It’s a good thing Kasey Dunn left his broken-down car on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Seattle, then caught a ride to SeaTac airport that day in early 1987.
“That was it, I had one scholarship offer, and thank God I hitchhiked to get (to Moscow),” said Dunn, Oklahoma State’s first-year offensive coordinator who claimed — and still holds — many of Idaho’s all-time receiving records, accrued throughout an illustrious football career from 1987-91.
“That was a life-changing weekend. I can’t imagine if I wouldn’t have made that flight, what direction everything goes.”
Dunn was a late riser on UI’s recruiting boards. Signing day was in February, and the Vandals didn’t make contact until mid-January, when Washington State defensive coordinator John L. Smith provided some intel to Idaho defensive backs coach Ed Donatell (now the Denver Broncos' DC). Donatell was to travel to Poulsbo, Wash., to take a peek at a certain 6-foot-1, 200-pound three-sport standout who'd recently taken a visit to Pullman.
“He watched one of my basketball games really, really late in the process,” Dunn said. “They brought me in on the last possible visit of recruiting. And (former coach Keith Gilbertson) says, ‘You’re here with two other guys. Here’s the deal: We got one left. If you walk out, I’m gonna offer it to the next guy.’
“I’m like, ‘I’m in, let’s go.’”
If Dunn hadn’t busted it to the Palouse, his future in sports would’ve steered toward small-college baseball or basketball, he said. Instead, he enjoyed a UI career featuring three All-American honors, three Big Sky championships and a slew of big numbers catching passes from stars John Friesz and Doug Nussmeier.
“Honestly, it was: Right place, right time,” he said. “Idaho was cutting-edge throwing the ball, and we had two quarterbacks I was very fortunate to play with.”
His 268 receptions and 3,847 yards still are career program records, and for the next several years, those totals were second all-time in the Football Championship Subdivision (then Division I-AA) to Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Dunn was known as an incredibly strong and durable receiver who almost seemed to specialize in catching the ball in traffic.
But it wasn’t all about finding collegiate football success. Just as well, Dunn landed on his calling.
“I’m telling you, just the way that staff was, that’s where (coaching) started for me,” he said. “I loved how they all interacted with one another; they made it look cool, look like fun. I thought, ‘Man, this is something I could see myself doing.’”
In retrospect, it was the perfect move, “no question,” Dunn said. He met his future wife, Janelle — who is from Coeur d’Alene — at the popular Vandals hangout, the Corner Club. The two and their children, Oklahoma State students Kayla and Lauren, vacation in St. Maries.
“We love that part of the country, love to hunt and fish,” Dunn said. “When it’s time to hang up the whistle, that’s probably where we’re headed. Hopefully we can take the ol’ trailer up there this summer and hang out on the St. Joe River.”
Multiple teammates stay in touch with and sometimes visit the friend they’ve called “Bun” for years — simply because of the rhyme — who’s become a distinguished coaching figure in Stillwater, Okla., since he arrived there in 2011.
In January, Dunn was promoted from receivers coach/associate head coach to OC, a move likely stemming from coach Mike Gundy’s trust in the 50-year-old.
“I think he saw that more than anything: Here’s a guy who’s been on the staff and seen all the small changes in the 10 years we’ve been running this offense,” Dunn said.
And Dunn, the blue-collar coaching veteran known for his country-style baseball caps and grindstone character, had the track record to back it up.
OSU is Dunn’s 12th stop in a 27-year career, which includes two early, one-year stints at Idaho; three seasons at Arizona; two years each with the Seattle Seahawks and New Mexico; a year apiece at San Diego, TCU, Baylor and Southern Mississippi; short stays at Alabama and Maryland, and five of Washington State's more prosperous seasons, under Mike Price from 1998-02.
“It was hard on the family. Janelle was a professional mover for a while, and the kids were constantly changing schools,” Dunn said. “But if you were to ask my daughters, they actually appreciated it. It helped round them out. They didn’t become one type of person.”
Referring to his appreciation for smaller, rural areas and the fervid, cult fan bases that come along with isolation, Dunn said Stillwater is “right where we wanna be” — after comparing it to both Palouse towns.
“You’ve gotta be passionate about where you’re living and working, and we are here. We found a spot that’s good for us and the kids,” he said.
Along the way, he’s been influenced by many, but to stay local:
Dunn learned the value of organization from former Seattle coach Mike Holmgren.
“That was a great experience — just making sure you’re detailed, and dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s,” he said.
At Wazzu, he learned the importance of positivity, to impart an optimistic attitude on his players.
“(Price) influenced me a lot on how to treat players. I always remember him saying, ‘Whatever you say, whatever you do coaching, do it with a positive spin,’” Dunn said.
And as a player and assistant at UI — alongside Smith, Scott Linehan, Chris Tormey, and Bobby and Paul Petrino, to name a few — Dunn fleshed out an M.O.
“I’ve taken a lot from what (Idaho’s staffers) impressed upon me,” he said. “Everything was competition, and I still carry that same kind of mantra.”
Nine years ago, Dunn took a position with the Cowboys, partly on the recommendation of former WSU assistant and OK State strength coach Gary Calcagno.
Since his hiring not long after, Dunn has become a celebrated mentor for his players, and recognized as one of the country’s best assistants. He's the longest-consecutive serving Oklahoma State assistant since the 1960s, and he was named national receivers coach of the year in 2017 by 247Sports.com and FootballScoop.com.
“I think I connect with the kids, as far as being around them and helping them with their issues,” he said. “And at the end of the day, competition really drives me. That’s what I want them to take away: ‘I’m gonna compete regardless.’”
Dunn, now in his 10th year at OSU, coached Justin Blackmon to a Biletnikoff Award in 2011, then did the same in 2017 with James Washington, a starting wideout for the Pittsburgh Steelers who Dunn also recruited.
He’s coached seven 1,000-plus-yard receivers and 10 All-Big 12 honorees, and has significantly helped the Cowboys’ offense remain as one of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s most potent. Some publications have termed Oklahoma State “Wide Receiver U.”
“(Former offensive coordinator) Sean Gleeson had an opportunity to go back home (to Rutgers). The position opened up, and Gundy said, ‘What do you think of staying here?’ It was good timing, for sure,” said Dunn, who was just about to take the same post at UNLV, to coach under friend Marcus Arroyo.
Ultimately, becoming a head coach is No. 1 for the “staunch goal-setter,” but Dunn understands the virtue of patience.
“I stuck around hoping something would happen, and it did,” he said. “The hard part was, it’s tough to get the OC job if you don’t coach quarterbacks. So coach Gundy stepped out on a limb. Someday I’d like to be a head coach, but at the same time, I don’t just wanna jump at the first job just to take it. It’s gotta be right, that I’m certain of.”
Now, Dunn is preparing for his coordinator debut, recruiting and working through schemes from his office, where a photograph of late Idaho receiving great Jerry Hendren hangs, to remind him of his past and his string of choices.
“He sent me that and a nice note the day I broke his records, and it’s stayed with me in every office,” Dunn said. “Someday, when someone breaks my records, I’ll do the same thing.”
DUNN ON HIS FAVORITE IDAHO MOMENT:
"Andy Beitia, a really good friend of mine, was an all right tight end, not a ton of catches. (In 1991), we were at Idaho State, and he's from Pocatello. I don't know if he'd caught a pass all year, and we're walking out, there's probably 100 Beitias sitting in the end-zone section. He says, 'That's my family over there. I'm gonna score a touchdown, then I'm gonna spike it.' I was like, 'Man, you haven't caught a pass all year.' Sure as hell, he does it. Nuss was QB, he's looking at me, I'm covered. He looks at Elia Dailey, he's covered. The joke is: He comes back to Andy and he's open, but he still looks to me or Dailey. Finally, he dumps it to Andy, and sure as heck, he spikes that thing, and it flies straight up. He called his home run. That was a great Vandal moment for me. We rehash those stories all the time. We see each other pretty frequently."
NOTABLE: Dunn worked as a sports intern in Lewiston with KLEW while at UI. He often found himself covering Lewis-Clark State baseball.
Clark may be reached at cclark@lmtribune.com, on Twitter @ClarkTrib or by phone at (208) 627-3209.
