MISSOULA - The Montana Grizzlies picked up one experienced coach to replace another heading into fall camp this week.
Former Northern Arizona head coach Steve Axman has been named quarterbacks coach at UM replacing Ron Kowalski, who recently
retired.
The 58-year-old Axman brings a wealth of experience to the Griz program.
Two seasons ago he was at the University of Washington coaching wide receivers. In 2004 he was UCLA’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Axman also worked at Washington as quarterbacks coach from 1999-2002. He was the assistant head coach during his last two seasons with the Huskies. Axman came to Washington after working as the quarterback coach at Minnesota.
Prior to that he was head coach at NAU from 1990-97, guiding the Lumberjacks to a 48-41 record, making him the second-winningest coach in NAU history.
In 1989 Axman served as quarterbacks coach at Maryland. Prior to that he spent two seasons as offensive coordinator at UCLA. Before that Axman coached at Stanford (1986), with the Denver Gold of the U.S. Football League (1985) and at Arizona (1980-84).
Axman spent a year at Illinois, three seasons at Army and one season at Albany State. His first collegiate coaching assignment was at East Stroudsburg State in Pennsylvania in 1974.
In 2002 UW’s Cody Pickett became the first quarterback in Pac-10 history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season, totalling 4,458. Axman also has worked with the likes of Troy Aikman at UCLA, Travis Brown and Jeff Lewis at NAU, Marques Tuiasosopo of UW and Neal O’Donnell at Maryland.
“We are very fortunate to be able to bring in a coach of Steve’s caliber to work with our staff and our players,” Hauck said. “It is a tremendous opportunity for our quarterbacks to be coached by a man who has coached numerous NFL quarterbacks.
“At this stage of the game it’s great to have a guy with Steve’s experience who can come in, get off the plane and start coaching because he’s seen it and done it all,” Hauck said.
Axman gave Hauck his first full-time coaching job as an NAU assistant. The two also worked together at UW.
A 1969 graduate of C.W. Post, Axman earned master’s degrees from Long Island University in 1972 and East Stroudsburg State in 1975.
Axman and his wife - Dr. Marie Axman, an elementary school principal - have four daughters. The newest Griz assistant is a native of Huntington Station, N.Y.
Seems like a really good get. He doesn't have any Mike Price-isms, does he?
From the moment we leave the forest, Dan, it's all a givin' up and adjustin'.
Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. Sabrina, remove your dress.
i recall Hauck being pretty unpopular in Boulder for his special teams coaching under Rick.
""On a lonely planet spinning its way toward damnation amid the fear and despair of a broken human race, who is left to fight for all that is good and pure and gets you smashed for under a fiver? Yes, it's the surprising adventures of me, Sir Digby Chicken-Caesar!"
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That is a good get for Montana. His disastrous recent stint at UCLA probably was more a reflection on Dorrell than Axman. Not being asked to run an offense, he will be a godsend to the QBs Montana is grooming...
Kind of a position that transitions into retirement....
“It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance.”
Hate to say it MuchoGriz, but while his resume looks good, look at the timeline of it. He's taking worse and worse jobs with each job.
Seems like his career is digressing instead of progressing. That doesn't say a lot for him as a coach. Of course, I'm only looking at this from a "trend" perspective. I don't know a damn thing about the guy.
