Rob Ash

Last updated
Rob Ash
Biographical details
Born (1951-07-09) July 9, 1951 (age 72)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Playing career
1970–1972 Cornell (IA)
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1976–1979 Cornell (IA) (assistant)
1980–1988 Juniata
1989–2006 Drake
2007–2015 Montana State
2016 Arkansas (offensive analyst)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1990 Drake (interim AD)
Head coaching record
Overall246–137–5
Tournaments2–4 (NCAA D-I playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
4 PFL (1995, 1998, 2000, 2004)
3 Big Sky (2010–2012)
1 MAC Northern Division (1981)
Awards
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2011)
3× PFL Coach of the Year (1995, 1998, 2004)

Robert W. Ash (born July 9, 1951) is an American former college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania from 1980 to 1988, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa from 1989 to 2006, and Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana from 2007 to 2015, compiling a career college football coaching record of 246–137–5. His record was 75–51–4 at the NCAA Division III level and 171–86–1 at the NCAA Division I-AA/FCS level.

Contents

Early life and playing career

Ash was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He played college football as quarterback at Cornell College of Mount Vernon, Iowa and earned Little All-America honors and First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a senior in 1972. Ash graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1973, earning an NCAA Top Five Award and an NCAA Post-Graduate scholarship.

Early coaching career

After a four-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Ash was hired in 1980 as head football coach at Juniata College, an NCAA Division III school in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. [1] After posting a 4–5 record in his first season in 1980, Juniata posted winning marks in six of the next eight campaigns. Ash finished with a 51–36–3 record as the Indians head coach.

Drake

Ash recorded a 125–63–2 record in 18 seasons at Drake, including four Pioneer Football League (PFL) championships. He was named the PFL's Coach of the Year in 1995, 1998, and 2004. Ash ended his tenure at Drake with five consecutive winning seasons.

Ash led the Bulldogs to 7–3 and 6–4 records in his first two seasons. After posting a 4–6 mark in 1991, Ash's Drake squads stood 30–8–2 over the next four years. His 125 wins stands as the most in school history.

Montana State

Ash was hired at Montana State on June 11, 2007. Ash's Bobcats went 6–5 in his first season as coach.

In 2009 Ash, was named second vice president of the American Football Coaches Association. Per AFCA tradition, Ash moved up to first vice president in 2010 and became president in 2011 before giving way to Harvard coach Tim Murphy the following year.

In 2010, Ash guided the Bobcats to a 9–2 regular season record, including a 7–1 mark in the Big Sky Conference. MSU defeated arch rival Montana 21–16 on the road to win the conference championship and an automatic berth to the FCS postseason. Ash was named the 2010 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.

In 2011, Ash guided the Cats to another share of the Big Sky Conference title, sharing with the University of Montana, and going to the NCAA playoffs. The Bobcats beat the University of New Hampshire by one in the second round before losing in the quarter finals to Sam Houston State. After the season, Ash was named the 2011 Liberty Mutual FCS Coach of the Year.

The 2012 season resulted in a one loss regular season for the Bobcats, and a share of the Big Sky Conference championship, their third in three seasons. Ash was named the Region 5 co-coach of the year for 2012 by the American Football Coaches Association.

Ash was fired at the end of the 2015 season.

Arkansas

On June 2, 2016, Ash was hired by Arkansas to be the offensive analyst for head coach Bret Bielema. He served during the 2016 football season. [2]

Championship Analytics, Inc

Rob Ash is employed as Director of Coaching Development. CAI is a company Coach Ash used while at Montana State during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. While still coaching at Montana State University Ash started pitching coaches about CAI after the 2014 season, he officially started working for CAI in January, 2017. [3] [4]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs TSN#Coaches°
Juniata Indians (Middle Atlantic Conference)(1980–1988)
1980 Juniata4–54–3T–3rd (Northern)
1981 Juniata6–2–16–1T–1st (Northern)
1982 Juniata6–44–3T–4th (Northern)
1983 Juniata2–81–7T–7th
1984 Juniata3–6–12–5–17th
1985 Juniata8–37–22nd
1986 Juniata9–27–2T–2nd
1987 Juniata7–36–3T–4th
1988 Juniata6–3–15–3T–4th
Juniata:51–36–342–29–1
Drake Bulldogs (NCAA Division III independent)(1989–1992)
1989 Drake7–3
1990 Drake6–4
1991 Drake4–6
1992 Drake7–2–1
Drake Bulldogs (Pioneer Football League)(1993–2006)
1993 Drake8–23–2T–2nd
1994 Drake7–33–23rd
1995 Drake 8–1–15–01st
1996 Drake8–34–12nd
1997 Drake8–32–33rd
1998 Drake 7–34–01st
1999 Drake7–42–23rd
2000 Drake 7–43–1T–1st
2001 Drake5–51–3T–4th (North)
2002 Drake5–61–34th (North)
2003 Drake6–61–3T–4th (North)
2004 Drake 10–24–01st (North)
2005 Drake6–42–23rd (North)
2006 Drake 9–26–12nd
Drake:125–63–241–23
Montana State Bobcats (Big Sky Conference)(2007–2015)
2007 Montana State 6–54–4T–4th
2008 Montana State 7–55–3T–3rd
2009 Montana State 7–45–34th
2010 Montana State 9–37–1T–1stL NCAA Division I Second Round 1111
2011 Montana State 10–37–11stL NCAA Division I Quarterfinal 77
2012 Montana State 11–27–1T–1stL NCAA Division I Quarterfinal 55
2013 Montana State 7–55–3T–4th2020
2014 Montana State 8–56–2T–2ndL NCAA Division I First Round 2020
2015 Montana State 5–63–5T–8th
Montana State:70–3850–23
Total:246–137–5
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

See also

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The 2007 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. In their first season under head coach Rob Ash, the Bobcats compiled a 6–5 record and tied for fourth place in the Big Sky.

References

  1. ↑ "Robert Ash Is Chosen As Juniata Grid Coach". The Daily News. Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. February 27, 1980. p. 2. Retrieved April 25, 2022– via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  2. ↑ "Ex-Montana State coach Rob Ash vying for Lamar job". Billings Gazette. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Coaching turning to analytics to make decisions".
  4. ↑ "Former Montana State coach Rob Ash hired at Arkansas".
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