A bronze statue of WSU baseball great John Olerud, who went on to play 17 seasons in the majors including two World Series championships, was dedicated Friday, Oct. 23, on the university’s Pullman campus.
During his three seasons in a Cougar uniform, Olerud (1987-89) had one of the finest careers of any Cougar student-athlete, in any sport, in Washington State history, rewriting the WSU record books and becoming the only Cougar baseball athlete ever to be named College Athlete of the Year.
Prior to his senior season, Olerud signed a contract with Toronto and went directly to the Major Leagues, winning back-to-back World Series titles with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. He also played for the New York Mets and Yankees, Seattle, and Boston over the span of his pro career from 1989 to 2005.
In 2001 he joined his father, John Sr., in the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and is a member of the College Baseball, State of Washington and Inland Northwest Sports Halls of Fame.
Olerud joins Cougar Track and Field legend Henry Rono as the only student-athletes with a statue at Washington State.
