Montana football: Rosenbach returns to lead Griz offense

When Bobby Hauck was introduced as the Grizzlies' 37th head football coach, he made recruiting the state of Montana one of his top priorities – and he wasn't just referring to the student-athletes.

Having already retained three assistant coaches with deep ties to UM, Hauck has added another coach with Montana roots to his staff, bringing back Timm Rosenbach as the Grizzlies' offensive coordinator.

"Timm brings a wealth of experience and a long, distinguished football background. Our players will benefit from being around him every day," said Hauck. "Coach Rosy has a complete and intimate understanding of what we want to do and what we need to do here at Montana. He is a good person and a great football coach."

Rosenbach returns to lead Montana's offense for the second time in his career after serving as the OC for one season in 2012. In that season, the Griz operated the No. 14 offense in the FCS, averaging over 452 yards per game.

His Montana roots run deeper than that, however, having played two years of high school football at Missoula Hellgate while his father Lynn was an assistant coach at UM in the early 1980s.

"Once you're in Missoula, it's always in your blood. It's a cool place, the people are awesome, and the football is some of the best anywhere," said Rosenbach. "Very seldom in your adult life do you get an opportunity to come back to a place you love so much and get a chance to work to try to make the place better."

The former Heisman candidate quarterback at Washington State and NFL veteran also served as Hauck's offensive coordinator at UNLV in 2013 and 2014 before taking over as the head coach at Division-II Adams State from 2015 - 2017 season.

"Over the last five years working for Bobby and as a head coach, I probably learned more coaching in those years than up to that point," Rosenbach added.

"You don't take a job like this if you're not ready to bow up and compete. I'm excited to be working for a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for at a place I think is second to none. As a competitor, what else would you want from the expectations and level of competition here at Montana?"

I his playing days at WSU, Rosenbach finished seventh in the 1988 Heisman Trophy voting. He earned an All-America honorable mention after setting single-season program records for total offense (3,422), passing yards (3,097), and touchdown passes (24) in his final season.

"Coach Rosy" began his coaching career as the quarterback coach at NAIA St. Ambrose in 1999 after nearly a decade of productive, but injury-riddled seasons of professional football.

He then made his first foray into the Big Sky Conference as an assistant at Eastern Washington in 2000 and took over as the Eagle's offensive coordinator from 2001-2002. As the OC, Rosenbach led EWU to the nation's top overall offense in 2001 (514.5 yards per game) and orchestrated a 30-21 win over the Griz in 2002 with 541 yards of total offense.

After two successful seasons at Eastern Washington, Rosenbach returned to his alma mater to serve as the quarterback coach at Washington State from 2003-2007.

In his first year at WSU, the Cougars went 10-3, finishing at No. 9 in the final AP poll with a 28-20 win over Vince Young and No. 6 Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Under Rosenbach's tutelage, quarterback and Havre, Mont., native Matt Kegel threw for 2,947 yards and 21 touchdowns as an All-Pac-10 second team selection.

Rosenbach also coached Cougar great Alex Brink who was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2008 and played four more seasons in the CFL after setting several WSU school passing records. Brink was also a two-time Wuerffel Trophy finalist, honoring the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement.

After a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator at New Mexico State, Rosenbach returned to Missoula in 2012. He then went on to Las Vegas, and was the offensive coordinator for Hauck's UNLV Rebels.

In his first season with UNLV, the Rebels advanced the Heart of Dallas Bowl, their first bowl appearance since in 15 years and the team's only appearance this century. Rosenbach's offensive unit tallied the second-most points in school history that season, as quarterback Caleb Herring set a UNLV season-record by completing 63 percent of his pass attempts.

As the head coach at Adams State from 2015-2017, The ASU Grizzlies engineered the biggest comeback in NCAA history in a 52-51 double-overtime game against Western State, trailing 42-6 in the second quarter.

Rosenbach holds a bachelor's degree from Washington State in social sciences. He and his wife Kim Exner (a former professional volleyball player) have two daughters, Reece Tammy and Lane.