MISSOULA — Not many coaches enjoy winning more than Bobby Hauck.
And he’s still doing it. The former Montana Grizzlies’ head man is back in an assistant job, but he’s as hungry as ever.
Taking a job in San Diego comes with plenty of perks. But while the weather and beaches are nice, Hauck was drawn more to its defense. The coach with nearly three decades of experience joined San Diego State’s staff two years ago partially to learn the Aztecs’ unique style.
“If you’re not improving and learning, people go by you,” said the associate head coach and special teams coordinator. “And it constantly evolves. You can’t hang your hat on things you did last year, or five years ago, or 10 years ago, because everybody is studying, everybody works. They catch up to it.”
Hauck also can’t help but enjoy the success, a 22-6 record over the past two seasons.
“We’ve bullied the rest of the league the last two years since I’ve been there,” he said with a smile. “Winning championships is a lot of fun, as we all know.”
Griz fans and Hauck share fond memories of Big Sky Conference titles. In his seven seasons as the head coach in Missoula, Montana won at least a share of the conference championship each year, going 80-17, and advancing to the FCS National Championship game three times.
But he couldn’t match that winning tradition in five years at UNLV. He led the Rebels to a winning record in 2013, but left Las Vegas after struggling the next year.
“Going to a bowl game there, it felt like it was Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic. We were in uncharted territory,” said Hauck about his time at UNLV. “I really thought we were close to being able to make that a consistent thing. We just couldn’t quite get it done.”
Rumors swirled that Hauck might return to Montana two years ago. But he needed a few more lessons, and a fresh taste of winning to recharge his desire to become a head coach once again.
“If you would have asked me that two years ago, I’d have said I’m not doing it again,” said Hauck about wanting a head coaching job. “But now I’ve got the itch to do that again. It would be fun to put the band back together with maybe some new members. And go see if we can have the same kind of success we’ve had in the past.”
Two of Hauck’s daughters now attend San Diego State. His son, Robby, just graduated high school and signed to play safety for Northern Arizona next season.
