Chris Ault

Chris Ault
Name	Chris Ault
Birth date	1946-03-22
Birth place	San Jose, California
Occupation	American football coach, athletic administrator
Alma mater	University of Nevada, Reno

Chris Ault

Chris Ault (born March 22, 1946) is an American former collegiate football coach and athletic administrator best known for transforming the University of Nevada, Reno football program and for inventing the modern pistol offense. He served multiple tenures as head coach and as athletic director at Nevada, influencing contemporaries across National Collegiate Athletic Association football and professional leagues. His career intersected with programs, coaches, and institutions prominent in Pac-12 Conference, Mountain West Conference, and Big Sky Conference histories.

Early life and playing career

Ault was born in San Jose, California and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, attending San Jose State University feeder schools before enrolling at the University of Nevada, Reno. As a collegiate athlete he played quarterback for the Nevada Wolf Pack football program under coaches who linked Nevada to regional rivals such as UNLV Rebels football and non-conference opponents like Boise State Broncos football, Fresno State Bulldogs football, and San Diego State Aztecs football. His playing career overlapped with the era of the College Football Hall of Fame inductees who shaped West Coast football, and he competed against programs from the Pacific-10 Conference and Western Athletic Conference.

Coaching career

Ault began coaching in the Nevada system, rising from position coach to coordinator and eventually to head coach and athletic director, mirroring career arcs seen at Ohio State Buckeyes football, Michigan Wolverines football, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football. His network includes contemporaries and assistants who later joined staffs at University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, University of Oregon, Stanford Cardinal football, and UCLA Bruins football. During his early coaching years he engaged with scheduling and recruiting dynamics involving institutions such as Brigham Young University, University of Hawaii, Syracuse Orange football, Arizona Wildcats football, and Colorado State Rams football. His administrative interactions connected Nevada to conferences and bowl organizers like the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Las Vegas Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, and Liberty Bowl.

Nevada head coach tenure and innovations

Ault’s multiple stints as head coach at Nevada saw him build the Wolf Pack into a nationally recognized program competing with teams such as Boise State Broncos football, Fresno State Bulldogs football, San Diego State Aztecs football, UNLV Rebels football, and members of the Mountain West Conference. He is widely credited with developing the pistol offense, a formation and scheme that blended elements from the single-wing, pro set, and shotgun formation traditions used by practitioners at New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and influenced play-calling in the National Football League. The pistol’s adoption by coaches at Ohio State Buckeyes football, Washington State Cougars football, Auburn Tigers football, TCU Horned Frogs football, and Oregon Ducks football reflects its tactical diffusion. Under Ault Nevada produced NFL players and attracted attention from NFL Scouting Combine participants and scouts from franchises like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Coaching philosophy and influences

Ault’s philosophy mixed quarterback-centric offense, tempo control, and adaptability—traits comparable to those emphasized by coaches such as Bill Walsh, Tommy Prothro, LaVell Edwards, Don Coryell, and Nick Saban. He emphasized development pipelines that connected to programs like Penn State Nittany Lions football, Miami Hurricanes football, Florida State Seminoles football, USC Trojans football, and Alabama Crimson Tide football for recruiting strategy and schematic dialogue. Ault’s mentoring influenced assistants who later coached at Clemson Tigers football, LSU Tigers football, North Carolina Tar Heels football, and professional teams including New York Giants and Chicago Bears.

Awards and honors

Ault’s achievements have been recognized with inductions and awards associated with institutions and organizations such as the College Football Hall of Fame, regional halls of fame linked to Nevada Athletics, and coach-of-the-year considerations akin to honors from the Associated Press and The Sporting News. Nevada’s team successes during his tenure led to bowl invitations and conference titles within structures like the Big Sky Conference (historically) and the Western Athletic Conference/Mountain West Conference alignments, drawing comparisons to honorees who have received Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and other national coach awards.

Personal life and legacy

Ault’s personal life intertwined with the Reno community and institutions including University of Nevada, Reno School of Law affiliates and local civic organizations in Washoe County, Nevada. His legacy extends through the proliferation of the pistol offense across collegiate and professional football, continued use at programs such as Boise State, Nevada, Washington State, Ohio State, and the mentorship tree linking to coaches at Iowa State Cyclones football, Utah Utes football, BYU Cougars football, and Arizona State Sun Devils football. His career is cited in analyses and histories alongside figures connected to the evolution of modern offenses such as Paul Johnson, Urban Meyer, Chip Kelly, and Kevin Kelley, ensuring his influence persists in playbooks, coaching clinics, and tactical studies across American football.

Category:American football coaches Category:University of Nevada, Reno people