alabamagrizzly
Well-known member
Pretty short list here to choose from but deffenetly debateable.
Jordan Tripp graduated from Big Sky High School in '08-'09. He certanetly ain't in consideration yet but he's the reason for this discussion. Many expect him to be at least a 5th rd pick and possible 4th rd. Time will have to tell how good he will be but he deffenetly has the skills to play and put in the right situation he could become the most successful player to come from Missoula.
Jeremy Watkins graduated from Big Sky in '94-'95 after helping them win a state championship his Sr year. He can't really be considered either cus he never actually played a regular season game but he came as close as anybody could. After a very successful career at UM, he was given a free agent contract from the New York "football" Giants in 2000. He made it all the way to the final cut but unfortunately that was the end if his NFL career.
Timm Rosenbach played football at Hellgate in '81 and '82 while his dad was a RB's coach at UM. His family then moved back to Washington where he was born and where he would attend Washington State. After a very succesful career in college, he moved onto the NFL where he played in four injury shortened seasons totaling over 3600 yards and 15 td tosses. He started all 16 games his 2nd year in the pros but took a beating playing for the Cardinals getting sacked a 2nd in the league 43 times. He didn't play at all his third year and only started 3 of 8 games played his forth and final year.
Wild Bill Kelly gets my vote as the best. He wasnt born in Missoula but he did grow up here and attended Missoula High School which would eventually become Hellgate. He helped them win their 1st state championship in 1921, which was his Jr year. After an amazing Fr year and three great years of varsity football, he left school to play in the NFL. He played QB but back then that was just another RB who would occasionally throw the ball. In four years from '27 to '30 he played for three teams but contracts were usually year to year back then. Stats were not officaly kept until 1933 so little is known of what he accomplished on the feild. He did play in 52 games starting in 36 of them. He also scored 6 rushing td's and had 1 td off an INT. he would have played longer but he died in '31 by what some beleive was some sort of liver disiese. Those who knew and researched him beleive if he played today, he would be one of the best in the game.
For those interested in reading a short biography on Kelly, here's a link. Arguably the greatest Grizzly ever, it has alot of good info on somebody most Griz fans don't know anything about.
http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/06-An-207.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Even though they didnt go to high school in Missoula, John Elway and John Freisz lived in Missoula for some of their childhood. Elway lived here from the ages of 7 to 11 while his dad coached at UM. He ended up playing a little QB in the NFL but I couldnt find any record of what his accomplishments were(jus kiddin').
John Freisz for now is the best Missoula born NFL football player. Being born and raised here tell he was 8, his parents then moved to Idaho were he went to high school and college. He ended up playing 11 years in the NFL starting 38 of 69 games. He started all 16 games his second season but suffered a season ending knee injury in pre season the following year. His time as a full time starter was done after that but he still started 19 games over the next four years and 21 total the last 8 years of his career as a back up. In his career he threw for almost 8700 yards and 45 TD's.
Missoula has never been a hot bed for college talent, let alone NFL talent but lately there have been more kids joining the Grizzly ranks then in the past. Counting this years recruits there will be 7 Missoula kids on the roster. That's not counting Ginn who recently left the team and two who just graduated. Mabey we'll have more NFL players on the horizon.
Jordan Tripp graduated from Big Sky High School in '08-'09. He certanetly ain't in consideration yet but he's the reason for this discussion. Many expect him to be at least a 5th rd pick and possible 4th rd. Time will have to tell how good he will be but he deffenetly has the skills to play and put in the right situation he could become the most successful player to come from Missoula.
Jeremy Watkins graduated from Big Sky in '94-'95 after helping them win a state championship his Sr year. He can't really be considered either cus he never actually played a regular season game but he came as close as anybody could. After a very successful career at UM, he was given a free agent contract from the New York "football" Giants in 2000. He made it all the way to the final cut but unfortunately that was the end if his NFL career.
Timm Rosenbach played football at Hellgate in '81 and '82 while his dad was a RB's coach at UM. His family then moved back to Washington where he was born and where he would attend Washington State. After a very succesful career in college, he moved onto the NFL where he played in four injury shortened seasons totaling over 3600 yards and 15 td tosses. He started all 16 games his 2nd year in the pros but took a beating playing for the Cardinals getting sacked a 2nd in the league 43 times. He didn't play at all his third year and only started 3 of 8 games played his forth and final year.
Wild Bill Kelly gets my vote as the best. He wasnt born in Missoula but he did grow up here and attended Missoula High School which would eventually become Hellgate. He helped them win their 1st state championship in 1921, which was his Jr year. After an amazing Fr year and three great years of varsity football, he left school to play in the NFL. He played QB but back then that was just another RB who would occasionally throw the ball. In four years from '27 to '30 he played for three teams but contracts were usually year to year back then. Stats were not officaly kept until 1933 so little is known of what he accomplished on the feild. He did play in 52 games starting in 36 of them. He also scored 6 rushing td's and had 1 td off an INT. he would have played longer but he died in '31 by what some beleive was some sort of liver disiese. Those who knew and researched him beleive if he played today, he would be one of the best in the game.
For those interested in reading a short biography on Kelly, here's a link. Arguably the greatest Grizzly ever, it has alot of good info on somebody most Griz fans don't know anything about.
http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/06-An-207.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Even though they didnt go to high school in Missoula, John Elway and John Freisz lived in Missoula for some of their childhood. Elway lived here from the ages of 7 to 11 while his dad coached at UM. He ended up playing a little QB in the NFL but I couldnt find any record of what his accomplishments were(jus kiddin').
John Freisz for now is the best Missoula born NFL football player. Being born and raised here tell he was 8, his parents then moved to Idaho were he went to high school and college. He ended up playing 11 years in the NFL starting 38 of 69 games. He started all 16 games his second season but suffered a season ending knee injury in pre season the following year. His time as a full time starter was done after that but he still started 19 games over the next four years and 21 total the last 8 years of his career as a back up. In his career he threw for almost 8700 yards and 45 TD's.
Missoula has never been a hot bed for college talent, let alone NFL talent but lately there have been more kids joining the Grizzly ranks then in the past. Counting this years recruits there will be 7 Missoula kids on the roster. That's not counting Ginn who recently left the team and two who just graduated. Mabey we'll have more NFL players on the horizon.
