Portland State AD Search Update

[JALMOND]

Portland State, being without an AD for a year now, has narrowed the list to four finalists, of which only one, Bruce Parker of Carroll College, MT, is currently a head AD. Next step, a campus interview and visit to take place in March. We certainly seem to be in no hurry to fill this, considering we probably need to fill the AD position before we fill the head football coaching job.

My take, I am intrigued by the possibility of getting someone from Carroll. I do not know Parker, but he obviously knows his way around being a current AD. Being from Montana, I'm sure he knows about the success both Montana and Montana State have enjoyed in the Big Sky, the FCS, and Division I athletics. I believe his hiring would quench the rumors once and for all that we would be leaving the Big Sky in the near future. Also, I rememeber here at AGS when both Hauck and Kramer were mulling over possible opportunities to leave, the Carroll football coach was mentioned by both Griz fans and Cat fans as a replacement. If we were to get the Carroll AD, would the Carroll coach follow him to Portland?

Montanans (both Cat and Griz fans), what is your take on Parker? Am I way off base? Would he do well at PSU?

Also Davis fans, Torre Chisholm has also been mentioned as a possible AD. Could you give me some insight on him? How would he do at PSU?

[Green Cookie Monster]

Are these people still even interested( I guess so if they have scheduled interviews)? Has it been a year since they submitted resumes and showed interest?

[putter]

Parker would do a good job. I am a Carroll alum and Bruce has handled himself very well though Carroll's 4 straight NAIA NC. Yes, he is extremely familiar with UM and MSU and has enough experience to bring a little inside knowledge to PSU and a good work ethic.
As far as VanDiest moving to PSU, who knows. He is from East Helena, a "suburb" buy Montana standards, to Helena where Carroll is located so he obviously knows the area but the opportunity to move from NAIA to DI may be a possibility. He is a defensive coach and a very good one at that and could do well in Portland.

[GOTOREROS]

Carroll College is NAIA correct? I would think PSU could get a FCS or BSC candidate with more experience......

[GRIZNATION]

Carroll College is NAIA. I think B. Parker would be a great fit in Portland and do wonderful things in terms of getting new facilities and fan support for the Viking teams.

[Ronbo]

Carroll College is NAIA correct? I would think PSU could get a FCS or BSC candidate with more experience......

Don't fool yourself about him being an NAIA Coach, this guy is a flat out winner and Montana would love to have him. He has plenty of DI experience having coached at Wyoming, Northwestern, UMass, and Montana. He won 4 NAIA National Championships in a row with Carroll and has a 47-9 record there. Some might not know that NAIA is Scholarship Football, they allow 24. Many kids that are just not quite good enough for Montana or MSU go to Carroll and the other Montana NAIA's on Scholarship.


During his seven-year tenure as Head Football Coach at Carroll College, Mike Van Diest has lead the Fighting Saints to four straight National Championship, which has been one of the most dominating runs in college football history. The Saints have posted a 78-16 record during the past seven seasons. This includes a 47-9 Frontier Conference record for an impressive 84%. The Fighting Saints have earned six straight Final Four appearances in the NAIA national playoffs.

In 2005, the Saints won their fourth consecutive NAIA National Championship with a convincing 27-10 victory over St. Francis University (Ind.) this was the second time under Van Diest that Carroll had a perfect record (14-0) in claiming the Title. In 2004 the Fighting Saints were the NAIA national champions for the third year in a row with a slim 15-13 victory again over St. Francis University (Ind.) in Savannah, Tennessee. In 2003, the Saints were national champions with their first perfect season at 15-0, by defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State 41-28. In 2002, the Saints won their first national championship with a 28-7 victory over Georgetown, KY. Van Diest and his staff have led Carroll College to a 20-2 record in the NAIA national playoffs. In 2000 and 2001, the Saints finished with the numer 3 national ranking. During this time the Saints defense has been ranked 11th in 2000, 4th in 2001, 6th in 2002, 5th in 2003, 3rd in 2004 and number 1 in 2005. This season the Saints have held teams to an outstanding 9.4 points per game, which included three shutouts, two of which came in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the playoffs. While at Carroll, Van Diest has coached 18 All-Conference linebackers with four being named first team All-American, Joe Horne (2001), Cory Perzinski (2002), Marcus Atkinson (2003), and Gary Cooper (2004, 2005). Horne, Atkinson, and Cooper were all named Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year. During his tenure as head Coach of the Fighting Saints, Van Diest has been named Frontier Conference Coach of the Year five times. In 2003 and 2005 Van Diest was named NAIA National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association as well as the AFCA Division II Coach of the year in 2003.

Van Diest is a 1970 graduate of Helena High School. His career has included stops at his alma mater, the University of Wyoming, the University of Montana, the University of Massachusetts, and Big Ten representative, Northwestern University as an assistant coach. Van Diest has won titles at Montana (Big Sky Conference Champions, 1982), Wyoming (Two Western Athletic Conference Championships and one Pacific Division Championship), Massachusetts (Yankee Conference Champions, 1986) and now six Frontier Conference Championships at Carroll, as well as the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 NAIA National Championships. He and his wife Heidi have two sons, Shane and Clay. Shane is a football player at Carroll College.

[STACCATS]

Bruce Parker was an assistant AD at MSU prior to taking over for Carroll College. In my opinion, he had little affect on Carroll's 4 straight national championships. As long as he didn't get in the way of VanDiest, he did his part in contributing to the title run.

PSU can have him.

[Peems]

Bruce Parker was an assistant AD at MSU prior to taking over for Carroll College. In my opinion, he had little affect on Carroll's 4 straight national championships. As long as he didn't get in the way of VanDiest, he did his part in contributing to the title run.

PSU can have him.

sure he didnt do much for the football squad, but believe it or not he would be working on more than just football:eek:. I believe parker would be a great hire, he is very personable smart and was named the NAIA AD of the year last year and has been honored with various other awards, he is a good pick. Though i do not know anything else about the other candidates.

[GOKATS]

Parker is very familiar with the Big Sky having served many years as an associate AD at Montana St. Bruce would do well at PSU.

His bio from Carroll:

http://www.carroll.edu/athletics/athleticdir.cc

[saccat]

Bruce Parker was an assistant AD at MSU prior to taking over for Carroll College. In my opinion, he had little affect on Carroll's 4 straight national championships. As long as he didn't get in the way of VanDiest, he did his part in contributing to the title run.

PSU can have him.

WOW...What did he do to you...I think Parker would do great in Portland. I don't know if his son lives there still, but he used to. Good luck Bruce.