Oregon's All-Time Winningest High School Football Coach Calls It a Career

Ken Potter won 368 games over 39 seasons at Jesuit High School in Southwest Portland

Ken Potter celebrates career win No. 353 to set the all-time Oregon record. /

Ken Potter, who last year became Oregon’s all-time winningest high school football coach, announced Tuesday morning that he would be retiring after 39 seasons at Jesuit High School in Southwest Portland.

The news was first reported by KOIN-TV and later confirmed by The Oregonian/Oregon Live.

“I always told myself that I would know when it was time to step away from coaching and from being a counselor,” Potter said in an email Tuesday afternoon. “I just know that it feels right, and I am leaving feeling good about my decision. I had a tremendous amount of fun coaching this last season, and I wanted to leave with that feeling.”

He added that his future plans include spending more time with his family and continuing to stay active in the community.

Final season ended with yet another playoff appearance

Potter’s final season ended Friday night when the Crusaders fell 42-28 to High School On SI Oregon’s No. 1-ranked team West Linn in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state playoffs.

Jesuit finished the season 8-3, leaving Potter with an all-time mark of 368 wins and 92 losses.

Potter also won four state championships in 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2015. During his career, the Crusaders also reached the final in 2009 and 2013 and missed the playoffs only three times — 1990, 1992 and 2024, although they played in the second-tier 6A postseason last year.

‘Just keep getting better, and everything else will take care of itself.’

When Potter tied Dewey Sullivan’s previous state record with his 352nd win last season, he discussed his coaching philosophy.

Photo by Rene Ferran

“I’ll play for the scoreboard, but also for the fact that you just want to get better,” he said that night. “And I think that’s what’s happened in my 38 years working with kids. Just keep getting better, and everything else will take care of itself.”

Potter turned Jesuit program around

Potter took over Jesuit at a downpoint in the program. The Crusaders had suffered through five consecutive losing seasons when they hired a 27-year-old Potter to take over for Craig Howard.

Potter experienced immediate success, going 9-0 in his first regular season and winning the Metro League title — the first of 25 during his career — before suffering a 6-0 loss to South Eugene in his first playoff game.

“Every team I’ve had is special in its own right, and I love all of them,” Potter said following his record-tying win. “But you always look at that first one. You know, that team in 1987, they were a special group of men that really helped bring me into being a head coach and being at Jesuit High School.”

He also never forgot the lessons from that first postseason defeat, reminding players before each of his 34 playoff runs not to underestimate any opponent.

The Crusaders only lost one more first-round game during his tenure, as he finished 80-31 in the postseason.