Montana State head coach Jim Sweeney was hired prior to the 1968 season led the Cougars for eight seasons, with an overall record of . His best season was 1972 at 7–4, which was his only winning season. Sweeney resigned shortly after the 1975 season, and was succeeded by Jackie Sherrill, the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, but he stayed for only one season. The Cougars were 3–8 in 1976, then Sherrill returned to Pitt as head coach. Warren Powers, an assistant from Nebraska, also stayed for just one season (1977), then returned to the Big Eight Conference as head coach at Missouri.