Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon. The Vikings compete at the NCAA Division I level in basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, softball, indoor and outdoor track and field, and cross country. The university has been a member of the Big Sky Conference since 1996. Along with the other Big Sky football programs, Viking football takes-part in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as NCAA Division I-AA.
Overview Prior to joining Division I, the school won NCAA National Division II Championships in women's volleyball and wrestling. The school has also placed second twice nationally in football and once in women's basketball at the Division II level. Portland State's colors are forest green and white, and its mascot is the Viking manifested as "Victor E. Viking".
Among the more notable former PSU athletes are Freeman Williams and Neil Lomax. Freeman Williams was the NCAA Division I national men's basketball individual scoring leader in 1977 and 1978. Neil Lomax was a record-setting quarterback who went on to star for the then St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL. Football's "Run & Shoot" offense was first implemented at the college level at PSU by then coach Darryl "Mouse" Davis. Davis' quarterback protégées were Lomax and June Jones. Jones, the former head coach at the University of Hawaiʻi and then at SMU, is also a proponent of the Run & Shoot. Portland State formerly had baseball until 1998, making the NCAA Tournament once in 1977.
Torre Chisholm was named new athletic director March 26, 2007. Chisholm replaced interim AD Teri Mariani, who filled that role since February 2006 when Tom Burman left for the University of Wyoming. Washington State University AD Jim Sterk preceded Burman as PSU AD. After an extensive nationwide search for an athletic director, John Johnson was selected by PSU president Stephen Percy and introduced on March 15, 2022. He began work on campus May 1. From 2019-21, Johnson served as senior deputy athletic director at the University of Nebraska. From 2004-2019 he was the senior associate director of athletics for Washington State University. His career has also included being director of athletics at Weber State University (1997-2004) and Eastern Washington University (1993-97).
Home games for football and soccer are held at Hillsboro Stadium, and home games for basketball are held on-campus at the Peter W. Stott Center.
Sports sponsored
Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Football Golf Tennis Soccer Track and field† Softball Tennis Track and field† Volleyball
Men's sports Football
Football began competing at the college level in 1947. PSU competed at the small college level before beginning to compete at an interstate level in the 1960s. The 1970s brokered a new level of achievement under Mouse Davis. Mouse Davis installed the "Run & Shoot" which provided prolific scoring teams led by quarterbacks June Jones and Neil Lomax. Later in the 1980s, highlights included 2nd-place finishes in NCAA Division II in 1989 and 1990 under legendary coach Pokey Allen.
The 2006 season included a victory over the University of New Mexico. The team finished the season tied for second in the conference and featured PSU offensive lineman Brennan Carvalho and linebacker Adam Hayword being named All-Americans. Tim Walsh completed his 14th year at the helm in 2006 and resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Army. Walsh was the longest tenured coach in PSU history. He was succeeded by Jerry Glanville, former NFL head coach and University of Hawaiʻi defensive coordinator. Glanville hired Mouse Davis as his new offensive coordinator who re-installed the Run & Shoot.
Jerry Glanville's initial season at PSU in 2007 was a disappointing 3–8 campaign. The team recorded a 1–4 home record, worst since 1973. However, enthusiasm was reflected with an increase in attendance and included a wild 73–68 loss to Weber State. Center Brennan Carvalho finished a brilliant career by being named All-American for a second time. On December 8, 2009, Portland State announced Nevada defensive coordinator Nigel Burton as their new head coach.
On September 15, 2015, The Vikings travelled to Pullman, Washington, to take on the Washington State Cougars. In Bruce Barnum's coaching debut. With a tie game at the nine-minute mark in the fourth quarter, Quarterback's Paris Penn, and Alex Kuresa put together a 14-play, 69-yard drive. Running Back Steven Long finished the series with a one-yard TD run at the 2:19 mark.
With the Vikings up, The Vikings' defensive unit was up to the task. Washington State was driving inside the final minute when senior DB Aaron Sibley picked off a Peyton Bender pass at the PSU 27-yard line. From there, PSU knelt on the ball and ran out the clock on one of the biggest wins in program history.
The Vikings knocked off the Pac-12 member Washington State 24-17. It marked the first time a Portland State team has ever beaten a Pac-12 opponent in 15 tries, and only the third time in program history that PSU has beaten an FBS-level opponent. The Vikings would finish the year 9-3 and make it into the FCS playoffs and host Northern Iowa at Providence Park. The Vikings season came to an end as they lost 29-17.
After not playing an official 2020 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, The Vikings played one spring football game in Missoula, Montana, against University Of Montana on April 17, at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. They returned for a full-season schedule in 2021. The Vikings finished the 2021 season at 5-6, including an upset victory in Ogden, UT over #24 Weber State. Quarterback Davis Alexander signed a free agent contract after season's end with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Alexander completed his career ranked second all-time on PSU's passing lists (9,215 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, as well as 1,254 rushing yards, 25 TDs). Punter Seth Vernon also signed professionally with the Atlanta Falcons in the pre-season. He punted three times for a total of 134 yards, averaging 44.7 yards per punt, and had two punts inside the 20.
Head football coaches See List of Portland State Vikings head football coaches
Tenure Coach Years Record Pct. 1947–1954 Joe Holland 8 20–42–3 .331 1955–1956 Ralph Davis 2 4–11–1 .281 1957–1958 Les Leggatt 2 6–11–0 .353 1959–1961 Hugh Smithwick 3 6–17–2 .280 1962–1962 Tom DeSylvia 1 4–4–0 .500 1963–1967 Jerry Lyons 5 21–24–1 .467 1968–1971 Don Read* 4 20–19 .513 1972–1974 Ron Stratten 3 9–24–0 .273 1975–1980 Mouse Davis 6 42–24–0 .636 1981–1985 Don Read* 5 19–33–1 .365 1986–1992 Pokey Allen 7 63–26–2 .703 1993–2006 Tim Walsh 14 90–68–0 .570 2007–2009 Jerry Glanville 3 9–24–0 .273 2010–2014 Nigel Burton 5 12–21–0 .364 2015 – present Bruce Barnum 7 26–42–0 .382 Totals 13 coaches 64 seasons 324–349–10
Basketball
National scoring champion Freeman Williams starred for PSU during the 1970s under coach Ken Edwards. PSU made the NCAA College Division playoffs in 1967, and twice competed in the NAIA playoffs in the 1950s.
In the Big Sky Conference: When PSU joined the Big Sky Conference, basketball returned to campus after a hiatus that lasted from 1981 to 1996. Former head coach is Tyler Geving. Portland State has qualified for the Big Sky Conference Tournament eight times in the eleven years it has been eligible. The Vikings have a 6–6 Big Sky Tournament record, including 2–0 against Montana State, 2–0 against Idaho State, 1–1 against Eastern Washington, and 1–2 against Northern Arizona and 0–3 against Weber State.
PSU completed the 2006–07 season with a 19–13 overall record and a 9–7 conference record. In the conference tournament, PSU defeated Montana State and was then defeated by Weber State to finish the season.
PSU rolled through the Big Sky in 2007–08, losing only two conference games on the way to a second ever conference championship since last winning in 2005. The Vikings went on to win the conference tourney by beating Idaho State in a semi-final match and Northern Arizona University in the final to secure the school's first NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Tournament berth. The Vikings (23–9) were selected as a No. 16 seed in the 2008 NCAA tournament in the Midwest Region, losing to No. 1 Kansas 85–61.
In the 2008–09, for the second year in a row, the Portland State Vikings completed a 23–10 basketball season with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Matched with the previous season, the two 23-win seasons tie for the most in school history. And, both seasons culminated with appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Although the Vikings did not win the Big Sky Conference regular season title (as they did in 2007–08), the second-place team did win the Big Sky Tournament for a second straight season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Portland State earned a number-13 seed but lost in the Tournament to fourth-seeded Xavier in a first-round game, 77–59. The regular season highlights included a victory on the road over then seventh ranked Gonzaga and a victory over Boise State in an ESPN "bracket-buster" game.
After Ken Bone left Portland State in 2009 for Washington State, Portland State hired Tyler Gerving as head coach. Gerving coached the Vikings from 2009 to 2017. In 2017, Barrett Peery was hired as head coach. In 2017, Barrett Peery was hired as head coach of The Vikings. To start the season, Peery lead The Vikings to a 5–0 record with wins over Utah State, University Of Portland, and UC Riverside heading into the Phil Knight 80 Invitational. In the first game of the PK80, The Vikings drew Duke. Who had future lottery draft picks and NBA players Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., and Grayson Allen. The Vikings led at halftime 49-45 in part from 20 points from guard Deontae North. Duke shot 51% from the field in the second half and ended up winning 99-81. In the next game, The Vikings lost 71-69 to Butler. In the final seconds, guard Bryce Canda had an opportunity to tie or take the lead but did not convert the chance.
Head basketball coaches
Tenure Coach Years Record Pct. 1946–1947 John Jenkins 1 11–10 .524 1947–1948 Joe Holland 1 14–5 .737 1948–1953 Arba Ager 5 85–52 .620 1953–1965 Sharkey Nelson 12 162–156 .509 1965–1972 Marion Pericin 7 85–82 .509 1972–1978 Ken Edwards 6 93–109 .592 1978–1981 Glen Kinney 3 18–62 .225 1996–1998 Ritchie McKay 2 24–29 .453 1998–2002 Joel Sobotka 4 53–59 .452 2003–2005 Heath Schroyer 3 35–47 .427 2005–2009 Ken Bone 4 77–49 .611 2009 – 2017 Tyler Geving 2 112-133 .4572017-2020Barrett Peery363-57.5252021-PresentJase Coburn343-51.457 Totals 12 coaches 48 seasons 670–634 Notes – Big Sky Conference 2005 Regular Season Champion. – Big Sky Conference '08 Regular Season Champs. 2008 & '09 Tourney Champs. 2008 & '09 NCAA Tournament bids.
Track & Field The men and women's track & field teams are led by head coach David Hepburn. The assistant coach is Portland native, Josh Seitz.
Tennis Head Coach Brian Parrott leads the Vikings' tennis program starting with the 2008–09 season. After his collegiate career, Parrott played professionally for several years. He played in the U.S. Open qualifier in 1973, and was a member of the Sea-Port Cascades of the World Team Tennis league in 1977. Between 1967 and 1980, Parrott was ranked No. 1 in doubles seven times in the Pacific Northwest, and was never ranked lower than No. 8 in singles. But recently Parrott resigned from his coaching position, and is now taken over by assistant coach Jay Starling.
Women's sports Basketball