Portland State tabs Division II coach to take over football program

Less than three weeks after firing longtime football head coach Bruce Barnum, Portland State has found a replacement in an attempt to revive the struggling program.

The school reached an agreement this week with Central Washington head coach Chris Fisk, a source close to the program confirmed. The Wildcats went 48-22 in Fisk’s four-year tenure and reached the Division II playoffs each of the last three years.

He was expected to meet with his players in Ellensburg Friday morning.

Originally from Pocatello, Idaho, Fisk was previously the co-offensive coordinator and coached the offensive line at CWU. He held the same role at NAIA Southern Oregon from 2011-15.

Fisk was among 12 candidates who interviewed for the position, with Fisk emerging quickly as teh favorite.

He is expected to be introduced at Portland State early next week.

Central Washington finished 10-2 this season, including a 9-0 mark in the Lone Star Conference to win the 10-team league. Last month, the American Football Coaches Association honored Fisk as the Division II Super Region 4 Coach of the Year.  

The 48-year-old Fisk steps into the position with a mountain of challenges ahead of him. The obstacles facing Portland State football have been well-told, from their lack of resources to playing home games nearly 15 miles from campus at Hillsboro Stadium.

Fisk will also face fundraising challenges, especially in the age of NIL and revenue sharing — areas that PSU has admittedly lagged.

His predecessor, Barnum, went 39-75 in 11 seasons, posting a winning record just once. Barnum often lamented the school’s need to play multiple “money” games each season against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents to subsidize costs.

This fall, the Vikings went 1-11, with their lone win coming on Nov. 1 at Cal Poly. Barnum was fired on Nov. 22 with one year and $210,000 remaining on his contract.

It was not immediately clear how much Fisk will earn in his first season, but the salary is expected to be similar to that of Barnum.

Fisk is the second head coach hired by athletic director Matt Billings since he ascended to athletic director last winter. In April, he tabbed former Portland Pilots star Karlie Burris to lead the women’s basketball program.