In formal introduction, new WSU AD Jon Haarlow ready to lead Cougars into 'most important fall in the history of WSU athletics'

He was in search of a crimson jersey, the kind that would fit in seamlessly at Washington State's Beasley Coliseum, where the Cougars were set to host conference power Saint Mary's later that evening . At the time, Haarlow was WSU's interim athletic director, but he was ready to join the student section for that night's game. A few days prior, he delivered a speech in a management class.

A group of students approached him afterward. He saw the same group of students a few days later in Spokane, where WSU fell to Gonzaga, and a few days after that, he used a mutual connection to learn they would be attending that night's game against Saint Mary's. So when 7 p.

m. rolled around and the Cougars tipped off against the Gaels, Haarlow found himself the middle of the student section, rocking a crimson jersey. "I thought it created a little bit of emotion," Haarlow said.

"We gotta win that student group back, which we've got some things moving forward on that. I take pride in being open and what that emotion is. " Almost two months later, Haarlow was formally introduced as WSU's 16th Athletic Director, elevating from the interim role with a news conference Monday at Gesa Field.