Montana Hauck's first season as head coach of Montana was in 2003, and over the next seven seasons, the
Griz won or shared seven straight
Big Sky Conference championships. While never winning a national championship, he is the fourth coach to guide Montana to the FCS Championship game. He took the 2004 team to the NCAA Division I-AA national championship game and the 2006 team to the I-AA semifinals. In 2007, he signed a one-year contract, rejecting a three-year deal that he was offered. On December 22, the
Las Vegas Sun reported that Hauck would be named UNLV's next head coach after completing a second interview earlier that day. UNLV announced on November 28, 2014, that Hauck had submitted his resignation to the team after going 15–48 in five seasons.
San Diego State On January 16, 2015, Hauck was hired as the
special teams coordinator for the
San Diego State football team. In 2016, Hauck was promoted to associate head coach.
Controversy and Return to Montana In 2017, a coalition of students, community leaders, and advocates in Missoula, Montana campaigned against the rehiring of Hauck. Spearheaded by then graduate student,
Lisa Davey, citing concerns over past player misconduct and the University of Montana's response to multiple allegations of sexual assault incidents involving the players during Hauck's previous tenure. The
non-fiction book
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by
Jon Krakauer was centered around these incidents. In spite of this community backlash, Hauck was rehired, and returned to Montana during the 2018 season. After starting his first season 6-5, the Grizzlies improved to 10-4 the season after. During Spring 2021 (shortened season due to COVID), the Griz went 2-0. They did not play in 2020. On September 4, 2021, Hauck and the Grizzlies defeated the #20-ranked
Washington Huskies, marking the fifth time ever an FCS team has beat a ranked FBS team, and the first time since 2014 that Hauck had defeated an FBS team. On February 4, 2026, Hauck announced his retirement.
Illinois On February 9, 2026, 5 days after announcing his retirement, Hauck was hired as the
defensive coordinator for the
Illinois Fighting Illini. ==Head coaching record==