MISSOULA — Montana head football coach Bobby Hauck announced his retirement on Wednesday.
Montana wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy has been named head coach and will oversee operations of the program going forward. Hauck and Montana director of athletics Kent Haslam will address the media at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Hauck, a Missoula native who grew up in Big Timber, has coached the Grizzlies for 14 seasons over two terms. His second stint started prior to the 2018 season, included a trip to the FCS national championship game to conclude the 2023 season and a berth in the FCS semifinals this past season.
Hauck is the winningest coach in Montana and Big Sky Conference history. At Montana, he compiled an overall record of 151-43, including an 86-23 mark in league play.
His teams won eight Big Sky championships, reached the playoffs 13 times, and won 20 games in the FCS playoffs. The Grizzlies played in the national championship game four times (2004, 2008, 2009, 2023) but never won a title under his leadership.
Montana went 13-2 last season, with both losses coming to rival Montana State, including one in a historic semifinal meeting in Bozeman. The Grizzlies featured one of the best offenses in program history, totaling 6,855 yards of total offense and scoring 615 total points (41 per game).
Quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat passed for 4,070 yards and 33 touchdowns, Michael Wortham had 85 catches for 1,224 yards and 10 scores, and Eli Gillman rushed for 1,610 yards and 21 TDs. Ah Yat and Gillman both announced their returns for the 2026 season, while Wortham was a senior.
Hauck was also the head coach at UNLV from 2010-14, where he went 15-49 to bring his career record to 166-92.
Kennedy joined the Grizzlies' staff last August and coached a receiver room led by Wortham and Brooks Davis. A Colorado native, Kennedy has more than 30 years of coaching experience and won a national title with Texas in 2005.
Kennedy's resume also includes stops at Rice, Stanford, Iowa, Washington, Arizona, Wake Forest and Wyoming. This will be his first time as a head coach.
The Griz open their 2026 season Aug. 29 with a Big Sky game versus Southern Utah at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
Skyline Sports first reported Hauck's retirement early Wednesday, which MTN Sports confirmed. Montana officially announced the news in a press release.
