Rocky Mountain College head football coach Brian Armstrong has been awarded a new two-year contract, a move that lifts the interim tag from his title and keeps him guiding the Battlin’ Bears.

The Frontier Conference school announced Tuesday afternoon that Armstrong will remain in charge of the school’s long-suffering football program at least through the 2011 season.

The 36-year-old Armstrong was given the interim position in late July when David Reeves suddenly departed to take an assistant-coaching position at Northern Arizona University.

Armstrong, who took charge of the Rocky program less than two weeks before the start of fall camp, had spent the previous two seasons as the Bears’ offensive coordinator.

Rocky compiled a 2-9 record this fall and finished tied for last in the Frontier, but the Bears were involved in a number of close games and wound up losing six games by eight points or fewer.

“We may not have had the best season for the record books, but this football team, with Brian at the head, put forth a great effort,” Rocky athletic director Bobby Beers said. “The locker room demeanor was loyal and positive, and tough losses did not lead to surrender.”

Armstrong said he appreciated the school’s support.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to come back here and see the thing through, and hopefully try to get the win and loss column where we all want it to be at,” he said. “I met with all the players this week and last week. I think everybody is excited.

“They’re obviously disappointed in the way the win and loss column went, but definitely excited about the direction we’re going.”

 The Bears ended their season Nov. 7 with a 40-33 home loss to Montana Western.

“The frustrating part is that although we’re playing better and more consistently, our record doesn’t indicate that,” Armstrong said after that game. “We’re doing just enough things to hurt ourselves. That, in my opinion, is where the offseason comes in.

“That’s where you build mental and physical toughness. That’s where you build team. That’s where you do a lot of things.”

Rocky beat 15th-ranked Dickinson State 28-7 in its season opener and tossed a scare into No. 2-ranked Carroll College late in the year before losing 34-27 in Helena. DSU and Carroll qualified for the NAIA playoffs.

The Bears, with their no-huddle, spread attack, also were the second-leading passing team in the NAIA this season.

“The growth of the team under Coach Armstrong demonstrated his knowledge of the game,” Beers said. “He didn’t lose ground this year, and this team didn’t flinch. I don’t know of many people who would have embraced the challenge. He deserves the opportunity to recruit, staff and build his team. He’s a keeper.”

Armstrong is a 1992 graduate of Helena High. He played his college football at Western Montana College, where he was an All-America offensive lineman for the Frontier champion Bulldogs.

He was a head high school coach in Lakeland, Fla., before returning to Montana and joining Rocky’s coaching staff in 2007.

Armstrong said taking over the program on short notice in late July “was probably every bit as challenging for our kids as it was for me.”

“I thought they did a very admirable job, as did our coaches, in competing and preparing,” he said. “Hopefully with some hindsight on what things we could have done better and a chance to have some foresight, we can put together a plan that is going to work more effectively than it did this year.”

Rocky’s last winning season in football came in 1999.

“I think, more than anything else, I want to see our kids have success,” Armstrong said. “We do have kids here that work as hard as anybody else in the conference. We need to find our recipe for success.”