(Editor's note: University of Montana media release)
MISSOULA -- Montana head coach Bobby Hauck has added yet another familiar face with deep Montana ties to his staff, naming former Grizzly undergraduate assistant and UM alum Dan Ryan as the program's new strength and conditioning coach.
Ryan - who also worked under Hauck at UNLV - comes to Montana from Idaho State, where he served as Director of Strength and Conditioning for all 13 Bengal athletic teams. Hauck introduced Ryan to the Grizzly players during a team meeting on Thursday.
A Big Timber native, Ryan received his bachelor's degree in Radio and TV Production from the UM School of Journalism in 2010 while serving as a student assistant under Hauck. He then earned his master's in Sport and Leisure Services Management at UNLV as a graduate assistant in the Rebel football program's weight room.
Ryan has overseen all strength and conditioning operations at Idaho State since 2017. He is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certified specialist, a USA Weightlifting Level 1 sport performance coach, and is CPR/AED and first aid certified.
"We're excited to welcome Dan back to campus. He has an extensive background in training football athletes, and I'm really enthused to see him begin his interaction with our team," said Hauck.
"The areas he emphasizes will help us make tremendous gains. Having coached with and against teams Dan has trained, I know our strength and conditioning program is in good hands."
Ryan's history with the Hauck family goes back generations in their mutual hometown of Big Timber, with his parents Kip and Jane teaching and coaching alongside Bob Hauck senior.
It was those long-time connections that Ryan says got him involved with Grizzly football during his time as a student and what bring him back to Missoula now.
"I'm very excited to be home. Montana is a special place for me. I graduated from here, I grew up here, I'm from the state, so it's a school that's always been important to me. It's a special place," said Ryan.
"I fell in love with the weight room because of the opportunity Coach Hauck gave me. I've learned you get to know the guys on a different level in there. I see them every day, year-round. I like the development, the mental game, and finding every way we can possibly get these guys one percent better."
In addition to his time at UNLV and Idaho State, Ryan also spent time training high school athletes at the Philippi Sports Institute in Las Vegas, helping develop speed, strength, power, and agility to prepare them for college athletics.
In his time as an undergraduate assistant at UM, Ryan helped lead the scout teams and assisted on special teams during UM's run to the 2009 national championship game.
Hauck, himself a graduate of UM ('87), has built much of his staff with coaches who hold close ties to the program. Five assistant coaches – Brent Pease, Justin Green, Chad Germer, Barry Sacks, and Shann Schillinger – played their college football for the Grizzlies. Ryan and offensive coordinator Timm Rosenbach also coached at UM in Hauck's previous tenue and followed him to UNLV.
Ryan is married to wife Jenny and has two daughters Nora and Josie.
The Ryan File
Hometown: Big Timber
Alma Mater: Montana '10 (B.A. Radio and TV Production), UNLV '12 (M.A. Sport and Leisure Services Management)
Family: Wife Jenny, Daughters Nora and Josie
Accreditations: CSCS, RSCC, USA Weightlifting Level 1, CPR/AED First Aid Certified
Experience
| 2017-20 | Idaho State (Director of Strength and Conditioning) |
| 2010-15 | UNLV (Asst. Strength Coach FB, WT&F, XC, MTEN) |
| 2006-10 | Montana (Student Assistant) |
