South Salem High School hires alum Josh Vanlue as new Saxons head football coach
Josh Vanlue is South Salem High School’s new head football coach, the school announced.
He replaces Scott DuFault, who led the Saxons from 2000 to 2023. DuFault retired as head coach earlier this month with a 141-100 record at the school and 163-118 record in 28 years as a head coach.
Vanlue has been offensive coordinator at South Salem since returning to his alma mater in 2016 following a three-year stint as offensive coordinator at McNary under Isaac Parker.
Vanlue was a three-sport star at South Salem, including being named the Valley League co-offensive player of the year in his senior season in 2001, when he passed for 2,648 yards and 33 touchdowns.
He spent two years on the football team at Foothill College in California but was injured and didn’t player there.
Vanlue spent one season at Kentucky as a walk-on on the football team before finishing his college career at Western Oregon.
He spent two seasons at Western Oregon as a punter and back-up quarterback and was the team’s special teams MVP in 2006.
He returned to South Salem in 2007 as an assistant coach, where he guided quarterbacks until 2012.
Vanlue teaches special education at South Salem.
South Salem was the league champion in 2023 and went 9-1 overall, losing to Tigard in the first round of the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Josh Vanlue named South Salem High School head football coach
