TORCH PASSING; LEAF LATEST PRODUCT OF WSU QB FACTORY.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

Ryan Leaf had not heard of Jack Thompson and was only vaguely familiar with the names Timm Rosenbach and Mark Rypien.

But Drew Bledsoe, Leaf knew all about his success at Washington State under coach Mike Price.

``I didn't know about the tradition,'' Leaf said, referring to the legacy of quarterbacks at Washington State. ``I only knew about Drew until I got there. That was enough. Then, when I got there and heard about all the great quarterbacks, that made me feel even better about my choice.

``Some places produce Heisman Trophy quarterbacks; this place produces NFL quarterbacks. It's an important legacy to live up to.''

It appears Leaf will do just that this spring, when he is expected to be one of the top three picks in the NFL draft. He will be the third Cougars quarterback selected in the first round since 1978, when Cincinnati made Thompson the third pick, and the seventh Washington State QB since Thompson to play in the NFL.

Price, not only the Cougars head coach but also the quarterbacks coach, says the Washington State passing legacy began in the late 1950s under coach Jim Sutherland.

``He recruited quarterbacks,'' Price said. ``He used the quarterback position as a way to move the football. He was way ahead of his time.''

And, for those days, the Cougars passed plenty. An 87-yard pass play from Bob Newman to Jack Fanning in 1957 still stands as the longest such play in school history, tied in 1992 by Bledsoe and Philip Bobo.

While innovative, however, the Cougars were over .500 in only four of Sutherland's eight seasons. In 1964, Bert Clark took over and instituted the basic I-formation attack and, from 1968 through 1975, Jim Sweeney ran a form of the option in Pullman, Wash.

So the Cougars were bad and boring.

But Jackie Sherrill made a one-year stop in Pullman in 1976, and that is remembered as the year Washington State's passing fancy was born. At least it's remembered that way by the program's most prolific passer.

``We started passing the ball again when I got there,'' said Thompson, who from '75 to '78 passed for a then-NCAA record 7,818 yards that is still tops at Washington State.

It was actually a year after Thompson arrived. And it was just in time, because the ``Throwin' Samoan'' was all set to transfer.

Despite what Thompson said was a promise by Sweeney that the Cougars would start passing, they ran the option in 1975. They also finished 3-8 and 0-7 in the Pac-8.

Sherrill came in and changed everything.

``They wanted to put people in the seats,'' Thompson said. ``They wanted to open up the offense. It was Jackie Sherrill. He implemented a whole different system.''

Thompson remembers the Cougars owing a lot to then-Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, a friend of offensive coordinator Bob Lehy.

``Every week, he would call Bradshaw and Bradshaw would say something like, `Try this. I've always wanted to try that in a game.' We did all the things he couldn't do in games. He lived vicariously through us.''

Until this season, when the Cougars passed for 344.5 yards a game, that 1976 team still held the school record with 296.8 passing yards a game. Thompson twice attempted at least 50 passes in a game that season. His 52 attempts against Cal were a school record until Bledsoe threw for 66 against Montana in '92.

Thompson would play for two more coaches - Warren Powers in 1977 and Jim Walden in 1978 - but he would keep on passing. His 1,086 career attempts and 601 completions were Pac-10 records. He passed for 53 touchdowns.

Next came Mark Rypien, who led the Cougars in 1984 and '85. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins and started for them in Super Bowl XXVI. Timm Rosenbach quarterbacked the Cougars in 1987 and '88 before becoming a first-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals. Bledsoe arrived in 1990 and set records through the '92 season, when New England made him the first overall pick in 1993.

And now there is Leaf, who should he surprise everyone and stick around for his senior season, would shatter every one of Thompson's career records. With 286 yards in the Rose Bowl, he will pass Bledsoe and assume second on the career list, as Washington State counts bowl stats in its records. Leaf's 3,637 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in 1997 established Pac-10 single-season records.

``He's better than every one of them in every single capacity,'' said Price, who was Washington State's backfield coach during Thompson's reign. ``And we've had quite a few of them.''

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) In the off chance he decides come back for his senior season, Ryan Leaf will shatter Jack Thompson's career passing records at WSU.

Kirby Lee / Special to the Daily News

(2--Color) POWERFUL PROPAGANDA

The graphic at right was sent in poster form to newspapers across the country promoting Ryan Leaf, center, as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Leaf follows in the tradition of outstanding quarterbacks at Washington State. His four most accomplished predecessors, clockwise from upper left: Jack Thompson (1975-78), Drew Bledsoe (1990-92), Mark Rypien (1981-85) and Timm Rosenbach (1986-88).