Montana's Bobby Hauck, winningest coach in Big Sky, retires

Field Level Media
05 Feb 2026, 00:25 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Michael Thomas Shroyer-Imagn Images)

Montana football coach Bobby Hauck, the winningest coach in Big Sky Conference history, announced his retirement on Wednesday.

Hauck, 61, coached at his alma mater from 2003-09 and again from 2018-25, posting a 151-43 record with Montana. He helped the Grizzlies win eight Big Sky titles and make four appearances in FCS national championship games.

'There's never a convenient spot in the college football calendar to announce you're retiring, so today's as good as any,' Hauck said Wednesday. 'I wasn't going to have them spread my ashes on the practice field because I dropped dead out there. There comes a juncture where it's time to do something else.'

Wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy will take over as head coach in place of Hauck, who admitted that the evolving challenges of college football were starting to take a toll.

'Dealing from my job and the head coach's desk -- this may be the most important thing I say here -- dealing with what college football has become is not always enjoyable as a head coach,' Hauck said. 'I just haven't been enjoying it enough. I want to enjoy my career and my job. A lot of the head coach stuff in current day Division I college football is not enjoyable. I think it's the perfect time for me to retire.'

A four-time Big Sky Coach of the Year, Hauck fell short in his last game -- a 48-23 loss to rival Montana State in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.

Hauck coached at UNLV from 2010-14 and spent three seasons as a special teams coordinator and associate head coach at San Diego State (2015-17).

--Field Level Media

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