Cougar Father Knows Best Mcwashington Catches Excellent Counsel From Dear Old Dad

As a father, Ammon McWashington knew there were more important things than football.

He wanted his son, Shawn, to value education, self-discipline, diligence and respect.

“Football had to be his choice and his decision,” said Ammon, who played halfback at Washington State from 1965-66.

And so it was that the elder McWashington never told Shawn about the victories over Iowa and Minnesota, or the two-point conversion pass he caught against Indiana with no time on the clock, the one that lifted WSU to an 8-7 victory back in ‘65.

“He scored a two-point conversion to beat Indiana?” marveled Shawn, now a 22-year-old senior receiver for the 15th-ranked Cougars. “The only football thing I know about him is he returned a kickoff 97 yards.”

Oh, and one other thing.

“I told Shawn, I said, ‘Don’t you guys get too cocky after beating Illinois and Boise State,”’ Ammon said.

WSU’s 4-0 start has reminded the elder McWashington of those ‘65 Cougars. That team started 2-0 by winning road games against Iowa and Minnesota, but it lost to Idaho at home the following week.

“We went on to win the next five,” Ammon said, “then we sail into Arizona State thinking we’re going to blow them out.”

Arizona State 7, Wazzu 6.

One week later, the reeling Cougars were trounced by Washington, 27-9. They finished with a 7-3 record, missing out on the Rose Bowl by one-half game.

Ammon will be in the stands when the ‘97 Cougars take their glitzy record and national ranking into Oregon’s Autzen Stadium for a Pacific-10 Conference matchup Saturday.

WSU is favored by seven points, but Ammon believes the Ducks (3-1) should be considered dangerous.

“As someone who has played at that level before, you try to tell them they cannot let down,” Ammon said. “Whether they listen or not …”

Shawn, it would appear, has listened pretty well so far. He’s a good student, avoids trouble and makes an effort to set a positive example for kids. Most of the time, anyway.

Last year, McWashington lost his temper and was arrested after kicking a door. He plea-bargained and ended up with community service, probation and anger-management classes.

“I was wrong,” McWashington said, declining to discuss the matter further.

By all accounts, that was an isolated incident.

Coaches rave about McWashington’s work habits.

Mike Levenseller, who coaches receivers at WSU, calls McWashington the smartest player he’s coached. He also calls his star pupil “The Rat,” a nickname McWashington earned for his persistence and tenacity.

As a freshman, McWashington was undeterred by what Levenseller described as a vicious collision.

“He was on the scout team and we had a receiver come the other way, both on post patterns,” Levenseller said, “and they hit head-on.”

The 5-foot-11 McWashington, who has since bulked up to a sturdy 190 pounds, weighed barely 170 at the time. He never saw the oncoming Shane DeLaCruz, then a senior and the Cougars’ starting flanker.

“It was like a train wreck,” Levenseller said. “The whole place stopped and everybody went to the middle of the field.”

DeLaCruz popped to his feet. McWashington took a more leisurely approach.

“Shawn, his eyes were kind of rolling around in his head,” Levenseller said, “and he just kind of looked over, he looked up at me and he rolled over and puked everywhere.”

A humble beginning, to be sure, but McWashington didn’t give up. “He’s so tenacious, like a rat,” Levenseller added.

The Rat stuck with it long enough to become one of quarterback Ryan Leaf’s favorite targets. He has 16 catches this year, tied for the team lead. Against USC last month, he provided the block of the year, springing Kevin McKenzie for the game-winning touchdown.

McWashington has been equally productive in the classroom. He was among the first from WSU’s 1993 recruiting class to earn a degree.

Now a grad student, McWashington is writing a book comparing the experiences of players and coaches, profanity excluded.

“I want young kids to be able to read the book,” he said.

McWashington grew up in Seattle. A competitive snow-skier since grammar school, his football career blossomed at Garfield High School, where McWashington was a record-setting quarterback. He also played defensive back.

Even then, academics came first. His father, who had been a principal at Garfield and remains in administration, would have it no other way.

“I could go on the football field and turn over the ball eight times and throw three picks and give up three touchdowns playing corner, and Dad wouldn’t say anything,” McWashington said. “But I mean, I come home with a ‘C’ and he’s upset.”

Dad has mellowed a bit since then. Come Saturday, a “W” will probably suffice.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

MEMO: These 2 sidebars appeared with the story:

1. COMING UP Saturday: WSU at Oregon, 1 p.m. (No TV)

2. NUMBERS GAME 1997 statistics Games 4 Receptions 16 Yards 254 Avg. 15.9 TDs 2 Long 46