The Spokesman-Review Newspaper

The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review

Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Partly Cloudy Night 39° Partly Cloudy
Cache Reset
Admin Exit Admin
Log in Subscribe
Activate
My account Log out
Go to e-Edition Sign up for newsletters Customer service
Subscribe now

Josh Wright

This individual is no longer an employee with The Spokesman-Review.

All Stories

Sports

Gesser coaches Idaho’s running backs with QB’s eyes

MOSCOW, Idaho – Robb Akey, a football coach for more than 20 years, went into the interview with the former quarterback who was hoping for his first full-time college coaching gig with one thing in mind. He wanted to see how well Jason Gesser could teach.
Sports

Gesser can teach ‘em a thing or two at UI

Robb Akey, a football coach for more than 20 years, went into the interview with the former quarterback who was hoping for his first full-time college coaching gig with one thing in mind.
Sports

WSU’s walk-on back on football field after serving in Army

PULLMAN – Chas Sampson knows this won’t last. His second experiment with college football could play out over the next two years, or his body could break down at any moment. He can’t be sure either way. That’s why the Washington State walk-on – at 25, the oldest player on the roster – started sketching out the next five years of his life while he was still at Winston-Salem (N.C.) State.
Sports

Cougar walk-on’s plan comes to fruition

Chas Sampson knows this won’t last. His second experiment with college football could play out over the next two years, or his body could break down at any moment.
Sports

Idaho puts best football forward with remodeled Kibbie Dome

MOSCOW, Idaho – Taken altogether, the facelift is striking. Once perpetually dark, outdated and structurally unsafe, the Kibbie Dome looks, in the words of University of Idaho football coach Robb Akey, “much classier than what it was before.” Natural light now filters through panels on the east and west walls during the day. A roomy press box has been built on the north side of the Dome, and a new club room – surrounded by eight suites, eight smaller loge boxes and 217 premium seats – is perched where the press box used to be on the south end.
Sports

Vandals show off Kibbie Dome update

Taken altogether, the facelift is striking. Once perpetually dark, outdated and structurally unsafe, the Kibbie Dome looks, in the words of University of Idaho football coach Robb Akey, “much classier than what it was before.”
Sports

Vandals’ explosiveness tempered by injury, goal line struggles

MOSCOW, Idaho – How much progress has the Idaho offense made? Steve Axman, the Vandals’ offensive coordinator, pondered that question and immediately went back to early April to draw a comparison. “Our first scrimmage in spring, we didn’t score a point,” he said Wednesday evening, after UI’s first fall scrimmage. “Today we moved the ball. We had big plays. We put the ball in the air well.”
Sports

UI offense gets mixed reviews

How much progress has the Idaho offense made? Steve Axman, the Vandals’ offensive coordinator, pondered that question and immediately went back to early April to draw a comparison.
Sports

Hard work begins to pay off as Vandals hit field

MOSCOW, Idaho – Day after day this summer, Idaho football players – the ones who stayed in town – stuck to the same routine. They would make their way through the quiet campus streets and congregate at the Vandals’ practice field for workouts and drills and scrimmages. Twice the Vandals even traveled to Pullman to go against players from Washington State. Another time they hosted members of Eastern Washington University.
Sports

Vandals begin workouts after dedicated summer

Day after day this summer, Idaho football players – the ones who stayed in town – stuck to the same routine. They would make their way through the quiet campus streets and congregate at the Vandals’ practice field for workouts and drills and scrimmages.
Sports

Confident Akey expects Vandals to go bowling

MOSCOW, Idaho – Today marks the start of Robb Akey’s fifth fall camp as University of Idaho football coach, and with each passing year the exuberant leader of the Vandals’ program seems to grow a bit bolder with his preseason forecast. Last week at the WAC’s media event in Las Vegas, Akey freely threw out jokes, anecdotes and an assessment of the Vandals’ personnel and schedule during an 11-minute introduction. And at the end of his spiel, he saw no harm in cranking up the pressure on his club and coaching staff.
Sports

Akey holds out high hopes for Vandals

Today marks the start of Robb Akey’s fifth fall camp as University of Idaho football coach, and with each passing year the exuberant leader of the Vandals’ program seems to grow a bit bolder with his preseason forecast.
Sports

Former Vandal, Cougar Hopson finds way to Argentina

Phil and Lauren Hopson’s only son was born in Argentina in 1986, and soon after the new parents had the same thought: Perhaps their boy would return one day to the same South American country to play basketball like his father, and maybe he could even land on the Argentinean national team.
Sports

Addition of Texas-Arlington gives WAC 10 members for 2012

The reshaping of the Western Athletic Conference continued Thursday with the addition of the University of Texas-Arlington. But don’t expect the membership changes to stop there. With UTA, which will move from the Southland Conference in July 2012, the WAC will have 10 members – seven that sponsor football and three that don’t – and much better geographic balance. Commissioner Karl Benson said the conference will attempt to add two more football-playing schools.
Sports

Idaho gets new WAC rival in Seattle U in ‘12

MOSCOW, Idaho – Over the past year, as nearly half of the Western Athletic Conference’s membership opted to flee for the Mountain West Conference, the University of Idaho hoped to find new Western rivals that also fit the conference’s needs. After Tuesday, consider a part of that mission complete.
Sports

Idaho athletic director Spear would like Montana schools in WAC

MOSCOW, Idaho – It will be at least another month until the Western Athletic Conference announces its expansion plans. But Idaho athletic director Rob Spear has already made his feelings known – both to fellow conference members and the media – about which schools the WAC should pursue. Spear said Thursday that it’s critical, with the conference losing four members by July 2012, for the WAC to find more football-playing schools in the West. If he had his druthers, Montana and Montana State would move up to the FBS and join the WAC.
Sports

Idaho athletic director Spear would like Montana schools in WAC

It will be at least another month until the Western Athletic Conference announces its expansion plans. But Idaho athletic director Rob Spear has already made his feelings known – both to fellow conference members and the media – about which schools the WAC should pursue.
Sports

Former Pullman HS football coach Bill Peterson killed in crash

Bill Peterson, the former Pullman High School football coach who helped oversee the Greyhounds’ program during a prosperous six-year stretch, died Wednesday in a single-vehicle accident in western Washington. Peterson, 43, was killed when his 1989 Ford Bronco rolled over on a rural road outside of Chehalis, where he was an assistant basketball and football coach at W.F. West High.
Sports

Vandals find sun, offense at Silver and Gold Game marred by injury

MOSCOW, Idaho – Finally, for the first time during the Idaho football team’s trying spring, things started to come together Saturday morning. The injury-ravaged offense cranked out big pass plays and one sustained drive. The defense still showed a dominant touch at times. And after five weeks of mostly crummy weather, the Vandals played the Silver and Gold game at their outdoor field in near-perfect, sunny conditions.
Sports

Surprise guest a motivator

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho football team was deep into its final practice before Saturday’s spring game when Robb Akey felt a tap on his shoulder. It was former Vandals star lineman Mike Iupati, now of the San Francisco 49ers, who decided to spring a surprise visit on his old coach and teammates. “I turn around and there’s a mountain standing there,” Akey said after Thursday’s workout. “I jumped up and gave him a hug and I started crying.”
Sports

Former Vandal Iupati shows up, shares insight at practice

The Idaho football team was deep into its final practice before Saturday’s spring game when Robb Akey felt a tap on his shoulder. It was former Vandals star lineman Mike Iupati, now of the San Francisco 49ers, who decided to spring a surprise visit on his old coach and teammates.
Sports

Idaho Vandals defend Steffan Johnson transfer

MOSCOW, Idaho – Just before the start of his only season with the University of Idaho men’s basketball team, heralded transfer Steffan Johnson was asked about his final days at the University of the Pacific, where he was expelled for an alleged sexual assault incident. “I’m beyond Pacific,” Johnson told The Spokesman-Review in November 2009. “I had good times when I was there. I learned a lot when I was there. I accomplished a lot while I was there, but it’s time for me to start a new chapter in my book.”