By Theo Lawson

The Spokesman-Review

Eager to meet the people who’ll be supporting his football team this fall, Nick Rolovich held an impromptu meet-and-greet with Washington State fans in Seattle, sharing chicken wings, beers and posing for photos with anyone who came by the Magnolia Village Pub establishment — a popular Cougars bar — between 9:45 and midnight.

On the west side of the state for recruiting purposes, the man who was formally announced as WSU’s new coach on Wednesday sent out his first call to Cougar fans just after 9 p.m.

“Any #GoCougs fans out in Seattle tonight? Send the address. Trying to sharpen the claws with some of you guys tonight,” Rolovich tweeted.

After receiving a flood of responses, Rolovich shared his location some 30 minutes later, snapping a photo of the bar’s sign with the caption “#LetsRoll.”

Within the next 20 minutes, at least a dozen fans dressed in crimson and gray had arrived at Village Pub, gathering around a large table to meet and chat with Rolovich for the first time since he was named the 33rd coach in program history. Rolovich, wearing his signature fedora hat, drank a Pacifico beer, bought baskets of chicken wings and covered the bar tab for any fans who stopped by.

According to someone at the gathering, the crowd grew to approximately 40 people and television reporters from KOMO and KING 5 in Seattle arrived to capture the scene. Rolovich was joined by one of his new assistants, special teams coach Michael Ghoubrial.