Ronnie Bradford
Defensive Coordinator / Safeties
Ronnie Bradford, a former 10-year NFL defensive back who has 15 years of coaching experience in the NFL and collegiately, joined the Montana staff as its new cornerbacks coach in the spring of 2021.
Prior to arriving at Montana, Bradford spent three seasons as the secondary coach at USC (2016-18), where he helped the Trojans assemble one of the nation’s top defensive backfields.
In 2017, USC had 16 interceptions (13 by defensive backs) to rank 19th nationally. Safety Marvell Tell III made All-Pac-12 first team. USC played in the 2017 Cotton Bowl.
In 2016, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson won the Thorpe Award, was a consensus All-American first teamer, was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was an NFL Draft first round pick, while safety Leon McQuay III was an NFL Draft sixth rounder. USC had 14 interceptions, all by defensive backs and limited opponent passers to just a 56.9% completion rate. USC played in the Rose Bowl.
Before his time at USC, Bradford spent three seasons (2013-15) as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Louisiana Tech.
In 2015, Louisiana Tech cornerback Bryson Abraham ranked 14th nationally in passes defended and he scored 4 defensive TDs, while the Bulldogs blocked 4 kicks, seventh best in the nation, and played in the New Orleans Bowl. In 2014, Louisiana Tech ranked first nationally in interceptions with 26 and 26th in pass efficiency defense, and also blocked 3 kicks and was 12th in kickoff returns while winning the Conference USA West Division and the Heart of Dallas Bowl. In 2013, the Bulldogs were 13th in interceptions with 18 and 30th in pass efficiency defense while also ranking seventh in punt return defense.
Bradford was the safeties coach for Memphis in 2011.
He was a defensive administrative assistant at California in 2010. The Golden Bears were 13th nationally in sacks, 18th in total defense and 21st in pass defense.
Before coaching in college, Bradford spent 7 years as an NFL assistant, the first six (2003-08) with the Denver Broncos and 2009 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the Broncos, he was a special teams assistant in 2003, the special teams coach in 2004 through 2006, a defensive backs assistant in 2007 and the defensive backs coach in 2008. As the special teams coach, he worked with kicker Jason Elam, who had the NFL’s third most field goals and points from 2003-06, and as the defensive backs coach, he coached NFL standouts Champ Bailey and Dre Bly.
He was a defensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009.
Bradford played 10 seasons in the NFL as a defensive back with the Broncos (1993-95), Arizona Cardinals (1996), Atlanta Falcons (1997-2001) and Minnesota Vikings (2002). In his career, he played in 136 games (99 starts), getting 523 tackles, 14 interceptions (with 1 TD), 70 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He intercepted a pass in Super Bowl XXXIII as a member of the 1998 NFC titlist Falcons.
Bradford was 4-year letterman cornerback (1989-92) at Colorado, starting for 2 seasons and being named All-Big 8 first team as a 1992 senior. As a sophomore, he was a member of the Buffaloes’ 1990 national championship team and his block of Notre Dame’s PAT attempt in the final minutes of the Orange Bowl preserved CU’s 10-9 victory.
He graduated from Colorado in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in communication. He prepped at Adams City High in Commerce City (Colo.). He has 3 children: Tony, Kaylee and Justin.
Mike Linehan
Defensive Line
University of Montana head coach Bobby Hauck announced Tuesday, Feb. 28, that Mike Linehan has joined the program as the Grizzlies’ next defensive line coach.
Linehan comes to Montana after spending three years as a graduate assistant on the defensive line at San Diego State, helping the Aztecs produce one of the most constantly strong fronts in the Mountain West Conference.
With his move to Montana, he returns to the Northwest, the place he began his collegiate career as a player and a place with deep family ties.
Linehan began his playing career at Idaho, the alma mater of his father and long-time NFL coach Scott Linehan. His brother Matt Linehan is also an Idaho alum and is the Vandals’ current wide receivers coach.
After three years playing at Idaho, Mike transferred to North Texas for his final two seasons of eligibility in 2018 and 2019 before starting his coaching career at San Diego State.
“Mike has a great background in football and a great background in a couple different systems. I really like his enthusiasm for coaching the D-line. He's technically sound and understands what we want to get done,” said Hauck.
“He also comes from a family of Idaho Vandals, so we’re excited to get a Griz out of that group.”
In three years helping coach the San Diego State D-Line, the Aztecs were one of the top three teams in the Mountain West against the rush and in total defense.
In his first two seasons as a GA at SDSU the Aztecs led the league in rush defense, allowing an average of just over 98 yards per game on the ground in 2020 and just over 80 yards per game in 2021. In 2022 the Aztecs were second in the conference in rush defense at an average of 113 yards per game.
As a linebacker at North Texas, Linehan totaled 20 tackles in 22 games and helped the Mean Green advance to the New Mexico Bowl. At Idaho, he saw action in 21 games for the Vandals and set a career mark in solo tackles with five in 2016’s season-opening win over Montana State. That year he also helped the Vandals defeat Colorado State 60-51 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to cap a 9-4 season, their best as an FBS member.
He graduated from North Texas with a degree in integrative studies and earned his masters from San Diego State in liberal arts and sciences.
“I’m excited to join a program with such a rich tradition of winning, and it’s great to be back in the Pacific Northwest,” Linehan said.
“I’m also excited to work with a group that has a lot of experience and is eager to play. I can’t wait to get rolling.”
Linehan replaces long-time defensive coach and Montana alum Barry Sacks who retired from coaching football after 42 seasons.
Montana opens spring practices on March 1, with the annual spring game set for April 7 at 6 p.m. in Missoula. Tickets to the spring game are available now at GrizTix.com.
Roger Cooper
Linebackers
Montana head football coach Bobby Hauck has added more Big Sky Conference coaching experience to his already veteran staff, with Roger Cooper joining the program as UM’s new safeties coach, Grizzly Athletics announced March 21.
Cooper returns to the state of Montana after spending 10 years at Idaho State, where he most recently served as the associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebacker coach under Rob Phenicie.
“We’re really excited that “Coop” is joining us here at Montana. He’s a guy I’ve had my eye on for a long time, maybe even since he was a senior at South Kitsap High School. We should have recruited him when I was at Washington,” said Hauck.
“I've known him for many years and have a really high regard for his abilities as a coach and who he is as a person.”
Instead of Washington, Cooper would go on to be an All-American linebacker at Montana State. He then began his coaching career at Bozeman High School before serving as a graduate assistant for the Bobcats in 2011.
He began coaching at ISU the following year when he was hired by long-time Big Sky coach Mike Kramer to lead the Bengals’ running backs, eventually working his way up to defensive coordinator in 2018.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the staff at Montana and am excited to learn the traditions here and everything that has helped make this place successful,” said Cooper.
“It’s really a blessing to be here.”
At Idaho State, Cooper mentored some of the top linebackers in the Big Sky Conference, including the league’s 2014 Freshman of the Year and three-time all-conference pick Mario Jenkins.
Jenkins, who finished fourth in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award given to the top freshman in the FCS and went on to earn an NFL mini-camp invite from the Kansas City Chiefs, was one of 18 all-conference selections for Cooper’s defensive units in his 10 years with the program.
Led by Cooper, ISU’s linebacking unit in 2016 was one of the best in the Big Sky, with Jenkins earning second-team all-conference and Joe Martin earning third-team honors. The trio of Jenkins, Martin, and Hayden Stout combined for 259 tackles, six interceptions, five sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries that season.
Prior to his time at Idaho State, Cooper served as a graduate assistant at MSU in 2011.
Before working at his alma mater, he coached at Bozeman High School in 2010, where he helped the Hawks win the program’s first state championship since 1917 as the coordinator of the top-ranked defense in the state.
As a player, Cooper was a standout linebacker who earned first-team All-Big Sky honors in three-straight seasons (2002-2004) and was named the Big Sky defensive MVP in 2004. He was also a second-team All-American and a starter on an MSU defense that helped snap Montana’s 16-game win streak in 2002.
He then spent three seasons in the NFL and NFL Europe from 2005-2007, with stints in Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, and Frankfurt, Germany, before suffering a career-ending injury.
Cooper says he’s excited to stay in the Big Sky and help mentor Montana’s league-leading defense, a top-three unit in the FCS against the run that led the nation in defensive touchdowns in 2021.
“You really have to be a well-rounded coach to defend all the different offenses in our conference. I think this defensive staff does an amazing job of being disruptive,” Cooper added.
“With all the traditions and the rivalries in the Big Sky, it’s just really exciting for me to be back here in Montana.
Kim McCloud
Cornerbacks
Montana head coach Bobby Hauck has added more experience from the highest levels of college football to his coaching staff with the addition of defensive analyst Kim McCloud in August.
McCloud comes to Montana from Hawaii, where was the a defensive analyst in 2020 and the cornerbacks coach for the Rainbow Warriors in 2021. His resume lists nearly three decades of experience with ten different programs, including serving as the assistant head coach at Syracuse from 2016-18, with previous stops at Idaho, Nevada, and Baylor, among others.
“Kim is a veteran coach with a lot of great experiences across the country. He brings a wealth of knowledge, and like Coach Phenicie on the offensive side, he'll be able to critique what we're doing and give us some great input as an analyst. He’s also a great guy, and we’re lucky he’s chosen to join us here at Montana,” said Hauck.
McCloud has been a part of 13 postseason squads while coaching on both sides of the ball. He’s mentored 24 all-conference players, including three All-American receivers and three Biletnikoff Award semifinalists.
Prior to his time at Hawaii, he was the receivers coach and cornerbacks coach at Syracuse from 2016-19. He also served as the defensive coordinator, receivers coach, and assistant head coach at Bowling Green at different times in 2014 and 2015. He was the defensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois from 2012-13 and was the secondary coach at Baylor and Akron between 2008 and 2011.
He coached alongside current Montana defensive line coach Barry Sacks at Nevada from 2000 to 2007 and visited Missoula with the Idaho Vandals in the late 90s.
“I remember coming here to play with Idaho in ‘99. We had a really good team and barely came away with a win. This is probably the loudest place I’ve ever coached. I’ve been to Auburn, I’ve been to (Texas) A&M, I’ve been to Oklahoma, but this place is loud. So, I knew the culture here is really good,” said McCloud.
“I’ve only been here a short time, but it’s even better than I remember in terms of the player’s work ethic and everything Coach Hauck has going with the program. I’m excited to be here at Montana and be part of this culture.”
As a player, McCloud starred at Hawaii as an All-WAC defensive back from 1987-90. He went on to sign as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 1991 before playing two seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
He graduated from Hawaii with a B.A. in Economics and Sociology from Hawaii in 1991. He and his wife Renee have two children, Kaleb and Rachel.
Mike Linehan
Roger Cooper