Background:
Chris Petersen was born in Yuba City on October 13th 1964. He and his wife Barbara are the parents of two sons, Jack and Sam. Coach Pete is considered one of the most innovative offensive minds in the collegiate coaching ranks. He compiled a 38-2 record in the WAC and currently has a 12-2 record in the MWC.
Playing career:
Chris played for Yuba City high school where he played safety and quarterback. Once he graduated he moved on to play at Sacramento City College for two years. After his two years at Sacramento he attended UC Davis (DII) for the rest of his playing days. Petersen’s senior years he was named the Northern California Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was the top-rated Division II quarterback in the nation, he still holds the Division II record for career pass completion percentage (69.6 percent). In 1993 Petersen was inducted into the UC Davis Athletic Hall of Fame. At UC Davis he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and later on he received his master’s degree as well.
Coaching Career:
Chris Petersen got his first job as the head freshman coach at UC Davis in 1987.He was promoted to the receivers coach for the varsity football team in 1989. Then in 1992 he became the quarterbacks coach at Pittsburgh. Following the 1992 season Petersen took the quarterbacks coach at Portland State in 1993. After Portland State he took the receivers coaching job at Oregon and spent six years as an assistant for Oregon. In 2001, Chris became the offensive coordinator for the Boise State Broncos. Petersen was the promoted to be the head coach of the Boise State Broncos in 2006 when Dan Hawkins left to be the head coach at Colorado. In 2006 Coach Pete led the Broncos to a perfect 13-0 and won the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Award. In Chris’s tenure here with the Broncos he has put together five-consecutive 10-win seasons, in addition to capturing four Western Athletic Conference Championships and winning three bowl games, including two BCS Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl wins. Petersen is the winningest active coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision, boasting a 61-5 record for a winning percentage of .924. The team won league championships in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and finished runner-up in 2007.
Awards:
As Boise State’s offensive coordinator, he was twice (2002 and 2004) a finalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the nation’s top assistant football coach. In 2006 Coach Pete became the only coach since 1900 to win 13 games in his first season at the helm of an FBS team, which led to him winning the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Award. He was also a finalist for the 2006 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award and was named the Region 4 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. Coach Pete was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual and Eddie Robinson Awards in 2008 along with the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. In 2009 Coach Pete won the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Award (the only individual to win two) and was again named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year leading the Broncos to another undefeated season at 14-0. In 2010 Chris was a finalist for the Joseph V. Paterno Award and was unanimously selected as the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, awarded annually to a coach who represents the highest ideals both on and off the field.
Importance to Boise:
After seeing all of the stats and information about Coach Pete you might be telling yourself ok Chris Petersen is a great coach, what does that have to do with his significance to the Boise community? One thing that I have learned when I first attended Boise State University is how much this community rallies around the sports programs and how much they live for the Broncos. I know it’s corny to say but Coach Pete is a huge influence for Boise because of how much he does for the community. Some examples are the Beat Pete race he does every year, the “Go On” campaign where encourages people to make a living past college and he has participated in the Rake Up Boise. He sets a great example on and off the field and I think that is reflected on the community of Boise. People in this community look up to him and it’s a big help to use him as the proper role model for the city of Boise.
