My first glimpse of Mike Levenseller was in the old Kingdome when WSU played USC and Ricky Bell ran wild for 347 yards. Bell still holds the single game rushing record for Southern Cal to this day. Jack Thompson threw balls all over the yard and "Levy" was the recipient of most of them. He was by far the best receiver on the field that day.
It was 1976 and that was then and this is now. Levy has coached a butt load of great young men at WAZZU since, with many of them moving on to great careers in the NFL. And there's another one in the making when Marquees Wilson finds a spot on an NFL roster someday soon.
I always looked forward to Levy and the boys coming to the Tri-Cities for the annual Cougar Golf Classic. It was great to spend quality time with the real Levy, not the coach. We would talk about how he's putting his great hands to work in his garden, and we would enjoy a glass of red wine too. Humble, hard nosed, focused, and genuine is the best way I can describe the man who has been a Cougar through and through for the past three decades.
There will be a new look next fall when Mike Leach's Cougars take the field. We won't see Levy on the sidelines calling the plays, and coaching up his receivers like he has since 1992. If Bill Moos has his way, it will be a sellout, and public address announcer Glenn Johnson will be saying "that's another Cougar first down!" 30 times or more. The Palouse Pirates will be out in full force.
You can bet one of the people in the stands will probably be Mike Levenseller.
And I bet Leach wishes he still has eligibility left.
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