BILLINGS — As Bobby Hauck finished packing his office at the Adams Center in Missoula on Friday, he put away the game ball that was presented to him after his first victory as head football coach at Montana: a 30-20 win on the road over Maine in the 2003 season opener.
The ball was given to Hauck by offensive lineman Dylan McFarland and defensive end Tim Bush as a keepsake. No one knew it at the time, but 150 more Griz wins would follow under Hauck's direction over the course of 15 years and two separate stops in Missoula.
It's a run that may never be duplicated at Montana.
WATCH: Changing landscape the reason for Bobby Hauck's retirement
That's why his decision to retire from the head coaching job at UM — announced last Wednesday to much shock and surprise around the state — came with a sense of gloom. But it also served as emancipation for a proud and determined man who has grown increasingly disgruntled by what college football has morphed into.
"Growing up where I did, going to school where I did, starting my coaching career where I did, I got to live a dream," Hauck, 61, told MTN Sports during a phone conversation late last week. "But you've got to have the balls to make these big decisions when the time is right.
"I was sitting in my office with my brother (Tim) this morning, packing some pictures up, and he goes, 'Tear in your eye or not?' I go, 'Yeah, 80% depressed, tear in my eye. But I've got 20% that feels like I just got paroled and I'm getting out of my cell.' I love this place, love this program, love Griz football, love Griz Nation ... but part of it is I've got to do my own thing.
"I've given the better part of two decades of my life to this program, and for that I'm grateful."
Related: Finding 'green grass,' Bobby Kennedy energized to lead Montana as new coach
The reason Hauck gave for stepping down was straightforward: The job wasn't enjoyable anymore — not with wide-open transfer rules and a lack of guardrails around athletes' ability to rake in untold sums of money from name, image and likeness deals.
The players are, in essence, running the show now. And that doesn't sit well for a coach who needs to be planted firmly in the driver's seat.
But even Hauck's distaste for the current climate couldn't quell the on-field success. In his second stint as coach from 2018-25, when the rules in college football were rapidly loosened, the Griz made the playoffs six times, went to the semifinals twice and returned to the FCS national championship game in 2023.
"And you know," he said, "we were probably two plays away from winning it all this year."
Rising to dominance
Hauck, who was born in Missoula and grew up in Big Timber, was probably a darkhorse candidate to become Montana's head coach when he sought the job as a special teams coordinator at Washington when Joe Glenn departed at the conclusion of the 2002 season.
But by all accounts he crushed the interview process and made himself the clear choice for then-athletic director Wayne Hogan and the decision makers.
Hauck was ultimately hired over Brian Kelly, who had just won a Division II national title at Grand Valley State.
A gamble by Hogan at the time? Maybe. But Hauck's organizational skills and his passion and vision for Griz football was pivotal to him earning that trust and support. And it proved to be a wise decision. In Hauck's first tenure from 2003-09, Montana went 80-17 overall and 47-6 in the Big Sky Conference, won seven straight league titles and appeared in three national championship games.
Between 2006 and 2009 — the four-year stretch before Hauck left to take over the program at UNLV — he guided Montana to a 51-6 record and lost just one Big Sky game. One.
His final overall record at Montana was 151-43, a winning percentage of .778. His teams made title-game appearances in 2004, 2008, 2009 and again in 2023.
Some games stand out more than others, for a variety of reasons.
"The one that really broke my heart is I think our best team — and I'm not the official historian of Griz football — the 2007 team that got upset (by Wofford in the playoffs) ranked No. 1 in the nation," Hauck offered. "In my estimation that was our best team, and maybe the best team in Grizzly history."
Only one thing is missing from Hauck's Griz résumé: a national championship. He had four tries to get it done. And that might sting even more now considering Montana State — "the neighbors," as Hauck would say — won the title a little over a month ago in Nashville, Tenn., after beating the Grizzlies twice in less than a month, including a 48-23 semifinal win in the first playoff meeting between the bitter rivals.
An interception return for a touchdown by Caden Dowler in the regular-season matchup in Missoula helped secure a 31-28 MSU victory, giving the Cats home-field advantage in the playoffs. It was an 87-yard touchdown catch by twin brother Taco Dowler on a third-and-long play in the fourth quarter that helped seal the semifinal 28 days later.
Those are the two plays Hauck mentioned that kept an otherwise 13-win Griz team from a shot at the title in 2025. If not for that? He might very well be riding off in the sunset with the championship he never did capture.
"Got there four times and could never win it," he said matter-of-factly. "That's bothersome. But I also have the perspective that we had great, great football teams. And the difference between winning and losing sometimes is a play or two. It's something that sticks with you, but I'm not a real regrets guy.
"I would have liked to win all of them, but we didn't."
A misunderstood coach?
The on-field success was dizzying. But was it always bright and rose-colored for Hauck? No.
There were serious off-the-field player incidents and allegations that reflected poorly on the program and the university during his first seven years, which Hauck acknowledged and owned up to upon his return in late 2017. There were also his quarrels with the media that at times portrayed him as abrasive and painted him in some circles as a villain.
The most public of those battles was Hauck's 2009 tiff with The Kaimin, the student newspaper at Montana, over its reporting of certain off-field allegations. The confrontation, such as it was, went viral and drew coverage from national outlets.
And then there were his terse answers to media questions that resulted in sometimes-laughably short press conferences, which left much to be desired in terms of acquiring legitimate information about the football team. But that was just Hauck's way.
Asked if he thought he was ever misunderstood in his role as head coach, Hauck replied:
"I don't know. I never worried about that. It was never an area of concern for me. I know I was never misunderstood by my players or coaches. They all knew where we were going and what we were doing. They all knew that I loved them, so that's what mattered to me. And to tell you the truth, the people that are around Grizzly football, they're all my best friends. So beyond that, I don't really give a damn. I think that's been painfully obvious."
He added: "Protecting the Griz shield ... I'm a third-generation alum. My kids are fourth-generation alums. I love this university. I love being a Grizzly. So protecting that Griz shield was no different than a mama Grizzly protecting her cubs. That was the way I was going to be.
"And sometimes when I'm protecting the shield, (a reporter) ain't getting an answer. Because you just weren't getting one. You know, I was like, 'Hey, you want to blame somebody, point it at me, man.' And I couldn't do it without putting somebody out on the street."
Montana's boosters and fans undoubtedly wanted Hauck to return as coach following the 2017 season, after he'd spent three years coaching special teams at San Diego State under Rocky Long. And they ultimately got their wish after previous coach Bob Stitt did not have his contract renewed. But it didn't come without some push-back.
Some community members opposed Hauck's return. An online petition was even circulated to prevent his rehiring. And make no mistake: Athletic director Kent Haslam did more than his due diligence on campus and around the community to make sure the decision to circle back to Hauck as coach was sound.
Hauck's second stint wasn't quite as successful as his first in terms of wins and losses, but it was seemingly a near spotless operation when it came to player conduct and their representation of the University of Montana. And it meant everything to Hauck to try to leave it better than he found it in the end.
He doesn't seem keen looking back and wondering if he should have done things any differently.
"You can't have paralysis through analysis," Hauck said. "You're going to make decisions and you're going to get criticized for them, and you're not going to either have the time or the ability to defend yourself. So you have to accept those things when you're in leadership role. If you can't, you shouldn't be in one. And that's everything when it comes to being a college head football coach."
Hauck and the Bobcats
If you're the head football coach at Montana, a major part of your legacy is how you fare against Montana State.
When Hauck first started, Mike Kramer was MSU's coach. Kramer welcomed Hauck to the rivalry by handing him a 27-20 loss in their first matchup in November 2003 on a frigid day in Bozeman. But Hauck went 2-2 overall against Kramer, and then beat Kramer's replacement, Rob Ash, in all three tries from 2007-09.
The second time around wasn't as fruitful. After he returned, Hauck won just twice in eight games against the Bobcats. That included some difficult moments for the Grizzlies — in particular a goal-line fumble going in for the winning points in the final seconds in 2018 and the two losses this past season. He never beat Jeff Choate. He had his struggles against Brent Vigen.
Hauck lived through some definite highs in the rivalry but also some crushing lows. In the end, he finished sub-.500 against MSU with a 7-8 record.
"We lost twice in a (month) span this year. That was pretty low," he affirmed.
Hauck, much to his own liking, became the perfect bad guy to which MSU fans could focus their animosity, whether it was due to his refusal to have his team stay in hotels anywhere within Bozeman proper, his reluctance to uttering the words "Montana State" or "Bobcats" — again, "the neighbors" was the preferred parlance — or his ability to regularly beat them with swagger in the early years when the Griz were making championship-game runs.
But there is a sense that Hauck respected the MSU program and the coaches and players he and his team competed against. And he definitely respected the rivalry. That feeling seems mutual in hindsight.
"I bet I heard from 20 former Bobcat players that are close friends of mine" after his retirement announcement, Hauck said. "It's always been about the competition, trying to beat their ass, them trying to beat our ass. But it was never something to lose friends over.
"I'll never forget when Mike Kramer got let go (in the spring of 2007). Don't be shocked here, but I was the first guy he heard from. And I've been in touch with (Vigen) the past few days. He's like, 'The rivalry makes us so weird. Now we can be better friends.' That's great. He's a great coach, a great guy. And I've liked all those guys over the years. All of them."
What the future might hold
What's next for Hauck? It should be noted that he is retiring from head coaching, not necessarily coaching altogether. And Hauck said his phone has been ringing.
If he does re-emerge on a football sideline, it will likely be in a role where he can focus on his forte — special teams — while not having to deal with the ins and outs of the transfer portal and NIL.
"I'm not a great sit-around guy, so I've got to do something," he said. "If it's football, I think I can provide value to somebody, whether that's the Sweet Grass County High School Fighting Sheepherders or the New York Jets, I can provide some value."
During this interview, Hauck was driving to a place of solitude: the Bitterroot River to do a little fly fishing with his brother Tim. It's a passion of Hauck's, rather famously. And his Montana roots brought that out of him.
But football has been his devotion. And that's difficult to shake.
"I don't know where in that spectrum that sits. I've had a few calls on doing some other things that are more in the business world and in the world of consulting," he said. "I've got some things there that I might do. But, you know, I like football. I know football. I like what football's all about. So I don't know what I'm going to do. But I do know that it's not going to be as a head coach."
Been there, done that already. And from that first win at Maine in 2003 to the 150 more Griz victories, eight Big Sky titles and four championship appearances that followed, Hauck did things on his own terms until he couldn't any longer.
But his love for the Griz will live on.
"No one cares more about the University of Montana or Grizzly football than me," Hauck said. "Maybe some care equally, but no one outdoes me."
