A warrior. A brother. A teammate. A father. A husband. A friend. Dave DeCoite is the epitome all of these roles. As a member of the Grizzly football team from 2000-2003, he manned one of the most punishing secondary’s that the Big Sky conference has ever seen. If you are too young to remember him or have forgotten him over the past decade, I encourage you to go re-acquaint yourself with the OG “Golden Helmet” award recipient (award handed out by coaches for the hardest hitter on the team). Dave came to Montana for a few reasons: his personal interests aligned with what Montana had to offer. Hunting, fishing, horseback riding and snowmobiling are things that Dave lives for and this beautiful state made doing all of these activities easy. Secondly, his brother was here, Dan DeCoite a linebacker for the Griz. And last but not least, as you will find out throughout the following conversation, this program won football games. Dave came here to win, period.

I had the pleasure to talk with Dave a few weeks ago to catch up  and to see where life has taken him. Throughout the whole conversation I felt Dave’s insane energy, Dave has this aura about him that will force you to be awake, he is a human firecracker.

Where are you currently located? What are you doing for work?

“I’m living in Missoula bro! Duh! I am currently a foreman at Knife River which is a highway construction company. I have been back and forth between here and Alaska as of late.”

Have you heard of egriz.com? What are your thoughts and/or opinions of a fan site for Griz fans to gather and chat?

“Yes I have heard of it. I get on there every now and then and check some posts out. I love the site, the smack talk is sweet! Sometimes it is a bit much from a fan standpoint, but that is kinda the glory of getting online to talk trash!”

Describe your overall experience of being part of Griz nation.

“Epic. Legendary. It has been a blast to be a part of such a sweet organization, I have met a ton of friends and so many great people.”

Has Grizzly football helped you in any way now in life? What were the major influences of being a Griz?

“It most definitely has helped, you meet so many people which is huge. The experience as a whole and learning how to become a leader translates in everything I do. Taking that experience into the real world, people skills etc. Anything you do in life is a team effort, marriage, raising kids etc. it all takes a team effort.”

Are there any memories of Grizzly football that stand out the most? Is there a particular high or low that stands out in your memory?

“Obviously winning a National Championship was the biggest high point, losing one was the biggest low. As for memories, running out of the tunnel was ear deafening, that many people screaming their face off is AWESOME! If I had to choose one play that I remember the most it would have to be, Jimmy Farris catching that huge TD in the North endzone against Appalachian State to send us to the chipper.”

What was your experience like at the University of Montana athletically and academically?

“Athletically it was unbelievable, I wish everybody could have the chance to experience it. Academically it was a super great campus, campus was clean and classes were great. I did not get the chance to finish my Sociology degree because I had to start supporting a family.”

Are you in contact with any of your former teammates?

“Obviously my brother, Trey Young, Brent Meyers, Tate Hancock, man there are so many I still talk with and are very close with.”

Thoughts on the current program?

“Looking from the outside in, it has seemed to slip. This football program has made a name for itself for being a classy and competitive program. The discipline that has been displayed from the top down is poor. Players are not coming here for the prestige of the program. Everyone in my era was here to win a National championship, nothing else mattered.”

The passion for the game, for the program still pumps through Dave’s blood. He excelled on the field because of his energy and is now harnessing that energy to succeed in every way in life.

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“We’re pretty solid all around, one through five,” Joslyn Tinkle said. “I don’t think there’s a weak link.”

Wayne Tinkle, a former professional player, is the men’s basketball coach at Montana, which plays fourth-seeded Syracuse on Thursday in the N.C.A.A. tournament. His wife, Lisa, starred for Montana and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 2011.

Joslyn, 22, is the second-leading scorer for top-seeded Stanford, a championship contender in the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament. Elle, 19, is a highly regarded freshman at Gonzaga, also a tournament team. And Tres, already 6-foot-6 at the age of 16, was an all-state player this season as a sophomore, leading his high school team to a state championship two weekends ago.

Together, the 383 combined inches of Tinkles must be the most talented basketball family in the country.

“Our size alone would be pretty intimidating,” said Lisa, a 6-2 47-year-old.

Read more at the New York Times

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It is the offseason and we all are aware of the on goings through multiple media outlets of what is going on with the current team. Chris and I had a discussion of what would we could do to help shine the spotlight on something else Griz football related, so we came up with the idea of catching up with past players in a “Where are they now” blog series. I hope to do this weekly to bi-weekly and would really appreciate your input. Also if you have any questions you would like to ask former players please let me know and I will possibly add them into the arsenal of interview questions!

The first part of this series will begin with a good friend of mine, Reggie Bradshaw a 2008 graduate who was a running back during his time at UM. Reggie was a transfer from Louisville where he shared some carries with the current NFL pro Micheal Bush.

Reggie currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he is a personal trainer and manager at the Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Club. While working on multiple certifications and training a multitude of clients, Reggie also finds time to work with a professional bobsled team, trains for MMA and is active in the Crossfit community.

I asked Reggie to share with me his overall experience of being a Griz past and present and he responded with this?

“My overall experience, was first it has one of the best fans in college. From rain, to sleet to snow everyone is always there. The following is just awesome. I always received a warm welcome and even now when I come back people are always very kind.”

Are there any memories of playing football that stands out the most?

“Obviously my first touchdown was very memorable, but the thing that sticks out the most is after I got hurt and was shutdown for the season, there was so much support coming out of the tunnel, everyone still had my back. That was by far the memory that sticks out the most.”

Has being part of Grizzly football helped you out in life now? What were the major influences of being a Griz?

“Football in general gave me a chance to be a role model, this has translated into my personal and professional career. It helped instill a winning mentality and how to get things done. I learned how to arise to any challenge.”

What was your experience like at the University of Montana athletically and academically?

“Athletically, I would have to say, I chose to transfer to one of the most competitive teams in 1AA and the stadium/crowd played a huge factor in that decision. Academically- professors were very accommodating to our demanding schedules but they were very fair. To me, my education was key.” (Reggie graduated with a Sociology degree and a Psychology minor).

I also asked Reggie if he had heard of eGriz.com and his thoughts about a fan site dedicated to college athletics, here was his response:

“Ya I have heard of it, I think it is a great place for fans to get together and talk about their team. I always hope though that the fans realize that we are more than just athletes, we are young men. Same thing with coaches, realize they are people and to always take that into consideration.”

—

Reggie has taken his experience at the University of Montana to better himself in life and even more importantly help attain his future goals of opening up his own training facility.

“I plan on opening an athletic training academy to help train young men and women in any sport they want to compete in. Helping kids attain their athletic goals the right way is my ultimate goal. I plan on adding to my 15 certifications within the near future to help me, help others.”

I can say this, Reggie is a very humble human being, all biases aside, his kindness and care for others will most definitely help him obtain whatever he sets his sights on. He is a great product of the University system and is a great example of how well the Grizzly football program shapes young men. If you are a twitter user go give him a follow @thego2guy26.

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Jurors returned their verdict after about 2 1/2 hours of deliberation Friday afternoon.

More details to come soon.

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Weber’s ace came on her third hole of play in the opening round, when she eagled the 159-yard 17th hole. It sparked the Grizzlies’ lone senior to a team-best five-over-par 77 in the morning round.

“I was fortunate enough to see Olivia’s,” UM coach Emily Milberger said. “It was one hop and in. I was ecstatic for her.”

Read more at GoGriz.com

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National Signing Day is here for your Montana Grizzlies! We will post the latest information on Griz recruits as it arrives. Check back often to get a glimpse of your future Montana Grizzlies football team.

For more details and videos of the new recruits, please visit GoGriz.com

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It was an outstanding birthday “gift” received by University of Montana’s head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle on Saturday night (Jan. 26).

The seventh-year mentor celebrated his 47th birthday with a hard-fought, tense 76-74 Big Sky Conference victory by his Grizzly team over the Weber State Wildcats in UM’s Dahlberg Arena.

It wrapped up the first half of the conference season for the Grizzlies, which finished with a perfect 10-0 league record, and they improved to 14-4 overall. It was the 21st Big Sky win in a row for Montana.

The teams meet again in three weeks on Feb. 14 in Ogden. WSU is the last team to defeat the Grizzlies (80-64, Jan. 14, 2012) in a regular-season conference contest.

It was a great college basketball game between the Big Sky two best teams, and a great performance by Griz senior point guard Will Cherry.

The outcome between two teams that were ranked in the recent Mid-Major Poll (WSU was 22nd and UM was 23rd) went down to the wire. There were 12 lead changes and the score was tied 11 times.

Read more at GoGriz.com

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