Chris Petersen Is 'Built For Life'
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Chris Petersen would rather get down on his hands and knees to pick up a piece of trash off the locker room floor than lead Washington out of the Husky Stadium tunnel.
Washington’s head coach would rather sit in coach on the team charter flight, so his linemen can get a little extra legroom.
For someone who is the face of a program, Petersen doesn’t need to be in the spotlight. He would rather remain behind the scenes.
Over the past 27 years, Petersen has built a coaching career around a simple idea: “Built For Life.” He wants to mold men, and win a few football games along the way.
For Petersen, his staff and players, football is what they do. It is not who they are.
“When they’re really good at life and the life skills that go with it, their football is usually really good as well,” Petersen said. “When their life isn’t in order, they struggle on the football field.”
Football fades for each player at some point. Petersen wants to provide a path to a good life. He helps them create a vision for their lives. He shows them how to be the best version of themselves. He describes all of the things that go into being a “real man.”
He does it all by asking something from himself: “How are we going to add value to their lives?”
“If they can get those skills while they’re here, not only is their career as a Husky going to be good but, more importantly, when they leave us, they’re going to do something that’s impactful for their families and their communities,” Petersen said.
This idea is more than a recruiting pitch. It is built into everything. Petersen’s standards are high. His expectations are difficult to reach.
But the message works. Just ask Danny Shelton. The senior defensive lineman came into the year as one of the Huskies’ top returners. He didn’t think he had a lot to learn. Petersen opened his eyes.
“I’m really thankful for what coach Pete and his staff are doing,” said Shelton, who leads the nation in sacks (six) and tackles for loss (7.5) through two games.
Petersen doesn’t make things easy on his players. He holds them accountable, because doing the right thing can be difficult. Throughout this transition, though, he has made one thing clear to his players: “We’re in this together.”
Mixed into everything the Huskies have been tasked with on the field and at home is a little fun. From canoe races to a free-throw contest, there have been light-hearted, team-bonding moments.
There are only 13 days a year when the Huskies are guaranteed the opportunity to play football against another team. With so much time spent preparing for a few precious games, Petersen believes a college career should be about more than successful Saturdays.
Football fades for each player at some point. Petersen wants to provide a path to a good life. He helps them create a vision for their lives. He shows them how to be the best version of themselves. He describes all of the things that go into being a “real man.”
“This is a hard process,” Petersen said. “I don’t think people realize how demanding it is. From the outside, they see the games on Saturday and it looks like a lot of fun. That is the fun time for these guys, but it’s year-round and it’s a tremendous amount of work.
“You can’t be the normal college student being in this program. So, with that being said, we really want to figure out how to enjoy this process, even though it’s a tough process.”
Petersen doesn’t expect perfection. He knows there will be mistakes along the way.
“But our standards won’t change,” Petersen said. “Our vision, what we’re trying to do for these kids, won’t change. At the end of the day, hopefully, it has an impact on them as well as the university.”
Washington’s coaching staff has a “strong vision” for the program’s future. It is a process that takes time to implement.
“It’s extremely hard to do, and it takes a while to get everybody on the same page and rolling in the same direction,” Petersen said. “When we get to that critical mass we’ll build and special things will happen here.”
It might seem strange to some that Petersen doesn’t lead the Huskies out of the Husky Stadium tunnel. There are probably some who would find it odd to see a high-profile coach picking up trash off the locker room floor.
But Petersen believes the spotlight should be on his players when they take the field, and he believes a spotless locker room helps the people in his program become meticulous in their preparation.
These are the things – the little details – that make Petersen successful.
