Joe Mortensen begins his fifth season (sixth year) on the Western Oregon football coaching staff as the defensive line coach.
Prior to Western Oregon, he coached at Lebanon High School (Oregon) as a linebacker and special teams coach.
Mortensen was a All-Big 12 Conference First Team linebacker for Kansas during its 12-1 season in 2007 that saw the Jayhawks finish the season ranked seventh in the nation, including a win in the Orange Bowl over Virginia Tech (where he blocked a field goal attempt). He led the team with 106 tackles which included 15 tackles for a loss (a team-best) and three sacks. Overall, he played for Kansas from 2005-08 - including three years as a starter that saw him finish with 282 career tackles and 8.5 career sacks. He was also a team captain his senior year in 2008.
Following his collegiate career, Mortensen played four seasons in the AFL for the Utah Blaze, LA Kiss and the Las Vega Outlaws.
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