BOISE -- Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen is leaving school to take the job at the University of Washington. There might be some hurt feelings out there for Bronco fans. But most of them would have to admit that Petersen is their most successful coach ever.
This was Coach Pete's first-ever head coaching job. He lead the Broncos to 92 wins.
Back in December of 2005, as head coach Dan Hawkins left for the University of Colorado, his offensive coordinator Chris Petersen took over at Boise State.
Petersen said back in 2005, We just feel so good about everything going on here. We love the state of Idaho, the city of Boise, Boise State.
Boise State fans quickly grew to love Coach Pete, as he lead the Broncos to a nation's best 13-0 record in his first year. That included Boise State's first Fiesta Bowl appearance and win in dramatic fashion over Oklahoma.
When asked where that game (often called the most exciting bowl game in history) ranked in games he's been associated with, Petersen responded jokingly, Yeah, it's pretty high.
Coach Pete was often understated. He also collected the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award.
A less successful, 3-loss season followed in 2007.
But in 2008, Boise State was back on top of the conference as they went 12-1. That included the program's first-ever road win against a BCS foe Oregon.
In 2009, Coach Pete won the Coach of the Year again, as he had Boise State back in a BCS Bowl. They beat TCU in their second Fiesta Bowl appearance. He set another program best with a 14-0 record.
Coach Pete followed that up with a 12-1 season in 2010 and a 12-1 season in 2011, with close losses just barely derailing BCS Bowl hopes.
Last year, the Broncos went 11-2, complete with a win over Petersen's new team, Washington, in the Vegas Bowl.
This year, we saw career worsts for Pete with just 8 wins and 4 losses. But Coach Pete finishes his tenure at BSU with the best winning percentage of any active coach at 92-12, a hard act to follow.
In Petersen's eight years, the Broncos won five conference championships and never won less than 10 games. That's until this year, when the best they can do is nine wins.
