Arizona Bowl: Outgoing Wyoming coach Craig Bohl, his program have longstanding connection to Tucson

In a way, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl’s head coaching career started in Tucson — the same city where it will come to an end.

Bohl is set to retire after the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Arizona Stadium after 43 years coaching, including 21 as a head coach.

“When we were selected (to come to Tucson), for me personally, I was just ecstatic,” Bohl said. “There’s something about Tucson that has always felt really comfortable. Every experience we had here was right.

“On a smaller note, my first interview for the North Dakota State head coaching job was downtown Tucson, ,” said Bohl, who coached the FCS national power Bison for 11 seasons. “Coming back here is special.”

Tucson is, of course, no stranger to retirees; that apparently also goes for Wyoming head coaches tipping their Stetson one last time. Former Cowboys head coach Paul Roach also retired after a Tucson bowl game — the 1990 Copper Bowl.

Roach served as Wyoming’s head football coach from 1987 to 1990 after being UW’s offensive coordinator from 1962 to 1970. He was also the Cowboys’ athletics director from 1987 to 1996.

“Coach Roach meant the world to me and for him to be down here,” Bohl said of Roach also retiring after a Tucson bowl game. “I think our fans embrace it too.

“There’s some great tradition at Wyoming and to be mentioned in the same name with coach Roach,” he added. “I’m not like coach Roach, I don’t have his accolades. But, nonetheless, it was great to get to know him through the years and then for us to be back here it just seems right fitting for me — it’s my last game too.”

Roach led the Cowboys to back-to-back Western Athletic Conference Championships in 1987 and 1988 and two Holiday Bowls in addition to the Copper Bowl.

The Old Pueblo is certainly a familiar December destination for Wyoming. Of the Cowboys’ 19 college football bowl games, including this year’s, five have been in Tucson, at Arizona Stadium. In addition to 1990, The Cowboys also went bowling in Tucson in the 1993 Copper Bowl, while Bohl led them to the 2019 and 2022 Arizona Bowls as well.

Bohl called the Arizona Bowl a “phenomenal experience” for the Cowboys, citing the accommodations and the practice site; Wyoming has been prepping for Saturday at Kino Sports Complex, with Toledo at Salpointe Catholic High School.

“I’ve had a chance to be in about every bowl game there is,” Bohl said. “I’m convinced this bowl game has a really, really unbelievably bright future. I want to encourage all our conference members to really understand what is here.

“Just a great make up.”

Bohl was the first Wyoming coach to lead the Cowboys to three straight bowl wins and has most bowl appearances of UW coach.

Bohl started coaching win 1981 as a graduate assistant at Nebraska. As an assistant he also worked for North Dakota State, Tulsa, Wisconsin, Rice and Duke. In 2003 Bohl took over North Dakota State as head coach leading the Bison’s ascent to the Division Il level, and then winning three straight national championships.

Then Bohl moved to Wyoming, where he lead the Pokes to six bowls since 2014.

On Dec. 6 he announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 season.

“He’s definitely gotten a little lighter in the mood,” junior linebacker Easton Gibbs said of the last few weeks. “You can tell he’s kinda getting excited to hopefully go out with a win and ride off into the sunset. We’re excited for him as well.”

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Current UW defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel will replace Bohl.

In to the legendary Tom Osborne retiring and assistant Frank Solich taking over at Nebraska, Bohl and the Cowboys have a succession example. Bohl played at Nebraska before coaching there.

Bohl said in his last game, the 1997 Orange Bowl/National Championship Game, Osborne set the example to focus on the game.

“Coach Osborne gave me a really great, I guess lead in and I think many times coaches stay too long and (UW athletics director) Tom Berman and I have a great relationship,” Bohl said. “I joke with coach Sawvel around here ‘I’m still the head coach!’ he’ll laugh.”

Wyoming linebackers coach Aaron Bohl will take over as defensive coordinator, continuing a family tradition in Laramie.

“This was Jay’s choice and so Aaron earned this and he’s staying on his own two legs,” Bohl said. “He’s a bright coach and I’m very proud of him.”

Aaron Bohl played at Minnesota State University Moorhead before becoming a graduate as-sistant at Wyoming and then their linebackers coach.

“That’s awesome,” Gibbs said. “When I first got here he was a GA and then we kinda went through the process together where he went linebacker coach and then I kinda came up through him and now he’s DC, so it’s cool to see him go from that to where he is now and I’m super happy for him and his family.”

Extra point

The Arizona Bowl could have been one of the sites where new coach-to-player helmet communications, similar to what’s used in the NFL, would have debuted this bowl season. While Bohl didn’t say that Toledo was against it, but he did say both teams would have had to be on board to use the new communications technology that’s debuting elsewhere this bowl season. Bohl said Wyoming was disappointed to not use it but expects it to come to college football full time.

Bohl spent four years on the NCAA competition committee and said helmet comms devices have long been talked about, with the Southeastern Conference at the forefront in favor it.

The Cowboys have used it in practice.

“(UW grad student quarterback) Andrew Peasley had floated a call to Jordan Love, he’s with the Packers now, and said ‘man, it’s about time,’ he said it’s so much easier,” Bohl said. “I’m an old school guy but I’m also smart enough to know that I think all the challenges we have with the signs and screening and people now making accusations, it’s completely preventable and so I would be shocked if we don’t have that in full blown implementation next year.”

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