Boise State Rival Tries to Hire Chris Petersen
The enigmatic Chris Petersen continues to be a popular choice for just about every high-profile college looking for its next head football coach. Petersen seems to be enjoying his life now as a college football analyst for Fox Sports. Although it's doubtful, we would see Coach Pete at USC or LSU, one significant high profile power five school moved to hire Chris Petersen.
The request came from an old rival of Boise State that recently fired a close friend of Petersen. TCU tried to hire Coach Pete, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The former Boise State coach beat the unbeatable while in Boise. Petersen said no to USC and other big-money programs because he preferred his life in Boise.
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Washington finally lured Petersen away from Boise, and his impact was immediate. The Huskies went to the College Football Playoff in 2017, losing a close game to national power Alabama. Reports that the administration was not happy with Petersen's results are rumored to be why he retired suddenly a few years ago.
Washington has fallen on hard times since his departure. Their current coach is suspended for a week after striking a player in the head. The Huskies are currently not ranked in the top twenty-five teams in college football. On another note, Boise State hasn't seen the success since Chris Petersen coached on the Blue. The Broncos were 92-12 during his run, including the 'decade of dominance.'
One reason that Petersen wouldn't coach at TCU is his relationship with former coach Gary Patterson. They both served on a UC Davis staff that launched the careers of many future coaches. TCU dumped Patterson, the school's most successful coach, midway through this season. TCU and Boise State were the most significant non-power five schools before the Big 12 added TCU. The teams met in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl where Boise State beat TCU.
Will Petersen ever return to coaching? It would take an administration that understands his unique approach to player development. Petersen is known for recruiting 'our kind of guys,' which is a system based on player development instead of the winner take all approach that is the norm for most major college football programs.