Ryan Leaf pulls the "596 Switch"

October 6, 2011, 11:49 am

Some may consider Ryan Leaf the biggest draft bust of all time, others will remember him as a man with a pain killer addiction. What do we see? We know a man who is trying to get his life right and now, a published author.


Ryan Leaf is the former collegiate and professional quarterback who had a successful college career at Washington State University. After his Junior year at WSU, he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football.
He was drafted second in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and had stints with the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks. Ryan’s professional career was cut short due to injuries, which then led to an addiction to pain killers.

Nonetheless, Chad Doing saw a man who was trying to reform his life, a man who was trying to make everything right. Several months ago, 750 The Game featured Ryan Leaf. Listen to that first interview here.



A month later, we had Ryan on again after doctors discovered a tumor in his brain that required extensive rehabilitation and determination.

Today, he mentors young college football players and works in business development for a travel company and lives in Great Falls, Montana.


In the book, 596 Switch, All-American Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, who led the WSU Cougars to a Rose Bowl appearance in 1998, shares the ins and outs of a young man from Montana, attending college with dreams of a pro football career! It covers four years, from the moment Leaf decided to attend Washington State up through the Rose Bowl appearance in 1998. For college football fans and for WSU Cougar fans, this is an entertaining, behind-the-scenes journey through a fascinating time in the school s football history. For sports fans generally, it offers an unvarnished look at the world of college athletics, good and bad.

The book does not glorify the sport or the WSU Cougar team, but does shed light on the powerful stories, colorful characters and some of the shenanigans behind one of our country s most beloved weekend pastimes.

Have a listen to Chad’s interview with Ryan Leaf and check out 596 Switch!