Power-5 Guys With Wyoming Football Ties
LARAMIE -- Before Mark Tommerdahl roamed the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, West Lafayette, Minneapolis, Lubbock and Berkley, among other stops, Al Kincaid gave him his first coaching gig in Laramie back in 1984.
He was a graduate assistant. That label didn't last long.
For 11 seasons -- four bowl appearances and three WAC titles -- Tommerdahl served as a recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach and offensive coordinator at Wyoming. He worked under Dennis Erickson, Paul Roach and Joe Tiller during his tenure on the high plains.
Tommerdahl will coach on the game's biggest stage Monday night when his No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs take on top-ranked Georgia in the National Championship game. He has been the special teams coordinator in Fort Worth for two seasons.
If you are still on the fence about who to root for, maybe this will help your decision? Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Let's take a look at other Power-5 coaches around the country who have ties to UW:
BIG XII
* Dan Hammerschmidt - Safeties - Oklahoma State
Served as the assistant head coach and led the receivers and tight ends in Laramie in 2009 under Dave Christensen.
* Scott Fuchs - Offensive Line - Kansas
Served as the offensive line coach at UW from 2014-18 under Craig Bohl.
* Steve Stanard - Linebackers - Kansas State
Served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Craig Bohl from 2014-16.
PAC 12
* Alex Grinch - Defensive Coordinator - USC
Served as a secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at UW from 2009-11 under Dave Christensen.
* Jim Harding - Offensive Line/ Assistant HC - Utah
Served as co-offensive coordinator, run-game coordinator and offensive line coach in Laramie from 2009-13 under Dave Christensen.
* Jake Dickert - Head Coach - Washington State
Served as a safeties coach from 2017-18 and was promoted to defensive coordinator under Craig Bohl during the 2019 campaign.
* Pete Kaligis - Defensive Tackles/ Assistant HC - Washington State
The longest-tenured assistant in UW football history, Kaligis served multiple roles -- offensive line, running backs, offensive coordinator, assistant head coach, defensive tackles and both offensive and defensive run-game coordinator -- during his 13 seasons in Laramie under Dave Christensen and Craig Bohl.
* AJ Cooper - Linebackers - Arizona State
Served as a defensive ends and special teams coach during his six seasons (2014-19) in Laramie under Craig Bohl.
* Bobby Kennedy - Wide Receivers - Stanford
Served as a wide receivers coach in Laramie from 1993-94 under Joe Tiller. Kennedy coached two of the best pass catchers in college football history, Ryan Yarborough and Marcus Harris.
BIG TEN
* Bart Miller - Offensive Line - Illinois
Served as UW's offensive line coach from 2019-20 under Craig Bohl.
* Craig Johnson - Running Backs/ Associate HC - Indiana
Served as a graduate assistant in Laramie in 1983 under Al Kincaid.
* Scottie Hazelton - Defensive Coordinator - Michigan State
Served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wyoming from 2017-18 under Craig Bohl.
* Ted Gilmore - Tight Ends - Michigan State
This former Wyoming wide receiver (1988-89) started his coaching career in Laramie as a graduate assistant from 1994-96 under Joe Tiller.
ACC
* Rocky Long - Defensive Coordinator - Syracuse
Served as a secondary coach and defensive coordinator in Laramie from 1981-85 under Al Kincaid.
* Darrell Wyatt - Wide Receivers - Boston College
Served as a wide receivers coach at UW in 1995 under Joe Tiller.
SEC
* Mark Stoops - Head Coach - Kentucky
Served as a defensive backs coach under Dana Dimel in Laramie from 1997-99.
* AJ Blazek - Offensive line - Vanderbilt
Hired by Craig Bohl in 2021. Left for Vanderbilt a month later.
* Jamar Cain - Defensive Line/ Run-Game Coordinator - LSU
Served as the defensive line coach and interim defensive coordinator in 2013 under Dave Christensen.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
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