He also served in the same capacity at Oregon State University and was an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).

The family moved to Platteville, Wisconsin, when his father, George Chryst, became the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville in 1979.

[2] Chryst attended Platteville High School, where he was a three-time letterman in football and basketball, and also lettered in baseball and track.

As the starting quarterback, he led the 1982 and 1983 Hillmen to consecutive Southern Eight Conference titles and the Wisconsin Division 4 state championship in 1983.

[3] Chryst graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1988 with a degree in political science, and was a two-time football letter winner at the quarterback and tight end position for the Badgers.

Paul Chryst started his career as a graduate assistant at West Virginia (1989–90), and was then an assistant coach for the World League's San Antonio Riders (1991–92), Wisconsin–Platteville (1993), CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders (1994), Illinois State (1995), CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders (1996), and Oregon State (1997–98).

Among the Oregon State stars he coached were RB Ken Simonton, the school's career rushing leader, QB Derek Anderson, who left as the Pac-10's No.

Chryst was a 2011 finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top college football assistant coach.

All three losses came to teams that were in the AP top 25 at the end of the season, eventual national champions #1 Alabama, #9 Iowa and #23 Northwestern.

Chryst also won the Holiday Bowl against USC, whom the Badgers had a 0–6 record against before the game, with their last meeting being in 1965 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.