Chris Petersen steps down at Washington; former Boise State assistant replaces him
Former Boise State football coach Chris Petersen will step down after six seasons as the head coach at Washington, the Huskies announced Monday.
Petersen was the head coach at Boise State from 2006 to 2013 — leading the Broncos’ program to its greatest heights. He has been the coach at Washington since 2014 and will end his run there in the Huskies’ bowl game.
Jimmy Lake, who was the defensive backs coach at Boise State in 2012 and 2013 and most recently the defensive coordinator at Washington, will replace Petersen.
Three of Petersen’s former Boise State assistants now are Pac-12 head coaches: Lake, Jonathan Smith at Oregon State and Justin Wilcox at California. Boise State coach Bryan Harsin also was on Petersen’s Boise State staff.
“It has been a privilege and a professional dream fulfilled to be part of this world-class institution,” Petersen said in a statement released by Washington. “I will forever be grateful, honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to coach our fine young men on Montlake for these past six seasons. I thank each of them, as well as our coaches and administrative staff for the incredible commitment they’ve made to Husky football during my tenure. The football program and Husky Athletics across the board will continue to prosper – and do it the right way – with Jen Cohen’s leadership and the university administration’s commitment to excellence. I’ll be a Husky for life, but now is the right time for me to step away from my head coaching duties, and recharge.”
Petersen is 146-38 in 14 seasons as a head coach. His career winning percentage of .793 ranks second among active coaches with at least five years of FBS experience, according to Washington. He reached 100 career wins in 117 games, fifth-fastest in major college football history.
“The four years I spent playing for this man were the best of my life. There is no one else like him,” Seattle Seahawks rookie and former Washington player Ben Burr-Kirven tweeted.
Petersen was 92-12 at Boise State, including wins in the 2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowls. He had teams finish Nos. 5, 11, 4, 9 and 8 in the AP Top 25 — the five highest finishes in school history.
Petersen left Boise State after his worst season, an 8-4 regular season in 2013, and indicated he was eager for a new challenge at Washington. He is making $4.265 million this year and was under contract for four more years.
“I said this before,” he told the Idaho Statesman upon taking the Washington job in December 2013, “every place has a shelf life and sometimes those are really long and that’s great when it’s like that — that you’re just really feeling like, I still have a lot to do here, I’m excited, I’m energized, this is it, this is the place. Every now and then a new opportunity presents itself and you get excited and think, this is something that I certainly need to look at, if not do.”
He leaves Washington after arguably his most disappointing season there. The Huskies are 7-5 in a season when they were expected to contend for the Pac-12 title. They had won at least 10 games each of the previous three seasons, including a College Football Playoff bid in 2016 and appearances in the Fiesta and Rose bowls the past two seasons. He is 54-26 with the Huskies.
Petersen will remain involved with the Huskies in a leadership advisory role.
“Chris has been transformational for not only our football program, but our entire athletic department,” Washington Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement. “It has been such a privilege to watch how he has been so committed to the development of our young men, not just on the field, but more importantly off. I can’t thank him enough for his service and leadership, and I look forward to having him stay on staff in a leadership advisory role, so he can continue to impact individuals across our department and the entire campus.”
Lake has been on Petersen’s staff for eight years, rising from defensive backs coach at Boise State to co-defensive coordinator and then defensive coordinator at Washington. He played at Eastern Washington and his coaching career includes stints with the Buccaneers and Lions in the NFL.
“I could not be more excited about taking over as head football coach at the University of Washington,” Lake said in a statement. “I’ve been dreaming of this opportunity for as long as I can remember and I can’t think of a better place to do it than in the world-class city of Seattle and at such a prestigious university with a rich football tradition. This wouldn’t be possible without the mentorship of Coach Petersen and I would like to thank him for everything he has done for me, as well as Jen Cohen for entrusting me with this opportunity.”
Added Petersen: “I can’t think of someone better than Jimmy to take over this program. His energy and ability to relate to our players is unmatched. Jimmy is a great teacher of the game and his track record of developing young men both on and off the field speaks for itself. He is ready to take this step and I have full confidence that he will continue to build on the foundation that has been set here and he will elevate the program to new heights.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 12:34 PM.
