Joe Bushman has resigned as the Clackamas football coach to become the offensive coordinator at Lewis & Clark College.

Bushman said he has mixed emotions about leaving Clackamas, where he went 94-57 in 13 seasons, leading the Cavaliers to their first state championship in 2017. But the opportunity to coach full-time in college was too good to pass up.

“It’s really hard to leave,” Bushman said. “But it’s something I’ve always kind of had in the back of my head.”

Lewis & Clark coach Jay Locey contacted Bushman last week to gauge his interest in the position, which opened when Isaac Parker left to become the head coach at Willamette University. Locey offered him the job and Bushman accepted it Thursday.

“It was all kind of a whirlwind,” Bushman said. “I’ve been kind of stewing over it all week, I kind of went back and forth on it, but at the end of the day, it was just an opportunity to do what I love, what I’m really passionate about, full-time, and get paid for it.”

Bushman, 47, has compiled a 150-79 record in 20 seasons as a high school head coach. He went 43-14 in five seasons at Central Catholic (1998-2002) and 13-8 in two seasons at Lakeridge (2003-04) before joining the staff at Clackamas.

The Cavaliers bounced back from going 0-10 in 2010 and 2-9 in 2011 to emerge as one of the state’s premier 6A programs in recent years, reaching the semifinals the last three seasons. They beat South Medford 31-30 to win the 2017 title.

“It’s been a great run we’ve had,” Bushman said. “Not just the success we’ve had, but the friendships and camaraderie of the coaching staff, and the great run of kids we’ve had, and really have coming up."

As a bonus, Bushman’s senior son Jake – a three-year starter at linebacker for the Cavaliers – has committed to play at Lewis & Clark. Jake Bushman met with Locey last week and visited the campus this week.

“He really liked it,” Joe Bushman said. “It was one of the schools he was considering anyway, but I wanted him to feel good about it. It was just kind of a win-win. After a time period, he gets his school paid for.”

Joe Bushman not only was able to coach Jake in football at Clackamas, but he coached his daughter Ally, a 2015 graduate, in girls golf.

“I’m so blessed to have my daughter and son come through there and get to coach them both,” he said. “If you’re coaching college, you’re not able to do that stuff. But now we’re going to be empty-nesters, and my wife doesn’t want me home that much.”

Bushman said the Clackamas program is in excellent shape as he departs.

“I feel like we’re going to be really good next year, too,” he said. “At the same time, that school is going to split in a couple years, and at that point, I probably wasn’t going to be interested in going through one of those transitions.”

Bushman said he believes there are coaches on the staff that will be interested in the head-coaching job.

“And there are a couple guys who have been part of the family, who are coaching elsewhere, that I think they’ll look at,” he said. “We’ve got a good thing going, and I hope they’ll hire someone that’ll keep the train on the tracks. There are some guys out there they could bring in and keep the status quo.”

Bushman met with the Clackamas players Friday afternoon to tell them of his decision. His last day as a teacher at Clackamas will be Jan. 18.

“We’ll see how this thing goes,” Bushman said. “If it goes well, maybe I can be a small-college head coach, or maybe move up through the ranks. That would be pretty cool.

“I’ll still be working for another 15, 20 years. I don’t have much else to do. I like to work. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not like I can’t come back and teach and coach high school. I love doing it. It’s just a time for a change.”