Head Football Coach at Lewis & Clark (Feb. 2022-present, 2023: 2nd Season)
Record at L&C: 9-10 (.474%)
NWC Record at L&C: 6-8 (.429%)
Offensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator at Lewis & Clark (Dec. 2018-Feb. 2022)
L&C Resume
Recruited the largest incoming class in program history (45 players in 2023)
Led Lewis & Clark to a winning overall season (5-5) and NWC season (4-3, t-3rd) in 2023 - second time in 32 years for the program
Recorded the most wins by a Lewis & Clark first-year head coach in program history (4-5)
Led Lewis & Clark to their longest winning streak in the Wagon Wheel Rivalry Game (6-straight, active)
Coached the program's first All-Region honoree since 2011 in his first season as head coach
Coached 23 All-Conference honorees in his first two year as head coach, including 14 in 2023 (most since 2011)
Two offensive players earned All-Conference First Team honors in his first season as offensive coordinator (2019)
Led Lewis & Clark to win in inaugural Northwest Scholar Series game
Head High School Football Coach: Clackamas HS, Lakeridge and Central Catholic HS (20 total seasons)
Led Clackamas HS to the 2017 6A State Championship
Named the Oregon 6A Coach of the Year after leading Clackamas to a 14-0 record and school's first state title
Finished with a 94-57 record in 13 seasons at Clackamas, including a 35-4 record in his final three seasons (3 state semifinal appearances)
Posted 150 wins as a high school head coach
Led his teams to six league championships
Led his teams to a playoff appearance in 19 of his 20 seasons
Played at Willamette University ('1993)
Earned Academic All-American Honors
Served as team captain
Joe Bushman enters his fifth year and second season as head football coach at Lewis & Clark in the fall of 2023. Bushman led the Pioneers to a 5-5 record and 4-3 mark in conference play in 2023, which are both the program's best marks since the 2011 season. His four wins in his first season (4-5 in 2022) are a new program record by a Pioneers first-year head coach.
The Pioneers enjoyed a fantastic second season under Bushman as they finished with a winning record in conference play (4-3) for just the second time since 1991. Lewis & Clark earned road wins over George Fox University (37-31 double overtime) and Pacific University (51-35) to earn their first wins over their conference foes since 2014 and 2011. The Pioneers swept rival Willamette, including a 63-13 win over the Bearcats in the Wagon Wheel rivalry game. The Pioneers set program records for points (63) and winning margin (50) against their rival and posted the third-most total yards in a single-game in program history (648). Lewis & Clark's offense took another step forward, as they tied the program record by scoring 50 or more points three times in a single-season and averaged 35.4 points per game. Fourteen players were named to the Northwest Conference All-Conference Teams which was the most for the program since the 2011 season.
During the 2022 season, Lewis & Clark opened the season with three-straight victories. The Pioneers dominated the University of Puget Sound 41-15 in the first-ever Northwest Scholar Series game, before going on the road for a 44-13 win over Whittier College. Lewis & Clark tacked on a 79-8 exhibition win over Lewis-Clark Valley to finish non-conference play undefeated. The Pioneers defeated rival Willamette University 39-17 on Homecoming to earn Bushman's first conference win and maintain control of the Wagon Wheel for a record fifth-straight season. Lewis & Clark tacked on the program's first-ever overtime victory, when they defeated host Puget Sound 47-41 in the first overtime. At the conclusion of the season, nine players were named to the Northwest Conference All-Conference Team and junior running back Elijah Washington garnered D3football.com All-Region Second Team honors for his play on special teams.
Lewis & Clark's offense has seen a serious jump since Bushman took over in 2019. In his first two seasons as offensive coordinator. Lewis & Clark's 29.3 points per game and 2,260 passing yards in 2021 are the program's most in each category since 2011 and 2013, respectively. The offense reached several milestones in that time. Among them, in the 2021 home opener, the Pios scored their third-most points in any game in history and totaled 316 rushing yards, their most since at least 2011. In 2019, Aidan Verba-Hamilton broke a 17-year-old record when he totaled 331 receiving yards on nine receptions in one game and went on to average 24.2 yards per reception for the season, the eighth-best total in the country.
In Bushman's first year, utilizing a no-huddle spread attack, the Pios averaged 374 yards and 25 points per game during the 2019 season, the team's best offensive production since 2013 and most successful season overall since 2011.
Bushman graduated from Willamette in 1993 where he was a team captain and Academic All-American. As a high school senior, he quarterbacked Benson HS to the 1988 Oregon state football title.
Joe is married to Shannon Bushman. They have two children, Ally and Jake. Jake graduated from Lewis & Clark in 2023 after being an All-Conference member of the football program.
