MISSOULA — In an introductory press conference that felt more like a welcome home reception, one of the Treasure State’s most decorated sons returned to his roots. Friday morning University of Montana athletic director Kent Haslam poetically and fittingly announced Bobby Hauck as the 37th head football coach for the Grizzlies.
Hauck, who experienced wild success as the head coach at UM from 2003 until 2009, signed a three-year contract that he returned to Haslam on Friday morning with a base salary of $185,000 per year.
Haslam said UM has “readjusted the incentives portion of the contract” in discussions with new school president Seth Bodnar and acting interim president Sheila Stearns. Haslam said the administrators “came to the conclusion to place more of an emphasis on the academic performance of our football student-athletes.” Hauck coached 104 Academic All-Big Sky players during his first stint at Montana.
[restrict paid=”true”]“We all know Bobby Hauck is a great, successful football coach,” Haslam said after leading his opening remarks by condemning a group for doxxing Lisa Davey, a local woman and UM student who started a petition to block Hauck’s hiring. “Those results are well documented and easy to recite. He’s also a man of great discipline, structure and accountability. I learned that first hand. He’s an excellent recruiter, knows the state of Montana and understands it absolutely because he has experienced what it is like to be the head football coach at the University of Montana. There are very few people who know exactly what they are walking into. Bobby does. Bobby knows.”
Hauck, a 53-year-old native of Big Timber, is a Montana alum who led his alma mater to seven consecutive Big Sky Conference championships, three appearances in the FCS national championship game and 80 overall wins. He has spent the last three seasons as the special teams coordinator at San Diego State. Hauck interviewed for the vacant position all day on Monday. He will coach in SDSU’s bowl game while recruiting for Montana before diving into his new, yet familiar gig in 2018. The Aztecs finished 10-2 and are awaiting a certain bowl bid. Hauck indicated he would be recruiting for the Griz by Sunday at the latest.
”This place is a special place to the Hauck family,” said Hauck, a third generation alum who deemed that his “progeny” daughters Sydney, Alexandra and Elise, all in attendance, would be fourth generation Griz. Hauck introduced his wife, Stacy, who was born in St. Patrick’s Hospital, his mother, Eleanor, and Stacy’s parents, Ray and Carol. Hauck said his son, Robby, a redshirt freshman safety at Northern Arizona, was listening on the phone.
Hauck went on to introduce about a dozen members of his extended family who were in attendance at the announcement at the Canyon Club atop Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The venue was packed to capacity, erupting in laughter with each and every vintage Hauck witticism.
“Our roots in this place go deep,” Montana’s coach proclaimed.
After a 23-21 loss to Villanova in the 2009 FCS national title game, Hauck left Montana for the head coaching job at Nevada-Las Vegas. After five seasons there, including a bowl appearance in 2013, only the second this century by a UNLV team, Hauck resigned.
“I’m just so proud of what we accomplished at both those places, though sometimes it’s not always quantified on the scoreboard,” said Hauck, who went 15-49 at UNLV. “I come back here as a better coach than when I left
“If I can hold up my end of the bargain, I think we’re gonna get the job done. That experience the last seven, eight years, has been invaluable to me in terms of what I can bring back home.”
Hauck put his name in the mix after Mick Delaney’s retirement following the 2014 season at Montana. Bob Stitt, who was relieved of his duties after three seasons at the helm, took the job then. Now it belongs to one of the most revered and feared head coaches the school has ever known.
“One of the best things about this place is there is no apathy here,” Hauck said. “Apathy is the enemy. The only good places to be a college football coach is places people care. And people here deeply care.”
Five former Griz coached on Stitt’s staff last season, including longtime offensive line coach Chad Germer. The former All-American center coached on Mick Dennehy and Joe Glenn’s staffs at UM from 1998-2002. He went to Wyoming with Glenn and coached offensive line for the Cowboys from 2003 until 2008. He returned to his alma mater for the 2009 season with Hauck, then spent all five seasons at UNLV on Hauck’s staff. He returned back to Montana in 2015 and worked as the Griz run game coordinator the last three seasons. After Stitt’s non-renewal, Haslam did not name an interim but called Germer “the lead.”
Recruiting coordinator Justin Green, also UM’s running backs coach and an All-Big Sky tailback fort he 2005 Griz, will spearhead the recruiting process. Montana has 15 players verbally committed. The early signing period, a new addition to the recruiting calendar, begins December 20. National Signing Day remains the first Wednesday of February.
Safeties’ coach Shann Schillinger, wide receivers coach Mike Ferriter and quarterbacks coach Andrew Selle were All-Big Sky players at the positions they coach for Hauck’s Grizzlies. All five as well as the rest of Stitt’s staff will see their contracts expire on January 1. Haslam said all will have the opportunity to apply for their positions under Hauck.
“That’s my next order of business,” Hauck said when asking about his staff. “I have numerous people I need to visit with. I’m not going to be in an big hurry to complete my staff. I want to take my time on that. In terms of rounding it out, it will most likely be well after the first of the year to complete the process.
“We have to get out and recruit so we will have guys getting out immediately. As you know, there’s some old colleagues and former players and good friends on the staff and we will have some discussions. That will start being released here over the next few days.”
Hauck said he had not returned a text message since Thursday morning, but his phone has more than 400 messages of congratulations from former players, coaches, friends and family. Based on his reception Friday morning, the prospect of returning to the level of national prestige that characterized Hauck’s first tenure has enthused folks around the Garden City and Treasure State.
Hauck posted an 80-17 record during his first seven seasons at Montana, including a 47-6 mark against Big Sky competition. Hauck won 31 of his final 32 Big Sky contests. He was 51-6 between 2006 and 2009, winning three Big Sky Coach of the Year awards, reaching the semifinals of the FCS playoffs three times and playing for the national title in 2008 and 2009. Hauck’s teams fell in the 2004 and 2008 national title games to James Madison and Richmond, respectively.
“The expectation, he expected the best from you and you feared that if you didn’t do that, you were going to pay the consequences,” said former safety Colt Anderson, one of Montana’s richest stories after going from walk-on to All-American to now with the Buffalo Bills in his ninth season in the NFL. “Personally, I never wanted to let Coach down. I didn’t want to let my teammates down.”
For all Hauck’s accomplishments — an incredible 20 players who played under Hauck at Montana went on to play professionally, including 17 in the NFL — he had his downfalls. He admitted in his opening statement that “we were not perfect, far from it” before candidly addressing his spat with the student newspaper, the Montana Kaimin, the legal troubles of his players and even the rape scandal that rocked UM and the city of Missoula that many have directly associated with the football coach.
“We had amazing student-athletes on our team, students that graduated at a far higher rate than the student population on campus but there were times that we also brought some young men onto our team that conducted themselves in a manner that wasn’t worthy or wearing the Grizzly uniform or that helmet,” Hauck said. “I’m ready to work to do a better job on that front as well. Nothing is perfect. College kids aren’t perfect and they won’t be. We have a system to deal with everybody and when they came out the door, they are going to be a better individual than the day they walked in here, I promise you that.
“I’ve been sad to see the discussion of my potential return associated with the challenges this university has experienced on the issue of sexual assault,” Hauck continued. I left Missoula in 2009. One individual that was a player I recruited — I’m not here to blame or relive the events of the past — but there was an individual here that I recruited that was convicted of that crime. I want to emphasize the important of the educationally process, training, shaping the culture. That sexual assault has been evidenced on this campus in particular, it just can’t happen.”
Haslam wrapped up his opening statement with a story from Thursday night. After a tiring, “intense” week, Haslam and Hauck looked for the athletic director’s car. But Haslam could not remember where he had parked. The duo walked to Main Hall, back to the athletic department. “I was embarrassed,” Haslam said.
“As we walked back, Bobby made a great comment as we turned around,” Haslam said. “I said, ‘Bobby, I am so sorry. I’m tired, I know you’re tired.’ He said, ‘Kent, you gave me the opportunity to re-walk this campus. That means the world to me.'”
In 1986, Kraig Paulson, Hauck’s defensive coordinator during his first go-around in Missoula, passed the No. 37 jersey to Tim Hauck, Bobby’s legendary younger brother, birthing the tradition that carries on today. From Tim Hauck, a 13-year NFL veteran, to Todd Ericson to Jason Crebo, Andy Petek to Ciche Pitcher to Loren Utterback, Carson Bender to Ryan Fetherston to Jordan Tripp, Zack Wagenmann to Caleb Kidder to Tucker Schye, No. 37 has been worn by defensive players who grew up in Montana.
“It’s appropriate that the 37th head football coach at the University of Montana is a native Montanan,” Haslam said.
[/restrict]This story will be updated. Photos by Colter Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
