Wyoming’s Craig Bohl named 2022 AFCA President

WACO, Texas — Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl will lead the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2022 as president of the organization. Bohl, who moves up from first vice-president, succeeds outgoing president Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern.

Bohl was elected president by members attending the Association’s 2022 Convention today.

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In addition to Bohl, the 2022 AFCA officers include first vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University, second vice-president Jeff McMartin of Central College (Iowa); and third vice-president Paul Winters of Wayne State University (Mich.).

Also serving on the Board in 2022: Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside University; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Neal Brown, West Virginia University; Sam Pittman, University of Arkansas; Tim Lester, Western Michigan University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; Michael Christensen, Carson (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee; and Scott Strohmeier, Iowa Western Community College, ex officio member and Junior College representative. James Franklin from Penn State University, Dave Clawson from Wake Forest University, Jamey Chadwell from Coastal Carolina University, Dana Dimel from UTEP and Brian Bohannon from Kennesaw State University are newly elected members of the Board this year. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.

Bohl completed his eighth season as the head coach at Wyoming, guiding the Cowboys to a 7-6 overall record and a victory in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He became the first Wyoming head coach to lead the Cowboys to four bowl games and the first to win three bowl games.

Bohl has led the Cowboys to a Mountain West Conference Mountain Division title in 2016. He has also registered three 8-win seasons.

Bohl came to Wyoming after 11 successful seasons at North Dakota State. Earning his first head coaching job with the Bison in 2003, Bohl guided NDSU to a 104-32 overall record with three straight NCAA FCS National Championships.

Bohl’s first title came in 2011 when the Bison went 14-1 and tied for the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship. They repeated in 2012 with the same 14-1 record, then in 2013 became the first undefeated FCS national champion since 1996 with a 15-0 mark.

Bohl was named AFCA FCS National Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2013. He also earned two AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and 2013.

Bohl was a defensive back at Nebraska who began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1981.

He went to North Dakota State as the defensive backs coach in 1984, then went to Tulsa as linebackers coach from 1985 to 1986. He joined the Wisconsin Badgers as a linebackers coach in 1987, then became a defensive coordinator at Rice in 1989. Bohl was with the Owls for five years before spending the 1994 season as the defensive coordinator at Duke.

He returned to his alma mater in 1995 as linebackers coach, then was named defensive coordinator for the 2000 season. He stayed at Nebraska until he was named head coach at North Dakota State in 2003.

Bohl was named to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2012. He has earned five conference coach of the year awards and two Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors during his 19-year head coaching career. Bohl was appointed to the 13-member NCAA Division I Football Competition Committee in January of 2017 and has also served on the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee.