Missoula, MT (Sports Network) - The University of Montana named Robin Pflugrad as the new head football coach on Thursday.

Pflugrad takes the reins from longtime coach Bobby Hauck, who last week left to take the head coaching position at UNLV. Pflugrad served as the wide receivers coach and assisted with the offense last season under Hauck and brings to the job 29 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level.

"Robin is the right person for the job. He has impressive credentials and will do an outstanding job leading the Montana Grizzly football team," said UM athletic director Jim O'Day in announcing the move. "This has been an opportunity he's been looking forward to for many years. There's no doubt in my mind he will continue to build on the success of the program."

Pflugrad will have his hands full in filling the shoes of Hauck, whose seven- year tenure as coach saw Montana rack up an 80-17 record and a Big Sky Championship in each of those seasons. The Grizzlies' regular-season success led to three appearances in the FCS title game, although, it dropped each of its title bouts, including this past season's 23-21 setback to Villanova.

"I am looking forward to the challenges of the job, and am excited to get on the recruiting trail," Pflugrad said. "We had a tremendous senior class at Montana in 2009 which needs to be replaced, and that will be a daunting challenge, but I look forward to that challenge."

The 52-year-old Pflugrad becomes the 34th head football coach at Montana and was previously the wide receivers coach at Oregon from 2006-08 prior to coming to Missoula in 2009. Pflugrad coached in the Pac-10 for 13 seasons with stints at Washington State and Arizona State as well.