Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen named to College Football Hall of Fame

Former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen was selected to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Wednesday.

Petersen is among the 22 members — 18 players, four coaches — of the 2026 class, which will be officially inducted in December. The legendary coach joins defensive lineman Randy Trautman (inducted in 1999) as Boise State’s only College Football Hall of Fame members.

The most decorated coach in program history, Petersen guided Boise State from 2006-13 and compiled a 92-12 overall record (88.5 winning percentage). He led the Broncos to undefeated seasons in 2006 and 2009 and five conference titles.

After eight years at the helm in Boise, Petersen took over Washington’s program and went 55-26 overall (67.9 percent) with a College Football Playoff appearance in 2016. He retired from coaching following the 2019 season and is now an analyst for FOX Sports.

A UC Davis graduate, Petersen had coaching stops at UC Davis (1987-1991), Pittsburgh (1992), Portland State (1993-94) and Oregon (1995-2000) before becoming the Broncos’ offensive coordinator in 2001 under Dan Hawkins. When Hawkins left for Colorado in 2005, Petersen was promoted to head coach.

Boise State won 10 or more games in seven of Petersen’s eight seasons and finished inside the top 10 of the final AP Poll four times. The Broncos won two Fiesta Bowls under Petersen’s guidance.

Petersen is a two-time Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award winner (2006, 2009) and also secured the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year trophy in 2010.

Former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, who played under Petersen from 2008-11, was not selected to the Hall of Fame. Moore has been up for induction since 2022.

The winningest quarterback in college football history, Moore compiled a 50-3 overall record during his four seasons with the Broncos. The Prosser, Washington native ended his college career with 14,667 passing yards, 142 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.

Moore placed fourth in the 2010 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest for a Bronco until Ashton Jeanty’s runner-up finish in 2024.

Listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds, Moore was not chosen in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played three seasons with the Detroit Lions (2012-14) and three with the Cowboys (2015-17) before retiring.

Moore is now the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Here are the 22 members of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class.

Coaches

Jim Margraff: Johns Hopkins (1990-2018)

Gary Patterson: Texas 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