PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland State Athletics has announced the hiring of new head football coach Chris Fisk, who brings a history of head coaching success at the collegiate level.
Fisk comes to Portland State after a successful tenure at Central Washington University. He posted a 48-22 record in seven seasons with the program, leading the team to the NCAA D-II playoffs each of the past three seasons and four of the past five years. The Wildcats were ranked in the top five in the nation at the D-II level at the conclusion of the 2025 season after a perfect 9-0 record in the Lone Star Conference. Fisk was named the Region IV coach of the year.
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"We are very pleased to announce the hiring of Chris Fisk as our new head football coach," PSU athletic director Matt Billings said. "Chris brings a tremendous amount of success, winning everywhere he has been. He has proven to be a fantastic leader and mentor of young men. Chris also has close ties in the Pacific Northwest and will be a great ambassador for Portland State."
"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to coach at Portland State," Fisk said. "I think Portland State football is a powder keg waiting to burst. There are so many great opportunities surrounding this job and I'm excited about bringing Portland State University football back where it belongs."
A welcome event for Fisk will be scheduled later next week on the PSU campus.
Fisk began his tenure at Central Washington in 2016 as the offensive line Coach. In 2019, he was promoted to head coach and got immediate results. The Wildcats were 7-4 overall, 5-1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and tied for first place.
Following a non-competition COVID season in 2020, Fisk led the program to records of 8-3, 6-4, 9-4, 8-4 and 10-2 in successive seasons. He was 48-22 overall, 38-7 in conference play in the GNAC (2019-21) and then Lone Star Conference (2022-25). Fisk won a pair of titles in the GNAC (2019, 2021) and one in the Lone Star (2025), with three second-place finishes.
In his six full seasons as head coach, Fisk's players earned a whopping 116 all-conference honors between the GNAC and Lone Star postseason teams.
Prior to CWU, Fisk coached at Southern Oregon from 2011-2015, where he served as the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Raiders. In 2015, Fisk helped guide SOU to an 11-3 record and had the 11th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 39.4 points a game. The Raiders ranked seventh in the nation in total passing offense and eighth in total rushing.
During SOU's championship run in 2014, Fisk's offense ranked first in the nation with 5,745 passing yards and was second in the nation with a 48-percent conversion rate on third down. In 2014 the Raiders set school records for total offense, passing offense and scoring. Southern Oregon won the NAIA national championship with a 13-2 record.
Prior to arriving in Ashland, Ore., Fisk spent nine seasons at D-II University of Mary. In his first five years he served as the offensive line coach and the final four years as the offensive coordinator.
Fisk hails from Pocatello, Idaho, and played collegiately at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota and Southwestern College in Kansas.
Tasked with revitalizing the Portland State program, Fisk is the 15th coach Portland State history. Fisk replaces Bruce Barnum, who was let go after 11 years and a 39-75 record.
The Vikings' program will begin its 79th season of football in 2026, dating back to the Vanport Extension Center days of 1947. It will be PSU's 31st season as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
