| Portland State Vikings football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1947; 78 years ago (1947) | ||
| Head coach | Bruce Barnum 11th season, 38–64 (.373) | ||
| Stadium | Hillsboro Stadium (capacity: 7,600) | ||
| Location | Portland, Oregon | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Big Sky Conference | ||
| All-time record | 371–428–10 (.465) | ||
| Playoff appearances | |||
| NCAA Division I: 2 NCAA Division II: 8 | |||
| Conference titles | |||
| 8 (2 OCC, 6 WFC) | |||
| Rivalries | Eastern Washington (rivalry) Montana Idaho State | ||
| Colors | Green, white, and silver[1] | ||
| Website | goviks.com | ||
ThePortland State Vikings football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team for thePortland State University located in the U.S. state ofOregon. The team competes in theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of theBig Sky Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1947. The team plays its home games at the 7,600 seatHillsboro Stadium. Viking football practice takes place on campus at the Peter W. Stott Field.
| 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 Leggett | 2 | 6–11–0 | .353 |
| 1959–1961 | Hugh Smithwick | 3 | 6–17–2 | .280 |
| 1962–1962 | Tom DeSylvia | 1 | 4–4 | .500 |
| 1963–1967 | Jerry Lyons | 5 | 21–24–1 | .338 |
| 1968–1971 | Don Read† | 4 | 20–19 | .513 |
| 1972–1974 | Ron Stratten | 3 | 9–24 | .273 |
| 1975–1980 | Mouse Davis | 6 | 42–24 | .636 |
| 1981–1985 | Don Read† | 5 | 19–33–1 | .368 |
| 1986–1992 | Pokey Allen | 7 | 63–26–2 | .703 |
| 1993–2006 | Tim Walsh | 14 | 90–68 | .570 |
| 2007–2009 | Jerry Glanville | 3 | 9–24 | .273 |
| 2010–2014 | Nigel Burton | 5 | 21–36 | .368 |
| 2015–2025 | Bruce Barnum | 11 | 39-75 | .342 |
† Read's combined statistics: 9 seasons, with a record of 39–52–1 (.429).
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Jerry Lyons | Oregon Collegiate Conference | 6–2–1 | 5–1 | |
| 1964† | 7–2 | 5–1 | |||
| 1984 | Don Read | Western Football Conference | 8–3 | 3–0 | |
| 1987 | Pokey Allen | 11–2–1 | 4–1–1 | ||
| 1988 | 11–3–1 | 6–0 | |||
| 1989 | 9–4 | 4–1 | |||
| 1991 | 11–3 | 5–0 | |||
| 1992 | 9–4 | 4–1 | |||
| Conference championships | 8 | ||||
† Co-champions
The Vikings have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs two times. Their overall record is 0–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | First Round | Delaware | L, 14–49 |
| 2015 | Second Round | Northern Iowa | L, 17–29 |
The Vikings appeared in the Division II playoffs eight times from 1987 through 1995 with an overall record of 12–8.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game | Minnesota State–Mankato Northern Michigan Troy State | W, 27–21 W, 13–7 L, 17–31 |
| 1988 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game | Bowie State Jacksonville State Texas A&I North Dakota State | W, 34–17 W, 20–13 W, 35–27 L, 21–35 |
| 1989 | First Round Quarterfinals | West Chester Indiana (PA) | W, 56–503OT L, 0–17 |
| 1991 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Northern Colorado Minnesota State–Mankato Pittsburg State | W, 27–7 W, 37–27 L, 21–53 |
| 1992 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | UC Davis Texas A&I Pittsburg State | W, 42–28 W, 35–30 L, 38–41 |
| 1993 | First Round | Texas A&M–Kingsville | L, 15–50 |
| 1994 | First Round Quarterfinals | Angelo State Texas A&M–Kingsville | W, 29–0 L, 16–21 |
| 1995 | First Round Quarterfinals | East Texas State Texas A&M–Kingsville | W, 56–35 L, 3–30 |
The Vikings have a rivalry with theEastern Washington Eagles in all sports, starting in 2010 called The Dam Cup.Eastern Washington won the first rivalry match between the two schools in2010 with a score of 55–17. The purpose of theDam Cup is to create a rivalry between Portland State University and Eastern Washington University and provide a sense of pride between alumni in thePortland, OR andSpokane, WA areas. Other goals include increasing attendance at events between both schools and building school spirit among each institutions' student body.
| Team | Rivalry name | Trophy | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | Viks win | Viks loss | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland State Vikings | The Dam Cup | Dam Cup | 43 | 1986‡ | 2023, Won 47–35 | 21 | 21 | 1 | .500 |
‡ The Dam Cup rivalry with Portland State was officially established in 2010, but both teams have played against each other since the date listed above.
Dot's Pretzels Bowl
The Viks and the Montana Grizzlies have played each other 46 times since the1965 football season. CoachBruce Barnum and Griz coachBobby Hauck have a friendly rivalry based in part onHershey-ownedDot's Homestyle Pretzels.[2] The 46 matchups are the most games Portland State has played anyone. Montana is one of Portland State's two protectedBig Sky Conference rivalries (along withNorthern Colorado) when the conference shifted to one division in 2022, meaning they will play every year. TheUniversity of Montana leads the all-time series 35–13 as of 2024.[3]
| Team | Rivalry name | Trophy | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | Viks win | Viks loss | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland State Vikings | Dot's Pretzel Bowl | 48 | 1965 | 2024, Lost 28–17 | 13 | 35 | 0 | .271 |
The Viks andIdaho State Bengals have played each other 45 times since 1965.Idaho State leads the series 26–18–1 as of 2022.
| Portland State Vikings retired numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Position | Career | No. ret. | Ref. |
| 11 | Neil Lomax[n 1] | Quarterback | 1977–1980 | [5] | |
| 18 | Peter W. Stott[n 2] | — | — | 2014 | [6] |
The Vikings have one player inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[7]
| Year inducted | Player | Position | Seasons at Portland State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Neil Lomax | Quarterback | 1977–1980 |
Notable alumni include:
Announced schedules as of May 19, 2025.[8]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarleton State | atSan Diego State | atOregon State | atStanford | atOregon | atSouth Dakota |
| atBYU | North Dakota | atSan Jose State | |||
| atNorth Dakota | atOregon | ||||
| atHawaii |
