Bobby Hauck, one of the winningest coaches in the history of the FCS level, has retired from his position as head coach of the University of Montana football team, the school announced Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Hauck, a native of Big Timber and UM alumni, coached the Grizzlies for 14 seasons over two stints, earning an overall record of 151-43 (.778).
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Wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy, a college coach for more than 30 years who joined the Montana staff before last season, will take over for Hauck on a one-year deal, 406 MT Sports reported.
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Kennedy served as an assistant at major programs such as Stanford, Iowa, Colorado, Washington and Texas. With the Longhorns, he was a member of Mack Brown’s staff on the 2005 national championship team with Vince Young as quarterback.
Hauck was the 37th head coach in Montana history and led the Grizzlies to four national title game appearances (most recently in 2023), eight Big Sky Conference championships, 13 playoff appearances and 20 playoff wins – the third most in FCS history, according to UM.
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Hauck was the winningest active coach following the 2025 season and also racked up the most overall wins by a Big Sky coach (151) all-time and conference victories (86).
In his departing press conference on Wednesday, Hauck told the media that dealing with the major changes in college football over the past few years, such as the transfer portal and NIL deals, was the biggest factor in the decision to step down.
“Dealing with what college football has become is not always enjoyable as a head coach,” Hauck said, per 406 Sports. “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.”
Hauck also spoke of his love for the program and said he felt it was time for a change personally.
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“I love the Montana Grizzlies,” he said, per 406. “I consider this my football program. Whether that’s right or not, that’s what I have considered it. I think I’ve been a good steward of this football program. We’ve had a lot of success here. But 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.”
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Bobby Hauck steps down as Montana Grizzlies football coach
