Rob Ash
Encyclopedia
Robert W. "Rob" Ash is an college football
coach, currently the head coach at Montana State University
, and the current president of the American Football Coaches Association
.
Ash was hired at Montana State on June 11, 2007, replacing former coach Mike Kramer
. Ash previously spent 18 seasons as the head football coach of the Drake University Bulldogs
. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa
.
Through the 2011
regular season, Ash's career FCS record is 139–66–1. In 31 years as a head coach, Ash's overall record is 214–118–5. His 214 victories rank in the Top 20 for active college football coaches. His Division III coaching record is 75–51–4.
at Cornell College
of Iowa
and earned Little All-America honors and First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a senior in 1972. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1973, earning an NCAA Top Five Award and an NCAA Post-Graduate scholarship.
, Ash was hired as head coach at Division III Juniata College
in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
. 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 Eagles head coach.
championships. He was named the Pioneer Football League's Coach of the Year in 2004, 1998 and 1995. 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.
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
. According to AFCA tradition he would move up to first vice president in 2010 and president in 2011.
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 league championship and an automatic berth to the FCS postseason. Ash was named the 2010 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach, currently the head coach at Montana State University
Montana State Bobcats football
The Montana State Bobcats football program competes in the Big Sky Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision for Montana State University. The program began in 1897 and has won three national championships...
, and the current president of the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
.
Ash was hired at Montana State on June 11, 2007, replacing former coach Mike Kramer
Mike Kramer
Michael David Kramer is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Idaho State University of the Big Sky Conference. Kramer was previously the head coach at two other schools in the conference: Eastern Washington University and Montana State...
. Ash previously spent 18 seasons as the head football coach of the Drake University Bulldogs
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
.
Through the 2011
2011 Montana State Bobcats football team
The 2011 Montana State Bobcats football team represents Montana State University – Bozeman in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bobcats are led by fifth-year head coach Rob Ash and play their home games at Bobcat Stadium, a recently expanded outdoor facility on the south end of...
regular season, Ash's career FCS record is 139–66–1. In 31 years as a head coach, Ash's overall record is 214–118–5. His 214 victories rank in the Top 20 for active college football coaches. His Division III coaching record is 75–51–4.
Playing career
Ash was a quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and earned Little All-America honors and First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a senior in 1972. He 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 materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Ash was hired as head coach at Division III Juniata College
Juniata College
Juniata College is a private liberal arts college located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It is named after the Juniata River — one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. In 1876 it became the first college founded by the Church of the Brethren and has been co-educational since...
in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, west of Harrisburg, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of...
. 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 Eagles head coach.
Drake
Ash recorded a 125–63–2 record in 18 seasons at Drake, including four Pioneer Football LeaguePioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
championships. He was named the Pioneer Football League's Coach of the Year in 2004, 1998 and 1995. 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 in the wake of a scandal at Montana State that resulted in the firing of Kramer, who coached the Bobcats the previous seven seasons. Kramer's contract was terminated by MSU administrators in May 2007 due to off-the-field incidents that included drug and murder charges involving current and former players.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
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
. According to AFCA tradition he would move up to first vice president in 2010 and president in 2011.
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
2010 Montana Grizzlies football team
The 2010 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana – Missoula in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Grizzlies, charter members of the Big Sky Conference, were led by first-year head coach Robin Pflugrad and played their home games on campus at...
21–16 on the road to win the league championship and an automatic berth to the FCS postseason. Ash was named the 2010 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.