Tormey joins Cougars’ staff

College football: Spokane native Chris Tormey will join Washington State University’s staff as linebackers coach, according to a report in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and confirmed by WSU athletic department sources Friday.

Tormey, who played at Gonzaga Prep and Idaho, where he was an All-Big Sky linebacker, will replace former coach Travis Niekamp, who took a new position in the football offices.

The 55-year-old Tormey (pictured above) has coached the University of Hawaii’s special teams and safeties for the past two seasons. Prior to that, he served three stints as an assistant at Washington, including a season as coach Jim Lambright’s defensive coordinator in the early 1990s.

He left that spot to become Idaho’s head coach, where he posted a 33-23 record and led the Vandals to a Humanitarian Bowl victory in 1998. From Idaho he moved to Nevada, where he was 16-31 in four seasons.

After being replaced at Nevada, he returned to UW under coach Tyrone Willingham, where he coached linebackers and was recruiting coordinator.

Vince Grippi

Huskies give Sark new deal

College football: Washington has rewarded coach Steve Sarkisian with a new five-year contract after he led the team to its first bowl game since 2002.

The school says on its official athletics website, gohuskies.com, that the deal guarantees the 36-year-old Sarkisian $12.75 million through 2015. It replaces the five-year contract he signed when he was hired by the school in January 2009.

Washington finished the season at 6-6 overall and 5-4 in the Pac-10 before going on to beat No. 17 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

Athletic director Scott Woodward told the website the school wants to keep Sarkisian for a long time, and the contract is part of investments in the program that include the upcoming renovation of Husky Stadium and the construction of new team facilities.

Associated Press