News you can use

2019 Frontier Conference Football Preview Series: Head Coaches

Frontier begins life without legendary Mike Van Diest on the sidelines

For the second straight season, the Frontier Conference will have two new head coaches. But to both fan bases, the names will be ones they know.

Of course, the new Frontier football season will be one in which the name Mike Van Diest won’t be heard, at least from the sidelines anyway.

Van Diest, who is already an NAIA Hall of Famer, retired last winter after one of the greatest runs in Montana coaching history. And, there’s no denying, it will certainly be different each week around the Frontier without the legendary head coach stalking the sidelines for the Fighting Saints.

With Van Diest’s departure from Carroll, that leaves Eastern Oregon head coach Tim Camp as the longest tenured coach in the league, followed by Montana Tech’s Chuck Morrell. So, while there will be no Van Diest, but some fresh faces, in the Frontier this season, there’s still some Wiley veterans, too.

Here’s a quick look at each of the eight head coaches in the Frontier for 2019.

Tim Camp, Eastern Oregon

Tim Camp became the EOU head football coach in February 2008. During his time at the helm, Camp has compiled an overall record of 57-43. Sept. 10, 2016, on the road against Montana Western, Camp became EOU's all-time winningest coach (49) with a 35-23 triumph. Prior to becoming the head coach at EOU, Camp served as an assistant coach for the Mountaineers for two seasons. In addition to being the offensive line coach, Camp was also the recruiting and camp coordinator.

Before making his way to La Grande, Camp served as the offensive coordinator at Bucknell University and the offensive line and tight ends coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. From 1997 to 2002, Camp served as offensive line coach, recruiting coordinator, and strength and conditioning coordinator at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. In 2000, he was promoted to offensive coordinator.

Camp's collegiate coaching career began in 1996 at Western Oregon University, where he coached the offensive line, tight ends and special teams. Camp earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Oregon State University in 1995. He was a four-year starter on the offensive line for the Beavers and received all-conference accolades. After graduating from OSU, Camp signed a free-agent contract with the San Diego Chargers.

Camp and his wife, Janet, have two sons, Willie and Walker, and one daughter, Kali.

Chuck Morrell, Montana Tech

This year is Head Coach Chuck Morrell’s 10th year at the helm of the Oredigger football program and as a head football coach. Coach Morrell was named the Frontier Conference Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016, as well as being named AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. Montana Tech won back-to-back Frontier Conference titles while going 20-4 over the two seasons. The Orediggers won postseason home games and reached the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) Quarterfinals both years.

Morrell arrived at Tech from the University of South Dakota, where he served as the defensive coordinator in 2009. Prior to his stint at USD, Morrell coached at the University of Sioux Falls 1998-2009, where he served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. During his time at Sioux Falls, the Cougars played in five NAIA national championship games, winning three titles (2006, 2008, 2009). From 2006-2009, the Cougars were the most dominant program in the NAIA, with a record of 56-1 and their only loss in that span was in the 2007 national title game.

As a player at Sioux Falls, he was the leading tackler on the 1996 NAIA Division II national championship team. Coach Morrell, who produced 44 All-Conference and 11 All-American defensive players at Sioux Falls, has released numerous DVDs on his "uptempo 3-4 defense." He was recently inducted into the Cougar Hall of Fame.

Coach Morrell, who is a native of Bon Homme, South Dakota, lives in Butte with his wife Jen, and two daughters, Selene and Aleia.

Mike Moroski, College of Idaho

Mike Moroski is in his sixth year as head coach at the College of Idaho and has a 24-31 all-time record. He was named head coach in January of 2013 and led the Yotes through their "zero year" program, prior to the return to the field in September of 2014. His 2018 squad closed the season with a six-game win streak and ended the campaign ranked No. 22 in the NAIA — the highest national ranking in program history, with the six victories in both 2017 and 2018 marking the first back-to-back six-win seasons at the college since 1954 and 1955.

Moroski came to the C of I after three decades at UC-Davis — both as a player and a coach. As offensive coordinator 1993-2010, his schemes helped the Aggies to eight NCAA Division II postseason appearances, including three trips to the national quarterfinals and trips to the national semifinals in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2001. In 2000, his offense averaged 47 points per game, ranking second in Division II, while in 2001, his offense averaged 41 points and 511 yards per game, helping Moroski earn Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year honors. With Moroski serving as offensive coordinator, UC-Davis posted an overall record of 148-80, including a 98-32 record as a Division II school. Moroski coached every offensive group during his tenure at UC-Davis — quarterbacks (1987-88), wide receivers (1992-97), offensive line (1998-2009), tight ends (2010-11), and running backs (2012), while serving as the junior varsity head coach from 1989-91. He helped the Aggies in their move from Division II to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2003, with UC-Davis transitioning to the Great West Conference and and the Big West Conference.

A native of Novato, California, Moroski played quarterback at UC-Davis 1975-78. He and his wife, Cathie, have four children — sons Nate, Will and Ben, and daughter Emilie.

Ryan Nourse, Montana Western

Ryan Nourse begins his fifth season as head coach, and third straight season, after serving as the University of Montana Western Athletic Director (2013-2016). Before accepting the role as AD, Nourse was the head football coach from the Spring of 2011 through the Spring of 2013, where he led the team for two regular seasons. Nourse earned a Bachelor of Science in history and political science education from Western Montana College (now the University of Montana Western) in 1997 and a Master of Arts in professional education from Morningside College in 2007.

Before returning to his alma mater, Nourse served as the offensive coordinator at Morningside College in 2010-2011, his second stint at Morningside, where he also coached the quarterbacks and was the recruiting and camp coordinators. The offense ranked in the top-25 in total offense and scoring offense with Nourse at the helm. From 2008 to 2010, Nourse was the defensive coordinator at Truman State University in Missouri and served as the linebackers coach and the academic coordinator.

As a student-athlete at the University of Montana Western, Nourse was on the 1993 and 1994 Frontier Conference championship teams as a wide receiver. In 1994, he helped lead his team to the NAIA National Semi-Finals. His 1994 team in now in the Montana Western athletics hall of fame for their accomplishments.

A Libby, Montana-native, Nourse graduated from Libby High School in 1990. He is married to Tracy Nourse and they have two children; Olivia, 15, and Eli, 13.

Charlie Hall, Southern Oregon

Hall, the 16th head coach in the history of Southern Oregon University football, begins his third season with the Raiders after leading them to a Frontier Conference championship in his first. Hall needed only to make a short trek down the street after a highly successful run at Ashland High, where he had been the head coach since 2005. The 56-year-old went 94-44 with the Grizzlies while winning four conference titles, appearing in the state quarterfinals six times, the state semifinals twice and the championship game once. After stints as an assistant at six universities, he was voted conference coach of the year four times. Prior to his time at Ashland, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northern Arizona University 2001-05. His 2003 team led the Big Sky Conference in total offense on its way to a title, and he was subsequently named the NCAA Division 1AA Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Monthly.

He played and was a student assistant at SOU until 1983. After that, he served as an assistant at University of Washington, University of Idaho and University of New Mexico. He returned to Ashland as the Raiders' offensive coordinator 1996-97 under Jeff Olson, was offensive coordinator and receivers coach at University of North Texas 1997-98, and was a defensive coordinator under Jim Nagel at Ashland High 1998-2001.

Hall's wife, Jennifer, played volleyball at SOU from 1980-82 before graduating University of Washington. His son, Nicholas, is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and is the current head baseball coach at Ashland High, and his daughter, Cassandra, is an alum of Linfield College and currently works as a registered nurse in Beaverton.

Andrew Rolin, MSU-Northern

Andrew Rolin was introduced Dec. 21, 2017, as head football coach at Montana State University-Northern after spending most of the past decade coaching at both the FBS and FCS levels. He has served as an assistant at San Jose State University, the University of Washington, and the University of San Diego.

In 2016, Rolin served as the wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator at San Jose State where his wide receivers earned the best Yards Per Catch Average at SJSU since 2004 (14.0). In that time, he coached Tim Crawley who now ranks 5th in SJSU history in Career Receptions (151). Crawley was also a 2016 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award winner, William V. Campbell Trophy finalist and Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar National Semifinalist. Three of Rolin’s wide receivers earned single bests in receptions (Tim Crawley {55}, Justin Holmes {39}, Tre Hartley {33}).

From 2013-2015, Rolin served as the Running Backs coach at San Jose State where he coached second-team All-American all-purpose player and first-team All-Mountain West running back Tyler Ervin. Ervin would set a single-season school rushing record of 1,601 yards (2015). Ervin finished 11th nationally in rushing yards per game and would be the Houston Texans’ fourth round draft choice in the 2016 NFL Draft. Tyler Ervin is also the SJSU record holder for most Career All-Purpose yds. (6,146), and holds the single-game rushing record at San Jose State with 300 yards. against Fresno State in 2015. The 2009 University of San Diego graduate majored in business administration. He began his coaching career that same year at his alma mater. Rolin coached the team's running backs for three seasons. In that time, three Torero running backs received All-Pioneer League post-season honors, including Kenn James who was ranked 2nd nationally (FCS) in All-Purpose yards. in 2011. As a player, the Rancho Cordova, Calif. native was a quarterback on the 2005 through 2008 USD teams that won three conference championships and had a 40-6 win-loss record. In that time he played for both head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Ron Caragher.

In 2017, Rolin served as the Offensive Coordinator at Libby HS in Libby, MT. He and his wife, Jessica, a two-time All-West Coast Conference volleyball setter and former Athletic Performance Coach at Stanford University, reside in Havre. The Rolin’s have two children: daughter Payton, 2, and son Bo William who was born last November in Havre.

Troy Purcell, Carroll College

Troy Purcell became the 21st football coach at Carroll College on Dec. 7, 2018. Purcell, who played for the Fighting Saints, comes to the helm for the Saints after being an assistant at the University of Idaho under Paul Petrino. Purcell coached in multiple roles, beginning with coaching the inside linebackers, then tight ends and finally becoming the team's special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. As the head coach of the Bozeman Hawks 2005-2016, Purcell guided the Hawks to three Class AA state championships in 2010, '13 and '15. Prior to that, Purcell coached the Blue Ponies of Havre High School to a run of success. At Havre, Purcell posted a 40-13 record and also broke a championship drought with a title in 2004. Havre's last championship prior to that came in 1970. The Blue Ponies made four playoff appearances and twice went to the semifinals, with two Central championships as well as a state runner-up finish under Purcell. He started his Montana coaching career in Eureka for Lincoln County High in 1994, serving as the Lions' head coach until 1999. There he went 32-23, won three District 6 championships and made the playoffs six times.

He cracked into coaching in 1991 at Regis High in Stayton, Oregon. He posted a 22-9 record there and won two Tri-River Conference championships while once being named the Tri-River Coach of the Year.

Purcell prepped at Capital High, playing football for the Bruins, becoming an All-State selection in 1985 and all-conference in 1984 and '85. Purcell and his wife, Krista, have one daughter, Brooklyn. Purcell received a degree in elementary education and health enhancement from Carroll College in 1990. He obtained a master's degree in learning development from Montana State-Northern in 2010.

Chris Stuztriem, RMC

Chris Stutzriem was hired as the 18th head football coach of the Battlin' Bears in December of 2018. Stutzriem is returning to Rocky after serving as an assistant at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, a NCAA Division II program, for the past season. Prior to that, he served two years as the Rocky Mountain College offensive coordinator under Petrino. Stutzriem first came to Rocky after spending three seasons as the offensive coordinator at William Penn University.

Stutzriem had a successful career as a college quarterback. He played at NCAA Division I programs Wyoming and Indiana State University, before finishing the final year of his career at NAIA powerhouse Morningside College (Sioux City, Iowa). He started 20 games during his college career and threw for nearly 3,800 yards and 36 touchdowns. At Wyoming, where he started the team’s final four games and even helped the Cowboys win 13-7 at Tennessee, Stutzriem was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week. After being named honorable mention to the MWC All-Freshman team, he transferred to FCS Indiana State. Stutzriem received a Master’s of business leadership degree from William Penn in 2012. A native of Lawton, Okla., he played high school football at Eisenhower High School, where he earned all-state as a senior and was ranked the No. 1 quarterback in the state.

 

Reader Comments(0)