Husky-Beater Hauck Lasts Just 4 Games at Illinois

In Montlake, Bobby Hauck will be remembered not only as a former University of Washington defensive backs coach for Rick Neuheisel, but also as the guy who dealt the Huskies' their most embarrassing modern-day defeat.

Sunday proved to be a far less memorable day for him as the Montana native parted ways as the defensive coordinator for Illinois after just four games, in particular a rough afternoon in which his defenders allowed 42 points and 518 yards of total offense to Ohio State.

Illini coach Bret Bielema said Hauck called for a meeting and they mutually agreed a change was needed.

"Coach Hauck reached out to me early this morning and asked to meet ahead of our planned meeting time," Bielema said in a statement. "We met and mutually agreed that a change in leadership was in the best interests of our defense. Coach Hauck and I agreed this is the best path forward for our staff, and most importantly, our student-athletes, at this time."

Hauck, 62, had surprised the college coaching ranks by retiring in February following a second stint at Montana and then immediately accepting the Illinois defensive coordinator position.

Montana coach Bobby Hauck acknowledges Grizzlies fans after upsetting the UW in 2021. | USA TODAY Sports

He apparently decided Big Ten football wasn't for him after his defense gave up 23, 31, 10 and those 42 points as the Illini won two of their first four outings.

While he played for four FCS national championships and came up short each time, most recently in 2023, Hauck's most satisfying coaching moment likely would be leading the Grizzlies to a 13-7 upset of 20th-ranked Washington at Husky Stadium in 2021.

The outcome played a large part in an unexpected UW slide to a 4-8 record, the in-season firing of coach Jimmy Lake and considerable embarrassment around Seattle.

In upsetting the UW in 2021, Bobby Hauck's Montana team came up with a big defensive effort. | USA TODAY Sports

Hauck coached two different stints at Montana, in 2003-09 and 2018-25, and also served as the UNLV coach in 2010-14.

Coaching for the Huskies, Hauck arrived with Neuheisel and shared in a 2001 Rose Bowl win over Purdue and quarterback Drew Brees, as well as a pair of Holiday Bowl appearances and a trip to the Sun Bowl.

When leaving Montana for the second time, he offered a fairly candid assessment of the drawbacks of being a current college head coach.

"Dealing with what college football has become is not always enjoyable as a head coach," Hauck said. "I just haven't been enjoying it enough. I want to enjoy my career and my job. A lot of the head coach stuff in current day, Division I college football is not enjoyable.

"Dealing with agents and the transient nature of this and the lack of forward thinking by young people -- which it's never been a strong suit for centuries for young people, but now when they've got adults pushing them and pulling them in different directions -- I kind of got tired of all that."

At some point, Hauck might have some thoughts about being a Big Ten defensive coordinator, albeit for a very brief amount of time.

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