Northern names Andrew Rolin new head football coach

Christmas came a little early for the Montana State University-Northern football program, and for Andrew Rolin.

Thursday, Northern Athletic Director Christian Oberquell announced that Rolin, a native of Bakersfield, California, and a current resident of Libby, had accepted the head coaching job of the Lights. Rolin officially becomes Northern's fourth head coach since the school re-instated football just more than two decades ago.

"We got the guy that we really wanted," Oberquell said. "I'm excited. I think we got a steal in a football coach. He's the right guy for us at the right time. I think we are very lucky to get him, and he's going to be a game-changer for this program."

"This is an opportunity I've worked hard for my entire career," Rolin said Thursday afternoon. "I'm very fortunate for the opportunity to be the leader of the Lights. It's a great day for myself, my family, my wife and my daughter. We're very blessed and thankful."

Rolin, 30, spent this past football season helping the Libby Loggers, after he and his family moved to Libby to be closer to his wife, Jessica's, parents. Prior to arriving in Libby he coached wide receivers and was the recruiting coordinator at NCAA FBS San Jose State for four years. He also served as an assistant coach under Steve Sarkisian at the University of Washington.

Rolin's coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of San Diego. He was a graduate assistant at USD following a career playing quarterback for the FCS Toreros, where he not only helped the team win three Pioneers league championships, but also played for the great Jim Harbaugh, now the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

While at USD, Rolin met his wife, Jessica, who played volleyball for the Toreros. She also has an extensive background in athletics, including playing not only college volleyball but professionally as well. She also worked in the Stanford University Sports Performance Department, including becoming the first woman to ever be a strength and conditioning coach for an NCAA FBS football team while with the Cardinal.

Now, Rolin and his family will bring their talents to Havre, and to MSU-Northern. Rolin takes over a program that has struggled the past three seasons, winning just twice in that time, a time frame which also saw head coach Aaron Christensen resign with three games remaining in the 2017 campaign.

But from the start, Rolin was excited about the challenges awaiting him at Northern, and that's something that impressed MSU-N Chancellor Greg Kegel.

"Andrew brings a vibrance and an enthusiasm to the job that's just so impressive," Kegel said. "And what really stood out to me was his honesty and his acceptance of this challenge. He wanted this challenge. So I'm very excited about him and what he can do for our football program, and for our university moving forward."

Rolin was one of four finalists to interview for the head coaching position. Helena High's Tony Arntson, Great Falls native John Leister and former University of Mary linebacker Jeff Podzimek also had on-campus interviews for the job.

"We had a huge pool of applicants," Kegel said. "It really was an amazing group, but those four guys really stood out. Andrew was just so impressive. He brings a wealth of experience from some major programs and having worked under some incredible coaches. So he's been there and done that. And I feel like he has an incredible future in coaching ahead of him. He's going to go far in this profession, and we feel very fortunate to have him at this time."

Indeed. Now is the time for Rolin. And he's excited about his first opportunity to be a head coach, and the leader of a football program. But more specifically, he's excited to do that at Northern.

"It's the vision everyone at Northern has for the future," Rolin said. "It starts at the top. Mr. Kegel's vision and Christian Oberquell's vision, from the plans for a new stadium to everything on campus and in athletics, the future is very bright. And I have that same vision for the football program, so I'm honored that they thought I was the right guy. And I'm just excited and ready to get to work."