Last fall, Troy Purcell was the head football coach at Bozeman High School, leading the Hawks to a 13-1 record and the Class AA state title.
This August, Purcell will be standing on the sidelines in the Kibbie Dome as the newest member of the Vandal coaching staff.
While the hire may have surprised some, those familiar with Idaho head coach Paul Petrino’s background would recognize the longstanding connection with Purcell.
The duo initially bonded as middle school teammates.
“Growing up we had a lot of memories together,” Petrino said. “He lived out in the country, and most weekends he stayed at my house, so we’ve been really close friends since about the seventh grade.”
After graduating high school, the two joined the Carroll College football team, coached by Petrino’s father. Purcell said he acquired the majority of his coaching philosophy during this time.
“If you’re energetic as a coach, your kids carry that through and they get better and are excited,” he said. “It’s a team game with a lot of family, everyone coming together and being that family. That bond has been really strong all the way up from the Carroll days.”
Purcell would adopt this coaching philosophy at Havre High School, leading the Blue Ponies to their first state championship in 34 years. He later accepted a position at Bozeman High, where he guided the Hawks to three state titles during a 10-year span.
During his time in Bozeman, Purcell and his team attended annual summer football camps at the University of Idaho, where he reconnected with Petrino.
“He was an unbelievable high school coach and had all kinds of success,” Petrino said. “He’d bring his team to our camp all the time and I’d watch him. It made me really proud, because he reminded me of my dad with the way he ran his team.”
Purcell’s success is one of the reasons why Petrino hired him as the Idaho inside linebackers coach in May. Petrino said the move allows the coaching staff to provide as much guidance as possible for members of the Vandal defense.
“I kind of felt like we had the best chance to be real good on offense, and where we needed to improve on was defense,” Petrino said. “We recruited harder on defense, and I thought if I put him over there on defense, then no coach has more than two people to coach right now.”
Petrino said he knew Purcell would be able to develop chemistry with the Idaho coaching staff.
“Obviously by listening to Troy talk you can tell he is a very humble guy,” he said. “I knew that he would get along good with Coach (Eric) Brown. Sometimes if you bring in a guy with a big ego then it can cause all kinds of havoc, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case at all.”
Petrino said he has seen an immediate impact due to the addition of Purcell to the coaching staff.
“I know our linebackers are playing way better, because it was harder for Coach Brown to have eyes on all of them,” he said. “Now they each have two guys and they coach really well together.”
Purcell said Brown has been an instrumental component in the coaching transition from high school to college.
“It’s been awesome, that guy can X’s and O’s it for days,” Purcell said. “He’s fabulous on the board and understands it inside and out, from the defensive lines to the safeties. His mentorship has been outstanding.”
Purcell said the toughest element in a collegiate environment is the time commitment, which takes a toll on his family.
“You’re here from 7:00 [a.m.] until midnight and then you go again the next day,” he said. “That part has been huge on the family being able to adapt and overcome.”
Despite the transition, Purcell said he is fortunate for his opportunity with the Vandals.
“I’m still learning, every day I pick up something new,” he said. “It’s exciting because there’s a lot of situations or formations where you have to make different checks. I’m still learning and I’m still getting better, it’s just a process of improving.”
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @GoshJrissom