Bob Stitt

Bob Stitt
Biographical details
Born (1964-05-04) May 4, 1964 (age 60)
Tecumseh, Nebraska, U.S.
Playing career
1982–1986Doane
Position(s)Running back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1987Doane (DB)
1988Nebraska Wesleyan (RB)
1989Northern Colorado (GA)
1990–1993Doane (OC/OL)
1994–1998Austin (AHC/OC/STC)
1999Harvard (OC/OL)
2000–2014Colorado Mines
2015–2017Montana
2018Oklahoma State (OA)
2019Texas State (OC/QB)
Head coaching record
Overall129–76
Tournaments1–3 (NCAA D-II playoffs)
1–1 (NCAA D_I playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
3 RMAC (2004, 2010, 2014)
Awards
2× RMAC Coach of the Year (2004, 2010)
D2Football.com SW Region Coach of the Year (2004)
Division II AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year (2004)

Robert Allen Stitt (born May 4, 1964) is an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Montana, a job he held from 2015 until 2017.[1] He previously served in the same capacity at the Colorado School of Mines from 2000 to 2014, compiling an overall record of 108–62.

Early life

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Stitt was born in Tecumseh, Nebraska. After playing football, baseball, basketball, and track at Tecumseh High School in Tecumseh, he played football as a running back at Doane College, receiving the All State College Offensive Player of the Year title in 1985.[2]

Coaching career

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Stitt is widely regarded in college football as an offensive innovator because of his modernized west-coast style offense. He first studied offense at the University of Northern Colorado under Kay Dalton,[3] receiving his master's degree there. He then returned to Doane as its offensive coordinator for four years, coaching three NAIA Division II All-Americans and 19 All-NAIA offensive players during this time. Stitt went on to coach at Austin College from 1994 to 1998, serving as the assistant head coach and the coordinator of offense and special teams, before taking a job at Harvard University as the offensive coordinator, where he set Ivy League records with a fourth place in total offense.

Colorado School of Mines

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In 2000, Stitt was hired as the head coach at Colorado School of Mines (CSM). In 2004, CSM won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) crown. That same season, quarterback Chad Friehauf won the Harlon Hill Trophy, the equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best player in NCAA Division II football. In both 2006 and 2008, CSM appeared in the Dixie Rotary Bowl, and they split the RMAC title in the 2010 season with the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Montana

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Stitt was announced as the 36th head coach of the University of Montana Grizzlies on December 16, 2014, to resurrect the Griz football program and take them back to the winning ways under which they played under coaches Joe Glenn, Bobby Hauck, and Don Read.

In Stitt's first football game as a Division I coach, Montana upset four-time defending FCS national champions North Dakota State 38–35 on a 1-yard run with 0:06 left on the play clock.[4]

National media appearance

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Stitt became known to people outside the CSM community, when Dana Holgorsen, the head coach at West Virginia University, gave him credit for the fly sweep play his Mountaineers team used to great success in the 2012 Orange Bowl.

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Rank#
Colorado Mines Orediggers (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) (2000–2014)
2000 Colorado Mines 2–8 1–7 9th
2001 Colorado Mines 7–4 4–4 5th
2002 Colorado Mines 7–4 4–4 T–5th
2003 Colorado Mines 6–5 4–4 T–4th
2004 Colorado Mines 12–1 8–0 1st L NCAA Division II Second Round 8
2005 Colorado Mines 6–5 6–2 T–2nd
2006 Colorado Mines 4–7 2–6 8th
2007 Colorado Mines 7–5 6–2 3rd
2008 Colorado Mines 8–4 7–2 T–2nd
2009 Colorado Mines 8–3 8–1 2nd
2010 Colorado Mines 9–3 8–1 T–1st L NCAA Division II First Round 19
2011 Colorado Mines 8–3 6–3 3rd
2012 Colorado Mines 6–5 4–5 5th
2013 Colorado Mines 8–3 7–2 2nd
2014 Colorado Mines 10–2 8–1 T–1st L NCAA Division II First Round 19
Colorado Mines: 108–62 83–44
Montana Grizzlies (Big Sky Conference) (2015–2017)
2015 Montana 8–5 6–2 T–2nd L NCAA Division I Second Round 14
2016 Montana 6–5 3–5 8th
2017 Montana 7–4 5–3 T–6th
Montana: 21–14 14–11
Total: 129–76
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

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  1. ^ Nuanez, Colter (November 20, 2017). "Bob Stitt out as head coach of Griz football". Skyline Sports.
  2. ^ Colorado School of Mines. "Head Football Coach". Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  3. ^ Wolken, Dan (October 30, 2012). "Bob Stitt's offense: A college football gold mine". USA Today.
  4. ^ Woo, Jeremy. "Montana upsets FCS No. 1 NDSU to open college football season". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
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