Former NDSU Coach Craig Bohl Attends NCAA FCS Championship Game

Craig Bohl, the former head football coach for North Dakota State and the University of Wyoming, is now utilizing his leadership role as the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) to advocate for systemic changes within college athletics.

During a discussion with local media on April 10, 2026, at the Nodak Insurance Football Performance Complex, Bohl addressed the current state of the sport. According to reporting from InForum, Bohl has become a prominent figure attempting to guide college football and all college sports back between the guardrails.

Bohl’s objective is not necessarily to return the sport to a previous era, but rather to bring it back to sanity, or something resembling it, as described by Mike McFeely of The Forum.

Influence on North Dakota State Transition

Beyond his administrative role at the AFCA, Bohl maintained a significant influence on the trajectory of North Dakota State University. He was described as being sneakily influential in the university’s migration to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Mountain West Conference.

Speaking on April 10, 2026, Bohl expressed great enthusiasm for the move, characterizing the transition as a great move for the Bison program.

A Legacy of Coaching Success

Bohl’s current efforts to reform the collegiate landscape are backed by a coaching career marked by significant achievements at two different institutions. He served as the head coach at North Dakota State University from 2003 to 2013, where he established a dynasty that included three consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championships from 2011 to 2013.

Following his tenure in Fargo, Bohl was hired in Laramie, where he served as the head football coach at the University of Wyoming for 10 seasons from 2014 to 2023. He maintained a winning record during his time at Wyoming, a feat noted as a rarity in the last 30 years for that program.

Throughout his career as a head coach, Bohl accumulated an overall record of 165–92, including 13–1 in the NCAA D-I playoffs and four bowl game victories.

Career Honors and Background

Bohl’s professional accolades include several high-level honors:

• Two-time recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award (2012, 2013)
• Two-time AFCA Coach of the Year (2012, 2013)
• MVFC Coach of the Year three times (2011–2013)
• Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2016
• Great West Coach of the Year in 2006

Before his success as a head coach, Bohl held various assistant positions. He served as a graduate assistant at Nebraska from 1981 to 1983 and later held defensive roles at North Dakota State, Tulsa, Wisconsin, Rice, and Duke. He also returned to Nebraska as an assistant coach from 1995 to 2002, serving as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Bohl’s roots in the sport began as a reserve defensive back for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1977 to 1979. He graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in business.

Life After Coaching

After announcing his retirement from coaching at the conclusion of the 2023 football season, the 67-year-old Bohl has balanced his AFCA responsibilities with personal interests. He and his wife keep horses at their home in Wyoming and maintain a legacy property in northern Minnesota.

The coaching tradition continues in his family, as his son, Aaron Bohl, is currently pursuing a coaching career at the University of Wyoming.