Hall of Fame
Position: Coach
Years: Boise State University (2006-13); University of Washington (2014-19)
Place of Birth: Yuba City, California
Date of Birth: October 13, 1964
Career Record: 147-38-0 (79.5%)
Chris Petersen established himself as one of the most innovative and successful coaches of his era, compiling a 147-38 career record and winning 79.5 percent of his games across 14 seasons as the head coach at Boise State and then at Washington. The Yuba City, California, native now becomes the first coach from Boise State and the fifth coach from Washington to enter the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.
The winningest coach in Boise State history, Petersen posted a remarkable 92-12 (.885) record from 2006-13, bringing the Boise State program into the national spotlight. He guided Boise State to two Fiesta Bowl victories, making the Broncos the first non-BCS program to win multiple BCS bowl games. His 2006 Broncos squad finished 13-0, earned the highest national ranking in program history (No. 5) and became the only undefeated team in FBS that season. His 2009 team also went undefeated, finishing flawlessly at 14-0 and ranked No. 4, again raising the bar on the highest finish in program history. Under his leadership, Boise State produced five conference championships; appeared in a bowl game every season; finished ranked in the top 25 six times; and successfully transitioned from the WAC to the Mountain West.
At Washington, Petersen continued his success, leading the Huskies to a 55-26 record from 2014-19, two Pac-12 championships and a College Football Playoff appearance in the 2016 Peach Bowl. His Washington teams reached three New Year's Six bowls and finished among the nation's elite, including a No. 4 final ranking in 2016.
During his 14-year career, Petersen won 10 games or more ten times in all but four seasons. He led teams to seven conference titles, 14 bowl appearances, and nine final AP Top 25 rankings, including three top-five finishes (2006, 2009, and 2016). He was named the WAC Coach of the Year twice (2008, 2009), and he was a two-time Bear Bryant Coach of the Year (2006, 2009), the first-ever coach to win the award twice. He also received the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and the Gene Stallings Award. His teams produced eight First-Team All-Americans, five First-Team Academic All-Americans, and 32 First Team all-conference players.
Petersen played quarterback from 1985-86 at UC Davis for NFF Hall of Fame Coach Jim Sochor, earning Conference Player of the Year honors. Before becoming a head coach, he held assistant jobs at UC Davis, Pittsburgh, Portland State, Oregon and Boise State. Petersen currently works as a college football analyst for FOX Sports.
