Washington State AD: WSU has 'earned' status as a 'national brand'

Washington State is one of the four teams left in what’s now been called the “Pac-4” after the latest round of conference realignment. The Cougars — along with Cal, Oregon State and Stanford — are still evaluating what’s next after the shakeup, which saw eight Pac-12 teams leave for new homes.

Still, WSU athletic director Pat Chun expressed confidence in the school’s future as a “national brand” despite not leaving the conference. He also called out the teams that left for the Big Ten and Big 12 as part of a historic week in college sports last week.

Chun noted he doesn’t think realignment is done yet, which has been the sense this week as other teams emerge as potential expansion candidates. However, he’s confident Washington State will fight through it and keep its place in the college sports landscape.

“This thing is far from over,” Chun said in a Wednesday news conference. “That’s what I keep telling our staff. Realignment’s going to continue to happen, and we’re going to continue to prove our critics wrong.

“We’re going to continue to go forward. And Washington State will continue to be a national brand, because unlike most of the schools in around the country, we’ve actually earned it through the work of all of our student athletes and all of our alums around the world.

Chun noted the public perception of Washington State, especially considering the school hasn’t come up as a potential target for leagues looking to expand. Overcoming adversity has become part of the school’s identity as the Cougars tend to get overlooked.

However, he pointed to the success of multiple sports — not to mention the fact that “Old Crimson” was part of an ESPN commercial last year — as a reason why people will still talk about Washington State.

“This is this is an institution and athletic program that is extraordinarily proud of what it’s been able to achieve over the last century,” Chun said. “It’s really remarkable when you think about who Washington State is — the external world’s perception that the odds are stacked against it. And yet, over and over, it continues to prove its critics critics wrong. So it’s really an anomaly when you think about what Washington State has become. I mean, it’s celebrated on ESPN [College] GameDay every Saturday with its own segment. To the performance of our football team, our basketball programs, our volleyball team, our soccer teams. Our baseball team was, what, the [12th] winningest baseball programming in college baseball. Glorious history with Henry Rono and all the track and field excellence we’ve had in the past.

“It’s a place with an enormous amount of pride. And we’re one of those schools that loves Washington State and the students love the experience here. And the staff are are fiercely loyal to the mission and a purpose of what this place stands for. It’s been tough. But the reality is, Cougs are tough. And we’ll come out swinging when it’s all said and done.”