DON READ - FOOTBALL COACH, 1968-71, 1981-85
Inducted: 1999
Don Read was Portland State’s seventh head coach and the first to have a winning record (1968-71). That he could gain that distinction during PSU’s move from NAIA to NCAA competition was remarkable. His teams scored the first victories over Big Sky Conference schools, defeating Montana, Montana State, and Weber State.
Read brought PSU its first NCAA record-setting quarterback, Tim Von Dulm, and instilled fan interest that set attendance records.
He was selected Conference and Region Coach of the Year in 1984 after leading the Vikings to the Western Football Conference championship. That team matched the school’s best record (8-3) to that date. He was one of five finalists for National Coach of the Year.
Read was hired away from Portland State by the University of Montana, where he led the Grizzlies to the Division I-AA national championship and became that school’s all-time winning coach.
