Entering the 2023 football season, Bobby Hauck bet on himself.
And after leading Montana to its best season in more than a decade, that bet paid off.
Hauck entered last season’s Big Sky Conference championship campaign in a contract year. Following leading Montana to a 13-2 record that included its first league title and its first berth in the FCS national championship game since 2009, Hauck received a three-year contract extension flush with bonuses and huge earning potential, as announced by the University of Montana athletic department last week.
Hauck’s new contract went into effect on January 1 of 2024. The contract, which expires on January 31 of 2027, includes an increase in base salary from $221,813 to $265,000. He will receive a $50,000 retention bonus each April 1 that he remains the head coach at his alma mater, including on April 1 of this year.
Hauck signed the contract on January 19. Montana athletic director Kent Haslam signed the contract on January 22. UM president Seth Bodnar signed the contract on January 24. And Clay Christian, the Montana commissioner of higher education, signed the contract on January 25.
Hauck will receive a guaranteed bonus for his weekly media appearances on both the Grizzly Radio Network and through UM’s television agreement with Scripps Sports and MTN. The bonus is undisclosed. Hauck’s previous contract paid him $35,000 annually for his media guarantee.
Along with his media guarantees, Hauck will also receive a $500 per month stipend for his personal automobile. He will also receive a guaranteed bonus of for public appearances, attending Grizzly Scholarship Association events, and giving public speeches. That bonus is $40,000 annually. His previous contract paid him $20,000 annually for these appearances.
Hauck’s contract is also packed with annual performance incentives as well, including academic performance incentives. The academic bonuses are also given to Hauck’s assistant coaches.
Montana’s team cumulative grade-point average during Bob Stitt’s three academic years at the helm was 2.89.The past season, Montana had a cumulative team GPA of 3.31.
Other performance incentives in Hauck’s contract include:
- In each academic year, if the Griz achieve a GPA between 2.85-2.99, Hauck receives $4,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $500. Should the GPA be 3.00-3.09, Hauck receives $7,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $1,200. Should the GPA be between 3.10-3.19, Hauck receives $8,500 and 10 assistant coaches receive $2,200. Should the GPA be between 3.20 or higher, Hauck receives $10,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $2,500. Montana’s team GPA was 3.31 last semester.
- If the football program maintains a four-year average academic progress rate score of at least 950 as determined by the yearly NCAA APR report, Hauck receives $8,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $1,100. Montana’s APR last year was 965 and its three-year average is 977.
- If the program maintains a graduation success rate each year that is equal to or higher than the overall FCS rate for that same year as determined by the yearly NCAA federal graduation rate, Hauck will receive $8,500 and 10 assistant coaches will receive $1,100.
- If the most current APR report shows no “0-for-2” football student-athletes, Hauck receives $3,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $500. – Per the. NCAA APR handbook: “0-for-2. Under the APR calculation, a “0-for-2″ student-athlete is one who becomes academically ineligible and leaves the institution in a given academic term. These situations are the most damaging to a team’s APR because they are considered the worst academic outcomes.”
- If the Griz season attendance based on season tickets sold is 17,500, Hauck receives $5,000. If it reaches 18,000, Hauck receives $15,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $500. If it reaches 18,500 or 19,000, Hauck receives $20,000 and 10 assistant coaches receive $500. Payment is cumulative, and does not include comp tickets. Montana averaged 25,069 fans during nine home games las season and sold a program record 18,761 season tickets.
- If Hauck wins the Big Sky Conference coach or co-coach of the year, he’ll receive $5,000. He earned Big Sky Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time this past season.
- If Hauck wins the Eddie Robinson coach or co-coach of the year, he’ll receive $5,000. He was a finalist this past year.
- If Montana plays one or more FBS teams during the non-conference season, Hauck will receive $75,000, 10 assistant coaches will receive $2,500 and one strength and conditioning coach will receive $2,500. As of February 1, Montana does not have a FBS opponent scheduled in 2024, 2025 or 2026, which run under the length of the new contract.
- If Montana plays seven or more regular-season home games, Hauck receives $50,000, 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach all receive $1,000. UM has seven home games on its schedule during next year’s 12-game slate.
- If Montana defeats one or more FCS team during the non-conference season that has been a qualifier in the FCS playoffs within the past two years, Hauck receives $5,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach all receive $1,000. Montana plays at North Dakota this coming fall, a team that made the FCS playoffs in 2022 and 2023. UND lost in the first round of the FCS Playoffs to Sacramento State in December.
- If Montana defeats one or more FCS team during the regular season that is ranked in the FCS Top 25 in the AFCA or STATS poll at the time of the game, Hauck receives $2,500 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach will all receive $250. The Griz went 4-0 in games against ranked opponents during last regular-season.
- If UM wins nine games during the regular season and postseason, Hauck will receive $8,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach all receive $750. Should the Griz reach 10 wins, Hauck receives $11,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach receive $2,200. Payment is not cumulative. Montana has won at least nine games in nine of Hauck’s 12 seasons at the helm. The Griz have won 10 or more games eight times, including three of the last four fall campaigns.
- If the Griz win the Big Sky Conference regular-season championship or are co-champs, Hauck receives $12,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach receive $2,700. Montana has won eight Big Sky titles under Hauck’s guidance.
- If the Griz make the playoffs, Hauck receives $5,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach receive $1,000. Montana has made the playoffs 11 times under Hauck.
- If UM gets to the second round of the playoffs (whether by a first-round win or a bye), Hauck receives $3,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach receive $1,300. If the second-round game is hosted in Missoula, Hauck receives an additional $1,000 while the others receive an additional $200. UM hosted second round playoff games in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
- If the Griz advance to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, Hauck receives $5,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach receive $1,300. Should they host the game, Hauck receives an additional $5,000 while the others receive and additional $750. Montana hosted Furman in the quarterfinals of last year’s playoffs. The Griz played at Weber State in the quarters in 2019 and at James Madison in the quarters in 2021.
- If UM advances to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs, Hauck receives $6,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach receive $1,500. Should the Griz host the game, Hauck receives an additional $7,000 while the others receive an additional $2,000. The Griz have been to the FCS Final Four five times under Hauck, but just once in his second tenure beginning in 2018.
- If Montana advances to the national championship game, Hauck receives $15,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach all receive $1,500. The Griz have played in four national title games under Hauck’s guidance.
- Should the Grizzlies win the national championship, Hauck will receive $75,000 while 10 assistant coaches and one strength and conditioning coach will all receive $6,000. Montana last won a national championship in 2001 under Joe Glenn. UM is 0-4 in national title games under Hauck.
Hauck is 49-19 since returning to UM, raising his overall record at Montana to 129-36. He has more overall wins than any coach in Big Sky Conference history. He needs 12 more Big Sky Conference wins to surpass Jerome Souers, who complied 85 Big Sky victories in his 22 seasons leading Northern Arizona.
If Hauck replicated the 2023 season, he would make $517,500 including his bonuses for playing seven regular-season games plus his undisclosed media guarantee.
If Hauck was do duplicate last season and win the national championship, Hauck would make $592,500 plus his media guarantee.
And if he were to duplicate last season, win the national championship and play an FBS opponent, he would make $667,500.
