Big Sky Conference

Western head coach Robertson joins Choate’s staff

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MONTANA STATE PRESS RELEASE

One of the items on Jeff Choate’s checklist when he took over as Montana State’s head football coach position 10 days ago was to “get the best coaches in the state of Montana on my staff.” He took another step in that direction Wednesday, hiring Montana Western head coach B.J. Robertson.

Robertson, who joins the staff as Assistant Coach/Director of High School Relations, comes to the Bobcat program after three seasons spent reviving the Western program as its head coach. He led the Bulldogs to a 7-3 record and ranking in the top 20 in 2015. The Bulldogs finished 2014 with a 6-5 record, a two-win improvement on his first season.

“What B.J. accomplished at Western might be the best coaching job in the state at any level,” Choate said. “He did a great job getting that program from where it was when he took over to being nationally-ranked and challenging for a conference championship. He relates to the players he coaches extremely well and does a great job motivating young men. I’ve known him for many years and I don’t know anyone in the state that doesn’t like him.”

His ascension to the head coaching position at his alma mater wasn’t a direct line for Robertson. He worked as an assistant coach at Rocky Mountain, Southern Oregon and Rockford College. Originally from Sheridan, Montana, he has coached offense, defense and special teams and coordinated recruiting and strength and conditioning during his career. He played on Western’s 1994 Frontier Conference championship team, graduating from that school in 1998 with a BS in Business Education. He also holds a MA in Teaching from Rockford (2003).

Robertson “will wear a lot of hats” at Montana State, Choate said. He will coordinate MSU’s camps and clinics “around the Northwest,” but Choate indicated his primary off-field function involves serving as “the conduit between our program and high school coaches around the state. He’ll keep the pulse of high school football in the state and evaluate the players that we need to be aware of in terms of bring them to MSU.” On the field, Choate indicated that Robertson will assist with special teams and the secondary.

Choate is excited about the positive energy Robertson brings to Montana State.

“His energy and passion is exactly what I’m looking for on our coaching staff,” MSU’s first-year head coach and like Robertson a Montana Western grad said. “I’ve known B.J. for a long time, and he’s a lifelong Bobcat. He’d always sign off with ‘Go Cats Go!’, and I used to ask him, ‘Who are you working for?’ I’m really happy to bring him to Montana State.”

 

The hire is pending a standard MSU background check.

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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