Tim Albin had just completed his third season as the head coach at his alma matter, Northwestern Oklahoma State, and it couldn’t have gone better. The Rangers won the 1999 NAIA national championship.
Albin was in his mid-30s. The program was in great shape, with multiple starters set to return the following season from a team that had gone 13-0.
But Albin wanted something more. He wanted to expand his knowledge, learn more about the profession and ascend the coaching ladder. So he took a job as a graduate assistant at Nebraska.
“We had a great run,” said Albin, who’s now the head coach at Ohio, which is set to face Wyoming in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Arizona Stadium.
“We returned 16, 17, maybe 18 guys. We were on a winning streak.
“But (it’s) just one of those things where sometimes to take 10 steps forward, you gotta take a couple steps back.”
Albin joined a Nebraska staff led by Frank Solich, who had just directed the Cornhuskers to a 12-1 campaign. Albin served as a GA, coaching tight ends, for three seasons. He then became Nebraska’s running backs coach and passing-game coordinator in 2003.
The Cornhuskers posted double-digit victories in Albin’s first two seasons in Lincoln before slipping to 7-7 in 2002. They finished the ’03 regular season 9-3 — at which point Solich was fired.
Albin was shaken.
“It was a tough time,” he said. “I just got my dream job. I was under contract for the following year. I was just at a fork in the road in what the next chapter was for myself, my wife, two little children at the time.”
Albin needed a pep talk. He needed some reassurance.
Fortunately, a colleague cared enough to provide Albin with support during his time of need.
Wyoming coach Craig Bohl talk to defensive end DeVonne Harris during the Cowboys’ Nov. 25 win game against Fresno State.
‘Back on track’
Craig Bohl also began his FBS coaching career as a graduate assistant at Nebraska, his alma mater. About 20 years later, he became the Cornhuskers’ defensive coordinator.
Bohl served in that capacity from 2000-02 before becoming the head coach at North Dakota State. He then became the head coach at Wyoming, where he’s about to finish his ninth season.
Although Bohl and Albin primarily worked on opposite sides of the ball, their jobs intersected when Albin ran Nebraska’s scout-team offense.
“Coach Bohl ... always took care of me,” Albin said. “He was just a great person.”
Bohl recognized that Albin was struggling after losing his job at Nebraska. His counsel proved to be a “very powerful thing” for an aspiring coach trying to figure out his next career move.
“I was heartbroken from the Nebraska exit,” Albin said. “Craig came to see me multiple times in Lincoln ... and really got me back on track.”
Bohl took an interest in Albin for two reasons: (1) He wanted to help a friend; and (2) he wanted to hire Albin at NDSU. Both were accomplished when Bohl named Albin the Bison’s offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
“He was really loyal to Coach Solich,” Bohl said. “I talked to him about how it was really important to stay in coaching and stay active in coaching. We had an opportunity for him at NDSU, which he took. It was a great experience for both of us. It was one year. I knew he was not going to be with us a long time, but he certainly helped our program. And I think that year also was refreshing for him.
“The one thing that you know when you’re coaching, there’s two kinds of coaches: those who are going to be fired and those who have been fired. We always get this message to our players, saying, ‘Hey, don’t get too down, stay in the fight’ — which Tim did.”
After a successful season in 2004 — the Bison’s first in Division I — Albin reunited with Solich at Ohio. Solich coached the Bobcats for 16 seasons, with Albin serving as his offensive coordinator, before retiring on July 14, 2021. Albin was named his successor that same day.
Craig Bohl hired Tim Albin to his North Dakota State staff after Albin lost his job as a Nebraska assistant.
Friends, foes
Albin again has a program on the upswing. After going 3-9 in his first season, Albin has led the Bobcats to a 9-4 record. With a victory over Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl, Ohio would notch its first 10-victory season since 2011.
Standing in his way: Craig Bohl, the man who gave him a needed nudge almost 20 years ago.
“He’s not only a friend of mine but a huge mentor,” Albin said. “He’s someone that I look up to, bounce things off of from time to time.”
Albin admires the way Bohl runs his programs. He finished his stint at NDSU with three consecutive FCS national titles. With the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bohl has led Wyoming — which isn’t the easiest place to recruit to — to six consecutive .500-or-better records.
“Integrity, toughness, physicality,” Albin said. “You treat people the right way. You don’t talk at people; you talk to them. That’s how he treated me and my family.”
Albin said he and Bohl share a blue-collar work ethic and a competitive streak. Both badly want to win the Arizona Bowl. In a recent video news conference, Bohl wouldn’t even reveal who the starter will be from his depleting running back room.
“We’ll keep Tim guessing,” Bohl said. “I’m not gonna divulge that. You’ll find out on game day.”
“He dresses up in a suit and tie, sharp-looking guy,” Albin said. “But he’s like (me). He drives a pickup truck. His teams are always tough.”
Bohl appreciates Albin’s enthusiasm. Bohl recalled a game in which Albin, who was calling plays for NDSU from the press box, ran down to the field after the Bison scored a touchdown.
“What the hell’s he doing on the sidelines?” Bohl wondered. “He was banging everybody on the shoulder. (Then) he ran all the way up to the top of the steps. We had to get the oxygen tank out. Otherwise, he may not have made it.”
Would Albin have made it in the profession without Bohl’s help? Things probably would have worked out. Albin’s other mentor, Solich, was out of coaching for only a year.
But the boost Bohl gave him is something Albin never will forget.
“I am forever grateful to Craig Bohl,” he said.
After upsetting No. 12 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Arizona Wildcats look to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2019, when they face Washington State on Saturday. Quarterback Jayden de Laura, who played two seasons for the Cougars before transferring, and safety Christian Young spoke to media on Tuesday.
