Lake lands head coach job

SEATTLE – In a move that shocked the college football world, University of Washington head coach Chris Petersen announced on Monday he was stepping down after six years leading the Huskies — setting the stage for current defensive coordinator and former Eastern Washington University player and coach Jimmy Lake to take over the program’s reins.

“I could not be more excited about taking over as head football coach at the University of Washington,” Lake said in a Dec. 2 news release. “This wouldn’t be possible without the mentorship of Coach Petersen and I would like to thank him for everything he has done for me, as well as for (UW Athletics Director) Jen Cohen for entrusting me with this opportunity.”

A 1995 graduate of North Central High School in Spokane, Lake played strong safety from 1995 – 1998 at EWU. He was a member of the 1997 team that went 12-2, won a Big Sky Conference title and advanced to the NCAA I-AA semifinals where they lost to eventual national champion Youngstown State. Lake had 66 tackles and one interception that season, including 22 tackles in three post-season games.

Lake was All-Big Sky honorable mention in his 1998 season that was shortened to just five games due to a knee injury. In his EWU career, he had 160 tackles, including three sacks, and was a four-year letter winner.

Lake helped coach Eagle linebackers as an undergraduate assistant in 1999, receiving his business administration degree in 2000. Lake was hired as EWU’s secondary coach in 2000, serving four seasons under former head coach Paul Wulf.

Lake left EWU in 2004 to coach defensive backs at Washington, and from there went to Montana State where he was a secondary coach in 2005. He jumped to the National Football League the following season, serving as assistant defensive backs coach with Tampa Bay from 2006-2007, defensive backs coach with Detroit in 2008 and back at Tampa Bay for two seasons before joining Petersen at Boise State in 2012.

Lake was defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator for two seasons in Boise, leaving with Petersen for the UW in 2014. Lake began at Washington as defensive backs coach for two seasons, taking on co-defensive coordinator duties for two seasons beginning in 2016 and the defensive coordinator role in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018 the Huskies led the Pac-12 in both scoring (15.5 points per game) and total (301.8 yards per game) defense, the fourth year in a row for both categories. In 2017 the Huskies defense was ranked fifth and eighth in those categories respectively, and in 2016 finished 12-2, earning a trip to the College Football Playoff.

While at EWU, Lake was first a teammate and then fellow coach with current Eagles head coach Aaron Best, who said he always felt Lake had the personality and abilities to be a head coach.

“He’d smile at times, and then rip my face off at times as well,” Best said in a Dec. 2 KREM 2 story. “He was a Jekyll and Hyde type of player, but that’s what makes him an awesome coach because he’s an overachiever.”

Lake and Best’s 1997 team was inducted into the EWU Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2006, Lake received North Central’s Distinguished Alumnus award.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.