Previously an assistant at rival Washington, Bert Clark was WSU's head coach for four seasons, posting an overall record of . His best season was his second in 1965, when the WSU "Cardiac Kids" went 7–3; they defeated three Big Ten teams on the road, but lost to rivals Idaho and Washington. It was Clark's only winning season, as he failed to win more than three games in the other three. Clark was not retained after the end of his fourth season.