Joseph Blue Emphasizes Culture That Helped Him through Difficult Circumstances as New PSU XC/Track & Field Coach

If new Portland State Head Track and Field Coach Joseph Blue has his way, the Viking men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs will grow into a “championship-caliber program in the Big Sky and eventually put PSU on the national map.”

Big goals, sure. But Blue has a plan that begins this year. He thinks the building blocks are there.

“I inherit a group of student-athletes who are hungry and motivated. There’s a strong work ethic here and I’ve been impressed with their willingness to buy into a new vision,” said the 33-year-old Blue, at 6-foot, 3-inches, 375 pounds, a mountain of a man with a big smile who creates an immediate good first impression.

That impression helped him recruit and coach championship caliber athletes as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech, CSUN (his alma mater), Cal Poly Pomona and Southern Arkansas prior to arriving at PSU.

He was attracted to Portland State, he said, because he saw “the opportunity to build something special from the ground up. PSU is in the heart of a great city with a lot of untapped potential. I saw a program where I could create a new standard, bring energy and really impact student-athletes on the track and in life. The Big Sky Conference is competitive, and I wanted to be at a place where we can grow into a championship-level program.”

Starting out, he sees his biggest challenge as changing the culture and expectations. He’s seeking to establish consistency, accountability and a championship mindset, he said.

“Team culture is the foundation of everything I do as a coach. When you build a culture based on accountability, communication and trust, it allows athletes to perform at their best on and off the track. I emphasize a family-like environment because I know the power of having people believe in you, push you and hold you to a higher standard,” he said.

Next to that is team depth.

“Depth in certain areas has been thin and that means recruiting and developing talent will be critical,” Blue said.

And that doesn’t just mean adding numbers.

“We want to bring in quality athletes who can elevate the program. For us, that means being intentional about recruiting the right fits for our culture,” he said. He wants depth in every event group, “bringing in top recruits and creating an environment where athletes can grow into conference champions, NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans.

“By combining regional recruiting with our focus on culture, academics and development, we’re confident we can steadily add depth without sacrificing standards,” Blue said.

He’s talking about casting a wide net throughout the Pacific Northwest, California and in states he described as “often overlooked” like Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho and Montana. “I’m also motivated by working with athletes who initially doubted whether they belonged at the collegiate level,” he said.

Blue said he’s coached athletes “who came in overlooked and under recruited. Through consistent effort, belief and development, they not only became conference scorers but leaders on their teams. For me, those transformations, when an athlete realizes their full potential and starts to lead others, are more meaningful than medals.”

And Blue’s background helps him understand that mindset.

He and his three siblings grew up in a single-parent household. The year he was born, his dad was given a life sentence in prison (although the family is working through a possible resentencing). “Growing up in those circumstances taught me how to manage, be independent and step into leadership at a young age,” he said.

He was the first in his family to graduate from high school, the first to graduate from college and the first to compete as a Division I athlete (football and track at Fresno State, then a thrower at CSUN).

To top it all off, his mother died in 2017 and a sister was murdered in 2022.

Those are experiences that teach you something about handling adversity and setting and pursuing goals, things Blue thinks he can pass on as a coach.

“Growing up in a single-parent household with significant challenges and later becoming the first in my family to graduate from college and compete at the Division 1 level instilled in me a resilience and perspective that I carry into coaching. I understand firsthand the struggles many student-athletes face, and I want to be the mentor and support system that I often needed at that age,” he said.

He believes his experiences will help him build strong track and field and cross-country teams at PSU.  And he has a plan.

“I want people to know that Portland State track and field and cross country are on the rise. Our athletes are committed. Our staff is motivated and we are building a program that this university and city can be proud of. We’ll represent PSU with class, compete hard and do things the right way,” Blue said.