Wyoming Football Announces Gordie Haug as 10th Assistant Coach Under New NCAA Rules

Oct 1, 2016; Fort Collins, CO, USA; Wyoming Cowboys director of recruiting Gordie Haug against the Colorado State Rams at Hughes Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Rams 38-17. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics

by staff–9 Jan ’18

University of Wyoming head football coach Craig Bohl announced on Tuesday the addition of a 10th assistant coach on the Cowboy staff.  The addition was made possible by a new NCAA rule that allows Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams to expand their full-time coaching staffs by one coach from nine to 10.

Current football staff member Gordie Haug will be UW’s 10th assistant coach.  Haug, who has directed the recruiting efforts for Wyoming Football in the previous four years of the Bohl era, will now coach the Cowboy running backs.

“Gordie Haug will assume the position of tailback coach, and Mike Bath will take on the added role of coaching our tight ends, as well as continuing to coach our fullbacks,” said Bohl.  “Gordie will continue to do off-campus recruiting, so he will still be actively involved in our recruiting efforts.  Justin Mesa will take on additional responsibilities as the director of our recruiting operation.”

Haug has experience coaching running backs, having held a similar position at North Dakota State in 2012 and ‘13 as a member of Bohl’s staff at NDSU.  Haug also previously coached the Cowboy wide receivers for the 2015 season.

In April 2017, the NCAA approved the addition of a 10th assistant coaching position for FBS schools.  The first day the 10th assistant coach could be added was Jan. 9.

Wyoming Football is coming off an 8-5 record in 2017 and concluded the season with a 37-14 victory in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl over Central Michigan.  The Cowboys won eight games for the second consecutive season in 2017, marking the first time they had accomplished that since the 1997 and ‘98 seasons, and appeared in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since the 1987 and ‘88 seasons.