During two-a-days in 1994, Washington State's own offense sometimes could not make a first down against the defense Bill Doba helped build. Doba, the longtime Cougars defensive architect who later coached the team to a Holiday Bowl victory over No. 5 Texas, died on August 28, 2026, at 85, CougFan.com reported.

That 1994 unit, known as the Palouse Posse, gave Washington State a new way to command a game. It allowed 10 points or fewer in each of its first six contests and set a school record by yielding only four rushing touchdowns all season. In the Alamo Bowl, it held Baylor to 151 total yards and three points. Washington State Athletics credited assistants Mike Zimmer and Doba with changing the program's defensive identity.

Doba's route to Pullman began in northern Indiana. Born William Anthony Doba in South Bend on September 7, 1940, he grew up in New Carlisle and played four sports at the local high school. He graduated from Ball State in 1962 after studying physical education and mathematics, then earned a master's degree from Western Michigan in 1969.

He began coaching as a Goshen High School assistant. Head-coaching posts at Angola, Goshen, and Mishawaka followed, and his 1974 Mishawaka team finished as an Indiana state runner-up. College football took him to Indiana University, Purdue, and The Citadel before he joined Mike Price's first Washington State staff in 1989.

Doba moved from linebackers coach to assistant head coach and, in 1994, defensive coordinator. An official Washington State Athletics profile counted eight first-team all-conference players, six All-Americans, and Outland Trophy winner Rien Long among those he coached as defensive leader. Twelve former players were selected in the NFL Draft and 18 more signed professional contracts. Doba also spoke proudly of players who completed their degrees.

Washington State promoted him to head coach on December 18, 2002, after 14 years on the staff and two conference championships that sent the Cougars to the Rose Bowl. At his introduction, Doba directed attention toward his colleagues: "One coach doesn't coach a defense. One coach doesn't coach a football team." His first team went 10-3, finished ninth in both major polls, and earned him a share of Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors with USC's Pete Carroll.

The defining finish came in San Diego on December 30, 2003. Washington State trailed No. 5 Texas 10-7 at halftime, then scored three third-quarter touchdowns. Sammy Moore caught a 54-yard scoring pass, Jonathan Smith scored on a direct snap, and Jason David returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown. The defense stopped Texas late to preserve a 28-20 victory. "This win is huge for our program, to beat the No. 5 team," Doba told Washington State Athletics.

Doba coached Washington State for five seasons, winning 30 games and three Apple Cups before his tenure closed in 2007. He had spent 19 seasons in crimson, a run that included two Rose Bowl teams and his own top-10 finish. The Indiana Football Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001, honoring roots that reached back to the state's high school fields.

After Doba's death, Price described his longtime colleague and Pullman neighbor as a coach who cared for players like his own children. Former defensive back Torey Hunter called the man who recruited him an honest and consistent mentor. Their accounts showed how the coach behind the schemes stayed present in his players' lives.

The Palouse Posse's attacking defense, the two Rose Bowl teams Doba helped guide, and the Holiday Bowl trophy from his first season in charge remain fixed points in Washington State football history. So do the players who completed degrees, earned conference honors, and carried lessons from his meeting rooms into professional football and coaching careers of their own.