Ken Potter becomes winningest Oregon high school football coach of all time

Jesuit High School 'legend' earns win No. 353 with win over Oregon City on Friday night; Potter has been at helm for 38 years

Ken Potter of Jesuit broke the Oregon record for high school football coaching wins. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

A new all-time winningest coach can now be etched into the Oregon high school football history books.

Jesuit (Oregon) head coach Ken Potter tied the state's all-time record when he picked up win No. 352 in a win over Tigard on Sept. 13.

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And he broke the record in Jesuit's 38-15 win over Oregon City at Cronin Field on Friday night, surpassing longtime Dayton coach Dewey Sullivan's 352 wins amassed from 1965-2006.

Potter has orchestrated four OSAA state championship teams in his 38 seasons at the Portland-area program.

He remembers his first game in 1987 — a lopsided win over Aloha. And he credits his 1987 team for helping him set his coaching foundation.

After tying the record, Potter said he was "relieved" and deflected praise even after Jesuit athletic director Colin Griffin presented him with a celebratory poster while the team gathered on the field.

“I’ll play for the scoreboard, but also for the fact that you just want to get better," Potter told SBLive on Sept. 13. "And I think that’s what’s happened in my 38 years working with kids. Just keep getting better, and everything else will take care of itself.”

His humility doesn't surprise his players — past or prese

“Coach Potter doesn’t really talk about his wins,” senior Grant Valley told SBLive after Potter tied the record. “He’s very humble. But we knew. In the back of our minds, it was there. We just had to play our hearts out for him.”

Added Mountain View coach Brian Crum:

“I’ve coached for 29 years now, and I’ve not even touched 352 total games. He’s a legend — to be that consistent and that great.”

Rene Ferran contributed to this report.

A Jesuit High School TV broadcast of the game is available for replay.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

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