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| Lewis & Clark athletics photo by Steve Gibbons |
After leading the Lewis & Clark football program for the past three years, Pioneers head coach Joe Bushman announced that he is resigning to take a new position at a high school in Arizona.
"I want to thank Joe for the hard work and energy he poured into our football program over the past six years," athletic director Mark Pietrok said. "Joe has done a tremendous job in helping move our program forward and he will be missed. I wish both Joe and wife Shannon all the best in their new endeavor and look forward to seeing them on Palatine Hill when they are in Portland. They are forever part of the Pioneer Family"
The Pioneers were 14-16 in Bushman's three seasons. He was promoted after Jay Locey's retirement in 2022.
Defensive coordinator Daniel Fields and offensive coordinator Mike Machado will serve as interim co-head coaches and lead the program until a new head coach is named. Lewis & Clark has already begun an expedited national search for the 12th coach in program history. The department hopes to have a new head coach in place in the very near future.
Bushman joined Lewis & Clark's coaching staff ahead of the 2019 season and served as the offensive coordinator of the program for three years. In his five seasons with the program, Lewis & Clark won three or more games in every season, including posting back-to-back 5-5 seasons in 2023 and 2024. It marked the first time Lewis & Clark had finished .500 or better in consecutive seasons since 1990-91 and the first time the program had finished in the top half of the Northwest Conference in back-to-back years since 1995-97. Bushman led the Pioneers to wins over rival Willamette in each of the last three years to extend the program's streak to a record seven consecutive wins in the Wagon Wheel rivalry game.