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Chris Ault

b. 1946

American football player and coach, college athletics administrator

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About Chris Ault

Born 1946. Chris Ault is an American american football player and american football coach.

Christopher Thomas Ault (born November 8, 1946) is an American former football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served three stints at the head football coach at the University of Nevada, Reno (1976–1992, 1994–1995 and 2004–2012), leading the Nevada Wolf Pack to a record of 234–108–1 A member of the university's faculty senate expressed concern at the perceived conflict of interest, especially because the salary of head football coach exceeded that of athletic director.

Ault is credited as the creator of the "Pistol Offense", which he instituted at Nevada in 2004. Since becoming the primary offense for Nevada, the Pistol has been used by other schools across the country. The San Francisco 49ers began employing the pistol offense with the emergence of former Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Since installing the Pistol, Nevada has won shares of two WAC titles—in 2005 (with Boise State) and 2010 (with Boise State and Hawaii).

Ault won his 200th college football game October 9, 2009 when his Wolf Pack beat Louisiana Tech, 37–14.

On December 28, 2012, Ault announced his retirement, effective at the end of the year. In an emotional press conference, Ault said the time had come to pass the program to a new coach. He had spent 41 years―all but seven years of his adult life―at Nevada as a player, coach or administrator.

Italian Football League

On September 17, 2015, Rhinos Milano announced Ault as new head coach for the 2016 season. On July 9, 2016, he won the Italian Football League Italian Bowl Championship after an undefeated season and a 13 games win streak. Ault led the Rhinos to the Italian Bowl championship game again in 2017 but this time lost to Seamen Milano, 37–29.

Education and family Ault graduated from St. Catherine's Academy in Anaheim, California, graduated from University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor's degree in education in 1968 and went on to complete an M.B.A. in 1971. He is married to Kathy Ault and has three children: Lisa, Chris Jr., and Amy. His daughter, Lisa, is married to American baseball coach, John Savage. His grandson, Jack, is a staff member of the Jim Rome radio show.

Head coaching record College

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
St. Catherine's Academy, University of Nevada, Reno
Employers
University of Nevada, Reno, Bishop Manogue High School
Also known as
Christopher Thomas Ault

People in Chris Ault's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Chris Ault's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Chris Ault?

American football player and coach, college athletics administrator

When was Chris Ault born?

Chris Ault was born on 8 November 1946 in San Bernardino.

What is Chris Ault's occupation?

Chris Ault is an american football player and american football coach.

What nationality is Chris Ault?

Chris Ault is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Chris Ault

· Wikidata: Q5105770

· DBpedia: Chris Ault

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Chris Ault. https://biography.guide/chris-ault/

MLA: "Chris Ault." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/chris-ault/.

Chicago: "Chris Ault." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/chris-ault/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-26 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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