FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (July 2, 2021) – Before he joined Northern Arizona's coaching staff back in 2018,
Robin Pflugrad said his son seemed to be inquiring just how many years he expected to continue coaching.
"He goes, 'Well, you know, how much longer do you have before you retire?'," Pflugrad described his conversation with NAU quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator
Aaron Pflugrad. "So I was going, 'Well, gee whiz, you know I still love the game. I still feel passionate and most of the time, my body still works pretty good, so I haven't thought about that son'."
Now, three years later, Robin is looking ahead to a fourth year coaching alongside his son on NAU's offensive staff. Serving as the program's tight ends and assistant head coach, Pflugrad's past head coaching experience offered head coach
Chris Ball a valuable sounding board as he navigated his first time running a program.
"I needed to surround myself with some guys who have done that," Ball said. "My relationship with him goes way back. We were very successful together at Washington State and he brings a lot of experience and that's invaluable. A lot of people overlook that, but anytime we're trying to make a decision on something, I ask his opinion. With our relationship, you can be honest. He can tell me what he thinks or how he would do things, which is very, very helpful."
Spending one season with the Lumberjacks as a member of NAU's previous coaching staff, Pflugrad said he reached out to Ball once the news of the latter's hiring became official.
Not wanting to add too much more to his plate, knowing Ball would be inundated with calls congratulating him on the move, Pflugrad said he reached out through text pitching how he might be helpful going forward.
"I know Coach Ball has been through the battlefield, I've been with him," Pflugrad said. "I know what he was like, I know how he is going to treat young men, and I was on board if I could remain. It happened to turn out that way and he asked me to stay."
While never wanting to overstep, Pflugrad said there's been occasions when he's been able to offer his "two cents" to Ball as the program faced various situations through the past few years.
Pflugrad, who offered not only head coaching experience but plenty of Big Sky Conference experience dating back to the 1980s as well as a long history of coaching in the Western United States.
In addition to Portland State, Montana and Weber State, Pflugrad coached at Arizona State and Oregon around his stop at Washington state alongside some of NAU's other current coaches.
That experience has allowed him to remain an invaluable piece of the coaching staff while having the opportunity to watch his son grow in his role as NAU's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Similar to Ball's long-standing friendship with defensive coordinator
Jerry Partridge or his time working with Pflugrad or
Bob Connelly at previous coaching stops, Robin and Aaron's ties offer the opportunity for candid and honest analysis of how decisions are made.
"It's been good with my son," Pflugrad said. "He is definitely my boss. Sometimes I have to remember that he's definitely my boss... It's a relationship where if I don't think he's doing it, right, I can tell him, and it's probably going to end right there. Then it's up to him to determine what he does with it. Because like I said, he is my boss."
