but i voted for Rien Long. I felt like Trufant hardly represents WSU today. I'm not even sure if he is still a coug fan. All these years in seattle have made him a loser.
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jake jake jake written by gohuskies,
December 14, 2009
Mkristo bruce is the best on this list. LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL IN THE HOUSE. but....another loss in the apple cup in 2010 boys. yes sir!!!
sincerely, your favorite husky troll.
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... written by kaddy,
December 14, 2009
VikingCoug - you should know that Trufant is ALL Coug...he supports the school both financially and often volunteers his time, attending athletics fundraisers. I had the privelege of sitting by him at one of these events, and he speaks very fondly of WSU and his time in Pullman.
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Voting written by Quo,
December 14, 2009
My heart wanted me to vote Derting. My head made me choose Trufant. Trufant was huge-- didn't he break a few ribs and collapse a lung on some poor receiver?
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Jake who? written by JakeWho?,
December 14, 2009
jakey isn't even the biggest story in Seattle by a longshot today. The m's just got the best 1-2 punch in the business with Cliff Lee joining the KING Felix!!!
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SeaTimes poll written by Jake who?,
December 14, 2009
Cliff Lee to the Mariners 58% (5,435 votes) Jake Locker returns to the Dawgs 42% (3,858 votes)
Total Votes: 9,293
Jake can't even carry the news in his own town proving yet again NOBODY GIVES A RATS ASS ABOUT UW!
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... written by ptowncoug,
December 15, 2009
I love Tru, but I think EC was absolutely outstanding. Watch the Holiday bowl again. Dominating! Don't forget Billy Newman. A great Coug who pulled us through the tough times.
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... written by James_wsu,
December 15, 2009
Bruce was the only player on the list that I've seen in person as a student, so he might get a little vote from me His senior year was my freshman year, and I remember everyone yelling "BRRUUUUCCEEE!" Man, games are a lot more fun when you're good : Sadly, 06'was the only decent team we've had in my years here. I did have some great years in basketball though.
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BRUCE written by coug fan,
December 15, 2009
BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!!!
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... written by Thielbar,
December 15, 2009
Ridiculous number of votes for MK Bruce. Must be a bunch of seniors voting all morning waiting for their finals..whom have no idea what a good defensive player even looks like. Bruce belongs on the bottom of that list. Long was an Outland Trophy winner, Trufant was the best CB in college football and Acholonu redefined the DE position.
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Funny story about Bruce written by Chris '04,
December 15, 2009
I was in Blockbuster on Stadium was during Christmas break of his senior year. At the time, everyone was thinking that he was a lock to be drafted and make a team. Anyways, I'm walking around and I hear this really loud voice talking into a cell phone. There was only a couple people in the store at the time so you could hear him throughout the whole place. I look over and sure enough it's MKB. Being the nosy person I am, and feeling as though he's just asking for someone to listen to his conversation, I start eavesdropping. He must has been talking to an agent of some sort, or a business manager, I dunno for sure. But what I do know is that he was talking about the Escalade he just purchased, and furthermore about the "half-a-million-dollar-house" that he was going to be looking at in a couple of weeks (not sure the location). This guy thought he was the king-sh!t, that's for sure. We all know how that turned out. I think he's on a UFL roster in Florida or something, he never stuck in the NFL. I wonder if he's still driving around in that Escalade pretending to be some huge baller, LMAO!
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Theilbar??? written by D. Reynolds,
December 15, 2009
WOOOW! Hater alert HATER ALERT!!! 1st of all I grew up with MKB and went to school with him all the way through college and is still a friend of mine until this day. #1 he has never purchased, leased or contimplated getting an escalade. #2 the money he did make in the NFL went to his wife , kids, and 8 siblings. Are the rest of these Cougs outstanding players? Absolutely! That's why they are on this list. I don't know if you watched WAZZU when he played but he was a menace on the feild and a crowd favorite. He never walked past one cougfan and talked to everyone the same. It's sad to me to here people slam athletes and they don't have any athletic bones in their body. So coming from a athlete that never made it past high school sports it was always a show when Bruuuuuuuce was on the feild.
Sincerily, The guy who is SMH at this theilbar guy....
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... written by sideburns,
December 16, 2009
BRUUUUUUUCE! and Chris04 is way off track on the truth about Bruce! The guy has had some bad breaks and injuries but always been a man of humbleness and genorosity! not some baller want to be like Chris04 makes him out to be.
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... written by KatyKat,
December 16, 2009
MK Bruce all the way! His senior year he lead the nation in sacks up to like week 4 until 2 DLs went down with injury's and the team switched to a 3/4 defense for the rest of the season, otherwise Bruce would have made the record!
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Looks like your poll has been hacked written by Mike Hunt,
December 16, 2009
Time to use a different polling system...this one has obviously been hacked.
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re: greatest corner written by Butch T.,
December 18, 2009
Was Trufant better than Hasty? I don't think so myself.
+1
... written by travwaus,
December 19, 2009
Dude I LOVE the Cougs, and I think MKB deserves to be up there, without a doubt. He was a monster on the feild. But my favorite defensive player has to be DD, he was exciting to watch with Isaac Brown on the other end, oohhh, I miss those days. I liked Kyle Basler, he would pin teams down way back there. But out of the top players it's hard to choose who's the best, I would say DD because Iliked seeing the qb get hit by him.
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brand clothing written by brand clothing,
December 21, 2009
restrict the colour of the clothing that the fans can wear
Woods December 2 on their official website issued a statement admitting to his wife being unfaithful.ugg for sale The matter is far from over, saying it is Tiger Woods, lover of women, but to take out one after another, including bar girls, underwear model, television anchor woman, waitress,ugg sale etc., so far, the U.S. media exposure of the "tiger lovers" At least nine people.
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His senior year was my freshman year, and I remember everyone yelling "BRRUUUUCCEEE!" Man, games are a lot more fun when you're good : Sadly, 06'was the only decent team we've had in my years here. I did have some great years in basketball though.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 
We just need someone up front to remind us of our DL past.
GO COUGS!