WSU Hall of Fame member Jack Fanning passes away at age 89

PULLMAN - Jack Fanning, a member of Washington State's Athletics Hall of Fame and one of the best wide receivers in the football program's history, died last week in Spokane.

Fanning was 89.

Services for Fanning will be held at 2 p.m. June 24 at Heritage Funeral and Cremation in Spokane.

A Spokane native, Fanning spent 1955-60 at WSU, where he arrived as a four-sport athlete out of Rogers High School. As a Cougar, Fanning earned three varsity letters in football and track and field. On the gridiron, he led the nation with nine touchdown receptions in 1957, which tied the school record and remains among WSU's single-season leaders.

Also that season, he caught three touchdown passes in a season-opening win at Nebraska (then a school record), caught an 87-yard touchdown pass against Stanford (also then a school record) and finished the season second in the Pacific Coast Conference in receptions. He finished his three-year football career with 45 catches for 714 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Additionally, Fanning was a member of the WSU track and field team. He competed in the pole vault, once clearing 14 feet, which was a school record.

Fanning, who graduated from WSU in 1958, was inducted into the Cougars' Hall of Fame in 2012.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 7:07 PM.