In an incredibly shocking turn of events, Washington football has announced that Chris Petersen has stepped down as head coach, and that defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake will be taking his place
Immediately following the team’s bowl game, Jimmy Lake will be Washington football’s new head coach. This is all an instant reaction article, no details have been given officially by the University of Washington yet.
First Thoughts
This is an incredibly shocking decision that came out of nowhere. The first thing that pops into my head is that this move was made in order to retain Jimmy Lake, and that Petersen is doing this because it’s in the best interest of the program since he’s not leaving Husky athletics, and instead will be transferring into a leadership advisory role.
Petersen has installed his “Built for Life” culture that is second to none around the country, and has proven to be effective at getting players to the NFL, and making sure they succeed on and off the field.
Legacy
Chris Petersen’s legacy should be looked on with nothing but reverence, because he saved this program from its darkest days. 10 years after the worst season in the history of college football, Petersen had taken the Huskies to three straight New Year’s Six bowls, including their first-ever birth in the College Football Playoff in 2016.
Press Release: Petersen To Step Down, Lake Named New Huskies' Head Coach
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) December 2, 2019
>> https://t.co/xqO4iG8saY pic.twitter.com/rrCfkH9QEe
Sure he had his issues, the offense seemed to go downhill after that season, and he had some trouble in big games over the last few years, but the fact is, Petersen never finished with a losing record at Washington, and dug this program out of a deep hole, and Jimmy Lake has learned enough from Petersen, and has the attitude, recruiting prowess, and coaching ability to take this team to the next level.
Update
As I was writing this article and trying not to be too depressed about Chris Petersen leaving, this update was released from Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel:
Just spoke to a someone close to Chris Petersen on him stepping down: “There’s no illness or ulterior motive to his retirement. He just needs to re-charge.”
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 2, 2019
We’ll continue to provide you with more updates as we get them, but for now, all I can say is: Thank you Chris, for everything you’ve done for this program, I know I speak for all Husky fans when I say that I’m eternally grateful for everything you’ve done for this program!