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Boise State Athletics
Chris Petersen Selected for College Football Hall of Fame
1/14/2026 12:30:00 PM | Football
Legendary Bronco coach one of four coaches recognized in the 2026 Class
BOISE, Idaho – Legendary Boise State head coach Chris Petersen has been named a member of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Wednesday.
Petersen is one of four coaches and 18 players that will make up the 2026 class that will be officially inducted during the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8, 2026 in Las Vegas. The inductees were selected from a national ballot that consisted of 179 total players and 44 coaches.
The recognition marks the first time a Boise State coach will be entered into the College Football Hall of Fame. Petersen joins Randy Trautman (1999) as the only two Broncos to garner Hall of Fame honors.
Petersen amassed a 147-38 (79.5%) career coaching record in 14 seasons. He served as Broncos' head coach from 2006-13 before ending his career with Washington (2014-19).
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During his eight-year tenure at Boise State, Petersen guided the program to national prominence and recognition. He boasts a 92-12 (88.5%) mark at the helm of the program, solidifying him as the winningest coach in Boise State's time as a four-year institution.
Petersen is the first FBS coach to win the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award twice in his career, earning the honor in both 2006 and 2009. He was also unanimously awarded the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year in 2010 and was selected as the American Football Coaches Association Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2010. Petersen also collected back-to-back Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2008 and 2009.
Boise State qualified for bowl appearances in all eight seasons under his leadership. Six of his Bronco squads finished the year ranked in the top 25, with five finishing the season ranked in the top 10. Boise State was ranked as high as No. 2 during the 2010 season, the highest in the school's FBS history. He twice led the Broncos to undefeated seasons (2006, 2009) and finished his Boise State career with five conference titles.
The Broncos' first Fiesta Bowl in 2007 was the program's first BCS bowl game and has been widely considered one of the greatest collegiate games of all time. Boise State defeated seventh-ranked Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime, with the Broncos famously tying the game with a hook-and-lateral in the final seconds to force the extra period. In the overtime itself, Boise State utilized a halfback pass and the famous "Statue of Liberty" to earn the victory over the Sooners. Three years later, the Broncos became the first non-BCS school to win two BCS games with a 17-10 win over TCU.
Over his eight years with Boise State, Petersen developed 18 draft picks, with a school-record six players drafted in 2012. He mentored quarterback Kellen Moore, the Broncos' first Heisman Trophy finalist. He produced 12 All-Americans who combined for 45 honors, including consensus picks Ryan Clady and current offensive coordinator Nate Potter. Fifty-one Broncos garnered first team all-conference accolades while another 29 were selected second team all-conference during his time with the Blue and Orange.
Petersen's teams were known for their excellence in the classroom as well as their performance on the field. In 2011, Boise State was the only school to finish in the top 10 in the Coaches' Poll (No. 6) and the AP Poll (No. 8) and also receive a Public Recognition Award (PRA) from the NCAA for finishing in the top 10 percent of the Academic Progress Rate (APR). The PRA was the second of three-straight honors for Boise State from 2010-12. The Broncos tied for the second-highest APR in the country in both 2011 (989) and 2012 (993).
Following his tenure with Boise State, Petersen led Washington to a pair of Pac-12 titles and a berth in the 2016 College Football Playoff. In six seasons with the Huskies (2014-19), he led Washington to three New Year's Six bowl games and qualified for a bowl game in all six seasons.
Petersen played quarterback for UC Davis from 1985-86 under College Football Hall of Fame coach Jim Sochor. Before becoming a head coach, he held assistant jobs at UC Davis, Pittsburgh, Portland State, Oregon and Boise State. He currently works as a college football analyst for FOX Sports. Â
The induction follows Boise State's announcement in the fall that Petersen was selected as one of six Broncos inducted in Boise State's Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Information and tickets for the Boise State Hall of Fame ceremony will be shared at a later date.
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Tickets for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas are available at https://NFF2026.givesmart.com.
2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class
Coaches
Jim Margraff: Johns Hopkins (1990-2018)
Gary Patterson: Christian (2000-21)
Chris Petersen: Boise State (2006-13); Washington (2014-19)
Ken Sparks: Carson-Newman (1980-2016)
Players
Jerry Azumah, RB (1995-98) New Hampshire
Ki-Jana Carter, RB (1991-94) Penn State
Bruce Collie, OT (1981-84) UT Arlington
George Cumby, LB (1976-79) Oklahoma
Aaron Donald, DT (2010-13) Pittsburgh
Marvin Harrison, KR/WR (1992-95) Syracuse
Garrison Hearst, RB (1990-92) Georgia
Chris Hudson, DB (1991-94) Colorado
Mark Ingram, RB (2008-10) Alabama
Olin Kreutz, C (1995-97) Washington
James Laurinaitis, LB (2005-08) Ohio State
Jordan Lynch, AP/QB (2010-13) Northern Illinois
Herman Moore, WR (1988-90) Virginia
Terence Newman, CB (1999-2002) Kansas State
Bob Novogratz, OG (1957-58) United States Military Academy
Ndamukong Suh, DT (2006-09) Nebraska
Peter Warrick, WR (1996-99) Florida State
Eric Weddle, S (2003-06) Utah
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Petersen is one of four coaches and 18 players that will make up the 2026 class that will be officially inducted during the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8, 2026 in Las Vegas. The inductees were selected from a national ballot that consisted of 179 total players and 44 coaches.
The recognition marks the first time a Boise State coach will be entered into the College Football Hall of Fame. Petersen joins Randy Trautman (1999) as the only two Broncos to garner Hall of Fame honors.
Petersen amassed a 147-38 (79.5%) career coaching record in 14 seasons. He served as Broncos' head coach from 2006-13 before ending his career with Washington (2014-19).
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During his eight-year tenure at Boise State, Petersen guided the program to national prominence and recognition. He boasts a 92-12 (88.5%) mark at the helm of the program, solidifying him as the winningest coach in Boise State's time as a four-year institution.
Petersen is the first FBS coach to win the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award twice in his career, earning the honor in both 2006 and 2009. He was also unanimously awarded the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year in 2010 and was selected as the American Football Coaches Association Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2010. Petersen also collected back-to-back Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2008 and 2009.
Boise State qualified for bowl appearances in all eight seasons under his leadership. Six of his Bronco squads finished the year ranked in the top 25, with five finishing the season ranked in the top 10. Boise State was ranked as high as No. 2 during the 2010 season, the highest in the school's FBS history. He twice led the Broncos to undefeated seasons (2006, 2009) and finished his Boise State career with five conference titles.
The Broncos' first Fiesta Bowl in 2007 was the program's first BCS bowl game and has been widely considered one of the greatest collegiate games of all time. Boise State defeated seventh-ranked Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime, with the Broncos famously tying the game with a hook-and-lateral in the final seconds to force the extra period. In the overtime itself, Boise State utilized a halfback pass and the famous "Statue of Liberty" to earn the victory over the Sooners. Three years later, the Broncos became the first non-BCS school to win two BCS games with a 17-10 win over TCU.
Over his eight years with Boise State, Petersen developed 18 draft picks, with a school-record six players drafted in 2012. He mentored quarterback Kellen Moore, the Broncos' first Heisman Trophy finalist. He produced 12 All-Americans who combined for 45 honors, including consensus picks Ryan Clady and current offensive coordinator Nate Potter. Fifty-one Broncos garnered first team all-conference accolades while another 29 were selected second team all-conference during his time with the Blue and Orange.
Petersen's teams were known for their excellence in the classroom as well as their performance on the field. In 2011, Boise State was the only school to finish in the top 10 in the Coaches' Poll (No. 6) and the AP Poll (No. 8) and also receive a Public Recognition Award (PRA) from the NCAA for finishing in the top 10 percent of the Academic Progress Rate (APR). The PRA was the second of three-straight honors for Boise State from 2010-12. The Broncos tied for the second-highest APR in the country in both 2011 (989) and 2012 (993).
Following his tenure with Boise State, Petersen led Washington to a pair of Pac-12 titles and a berth in the 2016 College Football Playoff. In six seasons with the Huskies (2014-19), he led Washington to three New Year's Six bowl games and qualified for a bowl game in all six seasons.
Petersen played quarterback for UC Davis from 1985-86 under College Football Hall of Fame coach Jim Sochor. Before becoming a head coach, he held assistant jobs at UC Davis, Pittsburgh, Portland State, Oregon and Boise State. He currently works as a college football analyst for FOX Sports. Â
The induction follows Boise State's announcement in the fall that Petersen was selected as one of six Broncos inducted in Boise State's Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Information and tickets for the Boise State Hall of Fame ceremony will be shared at a later date.
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Tickets for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas are available at https://NFF2026.givesmart.com.
2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class
Coaches
Jim Margraff: Johns Hopkins (1990-2018)
Gary Patterson: Christian (2000-21)
Chris Petersen: Boise State (2006-13); Washington (2014-19)
Ken Sparks: Carson-Newman (1980-2016)
Players
Jerry Azumah, RB (1995-98) New Hampshire
Ki-Jana Carter, RB (1991-94) Penn State
Bruce Collie, OT (1981-84) UT Arlington
George Cumby, LB (1976-79) Oklahoma
Aaron Donald, DT (2010-13) Pittsburgh
Marvin Harrison, KR/WR (1992-95) Syracuse
Garrison Hearst, RB (1990-92) Georgia
Chris Hudson, DB (1991-94) Colorado
Mark Ingram, RB (2008-10) Alabama
Olin Kreutz, C (1995-97) Washington
James Laurinaitis, LB (2005-08) Ohio State
Jordan Lynch, AP/QB (2010-13) Northern Illinois
Herman Moore, WR (1988-90) Virginia
Terence Newman, CB (1999-2002) Kansas State
Bob Novogratz, OG (1957-58) United States Military Academy
Ndamukong Suh, DT (2006-09) Nebraska
Peter Warrick, WR (1996-99) Florida State
Eric Weddle, S (2003-06) Utah
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