Players and coaches had all grabbed their bags and headed to the parking lot.

The lounge inside the Atlantic Aviation terminal at Portland International Airport had cleared out Saturday by the time Matt Billings asked Bruce Barnum to step into a private room for a conversation they both knew was coming.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Billings said this week. “Bruce and I go way back.”

But a full year into his tenure as Portland State’s athletic director, Billings came to the conclusion that had become increasingly obvious over Barnum’s 11-year run as the Vikings’ head football coach.

“It was time for a change and to get new eyes on it,” Billings said.

Billings fired Barnum, with one year remaining on his contract, inside the private air terminal. When he texted Barnum earlier in the da

See Full Page