Chris Petersen

Last updated

Chris Petersen
Chris Petersen 9 25 2010.png
Petersen in 2010
Biographical details
Born (1964-10-13) October 13, 1964 (age 59)
Yuba City, California, U.S.
Alma mater University of California, Davis
(BS, 1988; M.Ed.)
Sacramento City College (AA)
Playing career
1983–1984 Sacramento CC
1985–1986 UC Davis
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1987–1988 UC Davis (freshman)
1989–1991UC Davis (WR)
1992 Pittsburgh (QB)
1993–1994 Portland State (QB)
1995–2000 Oregon (WR)
2001–2005 Boise State (OC)
2006–2013Boise State
2014–2019 Washington
Head coaching record
Overall147–38
Bowls7–6
Tournaments0–1 (CFP)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards

Christopher Scott Petersen (born October 13, 1964) is an American former college football coach. He was the head coach for eight seasons at Boise State University; Petersen guided the Broncos to two BCS bowl wins in the 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowls. He is the first two-time winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, which he won in 2006 and 2009. Petersen also won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 2010. At the University of Washington, Petersen led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff in 2016, but fell to Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Petersen announced his resignation on December 2, 2019, effective after the team's bowl game.

Contents

Early life

Born and raised in Yuba City, California, Petersen played safety and quarterback for the Honkers at Yuba City High School. After graduation in 1983, he played quarterback for the Sacramento City College Panthers for two seasons, then transferred to non-scholarship UC Davis, [1] then in Division II. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1988 and a master's degree in education from UC Davis.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Petersen began his coaching career in 1987 as the head freshman coach at UC Davis under Hall of Fame coach Jim Sochor. In 1989, he became the receivers coach for the varsity, departing in 1992 to become the quarterbacks coach at Pittsburgh. While at Pittsburgh, he coached QB Alex Van Pelt to a season where he threw for over 3,100 yards with twenty touchdowns.

He moved back west in 1993 to coach the quarterbacks at Portland State under Tim Walsh; the Vikings advanced to the Division II playoffs in both 1993 and 1994. Petersen moved over to Oregon in 1995 as the receivers coach, and spent six years as an assistant for the Ducks under head coach Mike Bellotti. In 1996, WR Cristin McLeMore topped 1,000 yards receiving. In 1997, WR Pat Johnson topped 1,000 yards. In 1998, WRs Damon Griffin and Tony Hartley both topped 1,000 yards on the year.

In January 2001, Petersen was hired as the offensive coordinator at Boise State by newly-promoted head coach Dan Hawkins. [2] The offense peaked in 2003, scoring a school-best 602 points en route to a 13-1 season: QB Ryan Dinwiddie threw for 4,356 yards and 31 TD, RB David Mikell ran for 1,142 yards and 13 TD, and WR Tim Gilligan had 1,192 yards and 6 TD. [3]

Boise State

Hawkins left Boise State for Colorado after the 2005 season, and Petersen was promoted to head coach on December 16. [4] Sophomore tailback Ian Johnson said about the transition, "We trusted him and knew he was going to take care of us. We knew he was a great person. He was going to recruit people just like himself. We waited for him to get everybody here and he got in the perfect people." [5] Petersen had served as offensive coordinator at Boise State for five seasons and was twice nominated for the Broyles Award, given to the nation's best assistant coach.

2007 Fiesta Bowl

In his first year as head coach, Petersen led the Broncos to an undefeated regular season in 2006 and the program's first ever BCS bowl game berth. He became the fourth rookie head coach to lead a team to a BCS bowl game; Boise State was the only undefeated team in Division I FBS for the 2006 season.

The Broncos defeated Big 12 champion Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl as only the second BCS non-AQ conference school to play in a BCS bowl, after Utah in 2004. Petersen drew particular attention for his bold play calling after the Broncos, who were leading most of the game, trailed the Sooners by a touchdown late in the contest. A 50-yard hook-and-lateral play on 4th-and-18 described as "stunning" [6] tied the game with seven seconds left. An option pass (off a direct snap to a wide receiver) on 4th-and-2 on Boise State’s possession in overtime pulled the Broncos within one point after Oklahoma scored on their possession. Petersen then decided to forgo an extra point kick and go for the victory with a two-point conversion attempt, calling a successful "Statue of Liberty" misdirection play for a 43-42 win. Petersen stated, "We were trying to get to it earlier, to tell you the truth. We needed a play like that to get it over with." [6]

Improved contracts

After the undefeated season of 2006, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a new contract for Petersen on February 22, 2007, paying him $4.25 million for five years, or $850,000 per year. [7] His salary was paid mostly by revenue from the Football Coaches Club, the Bronco Athletic Association booster club, and media and public appearances; state-appropriated funds covered $150,000 per year.

After leading Boise State to another undefeated regular season in 2009, Petersen was rewarded with a new five-year contract extension on January 1, 2010. [8] The state board of education approved the new contract on April 22, which paid $8 million over five years, or $1.6 million per year. The contract also included automatic one-year extensions to the contract each time Petersen won at least eight regular season games. [9]

Petersen's last contract in Boise was agreed to on January 3, 2012. The five-year, $18 million deal called for a base salary of $2 million for the 2012 season, with $200,000 raises in each subsequent season. It also included retention bonuses of $100,000 after two years and $200,000 in each of the final three years of the deal. [10] [11]

Washington

On December 6, 2013, Petersen agreed to a five-year, $18 million contract to become the new head coach at Washington. [12] He replaced Steve Sarkisian, who announced that he was leaving Washington to take the same position at USC three days after the 2013 Apple Cup.

In Petersen's first season in 2014, Washington went 8–6 and lost in the Cactus Bowl to Oklahoma State. During the season, Petersen became the quickest active FBS coach to reach 100 wins, achieving the mark in just 117 games as a head coach.

In 2015, a young Huskies team finished 7–6, including an upset at USC against Sarkisian. Washington defeated Southern Miss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Petersen signed a two-year contract extension near the end of the 2015 season. [13]

The 2016 Huskies had one of the best seasons in Washington history, winning the Pac-12 championship and earning a berth to the program's first-ever College Football Playoff. In the Pac-12 Championship, No. 4 Washington defeated No. 9 Colorado 41–10 at Levi's Stadium. On December 31, 2016, Alabama beat Washington 24–7 in the Peach Bowl, ending the Huskies' season. After the season, Petersen's contract was extended through 2023 with an average salary of $4.875 million per year. This new contract made Petersen the highest paid coach in the Pac-12 at the time. [14]

Washington posted back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 1990–91 after going 10–3 in 2017. The Huskies played in a New Year's Six bowl, losing to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Petersen led the Huskies to another Pac-12 title in 2018. UW defeated Utah 10–3 in the title game to clinch a berth in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. During the season, Washington beat No. 7 Washington State in the Apple Cup, marking the Huskies' sixth straight rivalry win over the Cougars under Petersen.

After losing numerous key starters to the NFL Draft, the 2019 Huskies regressed from previous seasons, finishing the regular season 7–5. Petersen and the Huskies did win their seventh straight Apple Cup in 2019, beating Washington State, 31–13. On December 2, Petersen announced he would step down as Washington's head coach at the end of the season and assume a leadership advisory role with the athletics program. [15] In Petersen's final game as coach, Washington beat his former team, Boise State, in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38–7.

Personal life

Petersen and his wife, Barbara, have two sons, Jack and Sam. [16] His father, Ron Petersen, is a Seattle native who grew up watching University of Washington football games on television as a boy.

Honors

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs Coaches#AP°
Boise State Broncos (Western Athletic Conference)(2006–2010)
2006 Boise State 13–08–01stW Fiesta †65
2007 Boise State 10–37–12ndL Hawaii
2008 Boise State 12–18–01stL Poinsettia 1311
2009 Boise State 14–08–01stW Fiesta †44
2010 Boise State 12–17–1T–1stW Maaco 79
Boise State Broncos (Mountain West Conference)(2011–2013)
2011 Boise State 12–16–12ndW Maaco 68
2012 Boise State 11–27–1T–1stW Maaco 1418
2013 Boise State 8–46–22nd (Mountain) Hawaii*
Boise State:92–1257–6* Petersen resigned before bowl game
Washington Huskies (Pac-12 Conference)(2014–2019)
2014 Washington 8–64–53rd (North) L Cactus
2015 Washington 7–64–54th (North) W Heart of Dallas
2016 Washington 12–28–11st (North) L Peach †44
2017 Washington 10–37–2T–1st (North) L Fiesta †1516
2018 Washington 10–47–2T–1st (North) L Rose †1313
2019 Washington 8–54–5T–2nd (North)W Las Vegas
Washington:55–2634–20
Total:147–38
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Tedford</span> American football player and coach (born 1961)

Jeffrey Raye Tedford is an American football coach and former player who formerly was the head coach for the Fresno State Bulldogs, a position he also held from 2017 to 2019. From 2002 to 2012, Tedford was the head football coach for the California Golden Bears, where he was twice named Pac-10 Coach of the Year and holds the California program records for most wins, games coached, and bowl game victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Huskies football</span> Football team of the University of Washington

The Washington Huskies football team represents the University of Washington in college football. Washington competed in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a charter member of the Pac-12 Conference, but will be joining the Big Ten Conference by the 2024 season. Husky Stadium, located on campus, has been the Huskies' home field since 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boise State Broncos football</span> Boise State Broncos football

The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in college football and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos play their home games on campus at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, and their head coach is Spencer Danielson. The program is 13–8 in bowl games since 1999, has the longest current streak of winning seasons in college football with 26. It also held a 3–0 record in the Fiesta Bowl between 2007 & 2014. As of the end of the 2023 season, the Broncos' all-time winning percentage of .725 is the sixth highest among NCAA FBS football teams, while their 491 total wins ranks 105th.

The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played as part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played on January 1, 2007, at its new venue, the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The matchup pitted the Big 12 champion No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners against the WAC champion No. 9 Boise State Broncos. The contest was televised on Fox. With this broadcast, the Fiesta Bowl became the first bowl game to air on all the "big four" television networks ; the Orange Bowl became the second the following night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship with an undefeated 12–0 regular-season record, their second unbeaten regular season in the past three years. This was also Boise State's fifth consecutive season with at least a share of the WAC title, and the fourth in that period in which they went unbeaten in conference play. They became only the second team from outside the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to play in a BCS bowl game when they faced Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, defeating the Sooners in a dramatic thriller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2007 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos, led by second year head coach Chris Petersen, play their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf", and were members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Broncos finished the season 10–3, 7–1 in WAC play and failed to win the WAC for the first time since 2001. They were invited to the Hawaii Bowl, where they were defeated by East Carolina, 41–38.

The 2007 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA (C-USA). This sixth edition of the Hawaii Bowl, sponsored by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on December 23, 2007. The game was the final competition of the 2007 football season for each team and resulted in a 41–38 East Carolina victory, even though sportsbooks favored Boise State to win by 10+1⁄2 points. Many experts believed East Carolina to be big underdogs to Boise State, which had defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. The 2007 Hawaiʻi Bowl paid $750,000 to each team's conference in exchange for their participation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chip Kelly</span> American football coach (born 1963)

Charles Edward Kelly is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He came to prominence as a college football head coach for the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, leading them to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. Kelly's success led to a stint in the National Football League (NFL), where he coached for four seasons, three with the Philadelphia Eagles (2013–2015) and one with the San Francisco 49ers (2016). After the NFL, Kelly returned to college in 2018 as the head coach of UCLA Bruins, coaching for six seasons before leaving in 2024 to join Ohio State as their offensive coordinator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Oregon Ducks football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon as member of the Pacific-10 Conference the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head coach Chip Kelly in his first season as a head coach at the Division I FBS level. Kelly was only the third Ducks head coach since 1977 and led the Ducks to a Pac-10 championship and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. He took over for Mike Bellotti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellen Moore</span> American football player and coach (born 1988)

Kellen Christopher Moore is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos, where he set the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record for quarterback wins. Moore spent the majority of his professional career from 2012 to 2017 as a backup, only seeing playing time with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. After retiring as a player, Moore began a coaching career and became the Eagles' offensive coordinator in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf". They completed the regular season undefeated (13–0), their second consecutive unbeaten regular season and fourth in the last six years, and won the WAC title for the seventh time in the last eight years. The Broncos capped their season with a showdown against fellow unbeaten TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, which marked the Broncos' return to the site of the game that put the program on the national sports map, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. With their 17–10 win, the Broncos avenged a loss to the Horned Frogs in the previous season's Poinsettia Bowl, and became only the second team in Division I FBS history to finish a season 14–0, after Ohio State in 2002. The Broncos finished ranked #4 in the Associated Press and USA Today coaches poll for their highest ranking in school history to finish a season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games overall and 25 games in regular-season play. This was the Broncos' final season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, as the school announced on June 11, 2010, that it would leave the WAC for the Mountain West Conference effective July 1, 2011.

Boise State University was founded 92 years ago in 1932 as Boise Junior College by the Episcopal Church. After two years the school became independent, and in 1940 it moved from St. Margaret's Hall to its present site, along the south bank of the Boise River, between Capitol Boulevard and Broadway Avenue, formerly the Boise Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Harsin</span> American football player and coach (born 1976)

Bryan Dale Harsin is an American football coach who was most recently the head coach for the Auburn Tigers. Prior to coaching at Auburn, he coached the Boise State University Broncos from the 2014 season through the 2020 season where he posted a 69–19 overall record. He began his head coaching career at Arkansas State University for the 2013 season. Harsin was the co-offensive coordinator at the University of Texas for two seasons. Before leaving for Texas in 2011, Harsin was an assistant at Boise State for 10 seasons, the last five as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas</span> College football game

The 2011 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, the 20th edition of the game, was a postseason American college football bowl game, held on December 22, 2011, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season.

The 2012 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas was an American college football bowl game held on December 22, 2012, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada, as part of the 2012–13 NCAA Bowl season. The 21st edition of the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas began at 12:30 p.m. PST and aired on ESPN. It featured the Washington Huskies from the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) against the Mountain West Conference co-champion Boise State Broncos and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. The Huskies advanced to the game after earning a 7–5 record, while the Broncos accepted their invitation after earning a 10–2 record in the regular season. Boise State kicked a 27-yard field goal with 1:16 left in the game to defeat Washington, 28–26, and win their third consecutive Maaco Bowl Las Vegas game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Boise State Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2013 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by eighth year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They were members of the Mountain West Conference in the Mountain Division. They finished the season 8–5, 6–2 in Mountain West play to finish in second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Hawaii Bowl where they were defeated by Oregon State. The 5 losses matched the total of losses that the Broncos had posted in the five previous seasons combined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Fight Hunger Bowl</span> College football game

The 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl is an American college football bowl game that was played on December 27, 2013, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The 12th edition of the Fight Hunger Bowl, it featured the Washington Huskies, from the Pac-12 Conference, against the BYU Cougars, an independent team. The game began at 6:30 p.m. PST and aired on ESPN. It was the last Fight Hunger Bowl game played at AT&T Park.

Pete Kwiatkowski is an American football coach, currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin. He was previously the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington, and at Boise State University, where he played in the mid-1980s.

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Thayer (September 24, 2010). "Petersen, Boise a good match". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  2. ↑ "UO loses another assistant to BSU". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). January 10, 2001. p. 1E.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Hawkins takes over at CU; BSU hires his replacement". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). wire reports. December 17, 2006. p. C2.
  5. ↑ Chadd Cripe (December 27, 2006). "Bond between coaches key to BSU's success". Idaho Statesman. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  6. 1 2 "Instant classic: Boise State's trick plays repel OU's miraculous rally". ESPN. January 2, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Petersen earns boost". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). February 23, 2007. p. C2.
  8. ↑ Watson, Graham (January 1, 2010). "Boise State's Chris Petersen gets five-year contract extension". ESPN.com . Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  9. ↑ Cripe, Chad (April 22, 2010). "State Board unanimously approves Petersen's contract". Idaho Statesman. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Report: Chris Petersen gets new deal". ESPN.com. January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  11. ↑ Times, Geoff Baker Seattle (December 8, 2015). "Inside the contracts of the top coaches". Mail Tribune. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Washington hires Chris Petersen". ESPN. December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  13. ↑ "UW coach Chris Petersen gets a two-year contract extension". Seattle Times. November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ Washington extends Chris Petersen's contract, makes him highest-paid coach in Pac-12
  15. ↑ "Petersen To Step Down, Lake Named New Huskies' Head Coach". Washington Huskies . December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  16. ↑ Thankful for love and faith in Boise, and the angel that pushed Archived September 11, 2012, at archive.today
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.