Coug fans can now support WSU student-athletes by drinking beer.
The Cougar Collective, a name, image and likeness organization comprised of WSU alumni with an interest in supporting student-athletes, partnered with Pike Brewing in Seattle to debut the “Ol’ Crimson Lager.”
Story/photo by Sam Taylor, Lewiston Trib, 7/16/2024
The beer is available in several businesses (many of them owned by WSU alumni), including Flatstick Pub (with locations across Seattle and one in Spokane), Marco Polo in Seattle and, as of a week ago, The Coug in Pullman, said Luke Wetzstein, a Cougar Collective board member who met his wife at The Coug.
About 25 years later, the couple was in The Coug on Monday night introducing the Ol’ Crimson Lager to Pullman.
A portion of the proceeds of each purchase of the Ol’ Crimson Lager goes back to the Cougar Collective, which uses that money to support WSU student-athletes through various NIL opportunities.
The beer is also sold in 6-packs, with the can containing art depicting Ol’ Crimson, the WSU flag synonymous with college football, appearing on every single ESPN College GameDay broadcast since 2003.
Wetzstein said the cans are available at Flatstick Pub locations and may soon be available in certain grocery stores in the state.
The Cougar Collective partnered with the Ol’ Crimson booster club for the naming and image rights and the can artwork was designed by WSU alumnus Jim Carey (no relation to the actor), Wetzstein said.
Wetzstein said he could not share how much the Collective has made so far or what percentage of the proceeds the Collective will receive because of their contract with Pike Brewing.
The beer is one more attempt at helping WSU adjust to a new age of college athletics.
Wetzstein said the Cougar Collective noticed other NIL collectives introducing beers, particularly Iowa State and Boise State.
“We’d be idiots not to do it, especially with our fan base and alumni base,” he said.
Three years after the NCAA adopted new rules, spurred by state and federal legislation, to allow student-athletes to benefit off of their name, image and likeness, the state of Washington passed Bill 5913, which amends the state’s ethics laws, allowing universities within the state to participate fully in NIL affairs up to the point allowed by the NCAA.
These new rules came into effect June 6 in Washington.
Nick Garner, WSU assistant athletic director of student-athlete experience, showed his support for the Cougar Collective by going to the event at The Coug on Monday night.
Garner said the new rules have helped the school provide “more holistic support” for student-athletes within the past month.
“Not only are we able to work more closely with the collective, but we can be much more supportive of local businesses when they want to do things, we can do much more for our student-athletes who are trying to build their brand or connect with businesses,” Garner said.
The legislation allows WSU Athletics, including individual programs and employees, to support organizations out in the open. WSU football wasted little time, posting a statement from football coach Jake Dickert and tagging Cougar Collective’s social media account with the caption “hey @CougCollective” on June 6.
“We can now publicly endorse the work that the Cougar Collective is doing to support Washington State University student-athletes. We are excited to grow this relationship as we work to deliver on the standard of excellence here at WSU,” Dickert said in a June 6 statement.
Wetzstein said this change to state law allowed the board to spend the week in Pullman and meet face-to-face with various coaches.
“We have relationships with some of the coaches, mainly football, I would say in the past, but it was more behind the scenes, off the record,” Wetzstein said. “Now it can be as public and as transparent as we need it to be. So it’s opened a lot of things up and WSU has been great in helping facilitate that.”
The Pullman launch party for the Collective’s NIL beer was one part of what WSU Athletics coined as “Cougar Collective Media Week.”
Cougar Collective board members had one-on-one meetings with various coaches, talked to student-athletes and coaches at a Sunday evening barbecue, shot video content with various stakeholders in Pullman and today, will attend athletic director Anne McCoy’s introductory news conference, Garner said.
With most of the Cougar Collective board living outside of Pullman, the chance to meet face-to-face with coaches and athletic staff members allowed the Collective to put a face to all of their efforts.
Among the faces at the Coug on Monday night were WSU alumni Rick and Kim Wood. The couple moved to Pullman last summer and volunteered to join the Collective and serve as their “boots on the ground.”
“It means a lot to feel like I’m part of the university (and part) of Pullman again,” Rick Wood said.
Before the Woods joined Cougar Collective, they operated an Airbnb in Pullman called the WSU Crimson House, and focused on renting the house out to friends and family of student-athletes, Rick Wood said.
“I’m really focused on how we can help the Collective build revenue through business ventures, as opposed to just asking you for money,” Rick Wood said.
As for the quality of the Ol’ Crimson Lager itself, Coug fans Dawn and Sean Wells described it as “A summer beer, hot day beer.”
Dawn Wells works remotely for Alaska Airlines and Sean Wells serves as Pullman’s public works director. The couple said they donate to the Cougar Collective.
“We have to be realists and understand this is how it’s going to be and we got to support our Cougs,” Dawn Wells said.
For a recent graduate like Patrick Dinges, who teaches in the Spokane public schools, buying a beer is a lot more affordable than a monthly donation.
“As a recent graduate, you know, money’s tight. So this is a really nice way for me to give back in any small way that I can,” he said.
Wetzstein said he believes there is no donation too small.
“I think WSU’s alumni base has 30-some thousand license plates in the state,” Wetzstein said “If all of those people paying for a license plate were part of the 1890 Club, we’d be in unbelievable shape.”
The 1890 Club is the Collective’s donation program, encouraging Coug fans to donate $18.90 a month in honor of the year WSU was founded.
Toward the end of the event, a majority of the WSU men’s basketball coaching staff walked down Cougar Way and stopped by the Coug.
Each member of the staff has only been in Pullman for a matter of months as coach David Riley enters his first year at the helm.
Assistant coach Donald Brady followed Riley to Pullman from their previous post at Eastern Washington and assisted with building a roster, almost from scratch, as just two players from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, Isaiah Watts and Parker Gerrits, chose to stay in Pullman.
“I think we’re competitive. Yeah, we don’t have Ohio State money or Indiana money or Alabama money, but what we do have allowed us to bring in a really solid team,” Brady said. “And obviously, the more that’s donated to the collective, the more it’s going to help the program.”
