Brian Jensen returns to alma mater as new Curtis football coach
Brian Jensen is headed back to where it all began.
The longtime head football coach is taking the reins at his Curtis High School alma mater, where he won the Class 3A state championship game at quarterback with four total touchdowns in 1990.
Jensen replaces Darren McKay, who guided the Vikings from 2020-2025.
“We need to play together and love each other, and function as one unit,” Jensen told The News Tribune. “We’re not individuals.
“I know Darren did a lot of those good things, and so I’m just hoping to continue that.”
In January, Jensen stepped down as Bellarmine Prep’s head football coach after 11 seasons at the helm (2015-25).
Jensen was a member of Central Washington University’s NAIA National Championship team in 1995. He joined the Bellarmine Prep staff in 1997, an assistant under Mike Baldassin and Tom Larsen, before serving as Idaho State University’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2007-09. He rejoined the Bellarmine Prep staff in 2010.
University Place’s tight-knit community feel is something Jensen remembers from his high school playing days. He’s excited to nurture that tradition from the Curtis sidelines.
“The support is always here,” Jensen said. “I know that hasn’t changed, and so I’m excited for the community to get behind the team and the school.”
Jensen is a two-time state champion football player for Curtis (1989-90), inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 3:07 PM.
