sports

Published on January 31st, 2016 | by Montana Mint Staff

Who is the best athlete in Montana history?

Who is the best athlete ever to come out of Montana?  Finding an answer to this question has resulted in thousands, perhaps MILLIONS of hours of debate…and the Montana Mint wants to find an answer.

After polling the Mint community, we developed a list of the top 16.  We are turning to the Montana Mint community to name the best.  Instead of asking you to name just your number one choice, we’re asking for a “Top 4.”  The Mount Rushmore of Montana Sports, if you will.

Not pictured yet: Dave Dickenson Image via Jim Bowen from Hope Mills NC, US on Wikimedia

Criteria

In making the top 16, we looked at an athlete’s post-high school career (apologies to Mike Chavez and Mike Warhank).  The best high school athlete in Montana history will be an article for another day.  We also only included people that are identified as Montanans.  It is true that John Elway played Little Grizzly football in Missoula, but we determined that Montana does not really claim him.  Same goes for Phil Jackson.

The Athletes

Here is our list of top 16 athletes in Montana history: Brock Osweiler, Colt Anderson, Dan Carpenter, Dane Fletcher, Dave Dickenson, Dave McNally, Dwan Edwards, Evel Knievel, Josh Huestis, Kroy Biermann, Larry Krystkowiak, Laser, Ryan Leaf, Todd Foster, the Zadick Brothers, and the 1904 Fort Shaw Women’s Basketball Team.

Below you will find their bio, the case for/against including them on Montana’s Sports Mount Rushmore, and some expert analysis from the Montana Mint Superfans.  Some athletes are paired up because their careers were so intertwined.  So you can vote for the Zadick brothers or the 1904 Fort Shaw women’s basketball team and it will count for one vote.  It just did not feel right separating them.  You leave the logistics of carving all those faces into a mountain up to us.

Voting

At the end of the article, you can vote for your “Top 4.”  Or you can go directly to our Google poll and vote now.

Don’t forget to signup for the Montana Mint’s Sports Email list.  It is awesome.  Comes out weekly during the Cat/Griz football seasons, and sporadically the rest of the year.  Sign up here.

And we’re off!

The Final  Sixteen

Baseball

Dave McNally

Dave McNally was born in Billings, MT on October 31, 1942.  He made his MLB debut for the Baltimore Orioles in 1962, where he spent most of his career.  He helped lead the Orioles to the World Series twice – once in 1966 and again in 1970.  He is the only pitcher in MLB history to hit a grand slam in a World Series game.  The bat and ball he used are on display in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The case for: 3-time all-star, 1970 Cy Young runner up, 184 Wins (155^th all time), 33 career shut outs (87^th all time), received some votes for the baseball Hall of Fame.

The case against: Montana is not a baseball state.

Expert analysis

Hot Take Nate: McNally is the hands down, easiest choice.  Dude was a three time All Star – a two-time World Series champion – AL’s winningest pitcher in 1970.  Did you know he is also one of two pitchers, the other being Roger Clemons, to win 12 decisions in a row three separate times?  He opened up the 1969 season 15-0.  Between 1969-1972, he would have been a first round pick in everyone’s fantasy draft if fantasy baseball had existed back then.  In their respective sports, what other person on our list even comes close to that?

Coach: He also hit a grand slam in the World Series.  184 big league wins.  I think he deserves to be up there.

Hot Take Nate:   McNally’s 3.23 career ERA is, as of right now, the 272nd best career ERA of all time in the big leagues.  His career ERA is better than current names like Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer to name a few.  Only four active players have a better career ERA than Dave McNally.  He becomes even more impressive the further you dive into the stats.

Here is the video of the grand slam.

I love old baseball videos – black and white film, announcers have no gimmicks and just announce what is going on.  Chris Berman would have sputtered out some obscure music nickname.  Also – the crowd looks awesome in their old time garb.

Bear Tycoon: “This looks pretty good.”  [three second pause]  “Grand slam home run.”

J. Strong Smith: Hate to be the “bearer” of bad news (sorry Tycoon, had to do it), but baseball from an athletic standpoint is just a bunch of guys standing around scratching their asses and chewing tobacco.  I’ll grant that pitching is the most athletically-trying position of the sport, but the sport itself is in the same tier as bowling, golf and badminton.  If the word “athlete” means anything, it’s probably best used to describe someone that plays almost any other sport.  For that reason, McNally can’t be on my list.

Basketball

1904 Fort Shaw Women’s Team

Jessie Tarbox took this picture of the Fort Shaw girls’ basketball team in 1904 on their visit to St. Louis. Standing, from left: Rose LaRose, Flora Lucero, Katie Snell, Minnie Burton, Genevieve Healy, Sarah Mitchell. Seated, from left: Emma Sansaver, Genie Butch, Belle Johnson, Nettie Wirth. Missouri History Museum, St. Louis. Found on http://montanawomenshistory.org/

In 1904, basketball was a relatively new sport – the clock did not stop and field goals only netted a single point.  It took off at the Fort Shaw Indian boarding school outside of Great Falls with the young female students.  In their first official game, they beat the Great Falls high school boys’ team and went on to beat the University of Montana and Montana State teams by 25-1 and 22-0, respectively.  At the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, they were set to play a three series match-up against an “all-star” team.  The Fort Shaw women dominated the all-stars in two games at 24-2 and 17-6 and were crowned “world champions.”

The case for: World Champs, whooped serious ass, international attention

The case against: basketball in 1904 was not the game we know today

Expert analysis

Z-Train:  Has any Montana team been as dominant as this squad?  Doubt it.  They beat men’s teams, they beat everyone they played.  They won at the World’s Fair.  They beat both UM and MSU’s teams.  News stories reports that they sang, danced, read poetry, and played both the mandolin and violin at halftimes.  Can you imagine how goddamn cocky you have to be to put on a concert at halftime WHILE BEATING A MEN’S TEAM AND WEARING BLOOMERS BEFORE YOU HAD THE RIGHT TO VOTE?

J. Strong Smith: At least the UM team scored a point.

Z-Train: What is impressive is a team of Native American girls, close to the bottom rung of opportunity ladder, especially in 1904, was what seems like the first high school basketball team in the state.  They won national recognition by beating everyone – including some men’s teams – at a time we were still forcing these girls to go boarding schools and be cordoned off in some model boarding school display like a museum exhibit.  They had a boatload of guts and were amazingly talented.  Great story.  Faced huge obstacles and dominated.

Coach: Just curious, how would we chisel the 1904 Fort Shaw squad in a mountain?  It will have to be a damn big rim to fit the whole team plus the three other nominees.

Clarence Toole: Are you guys serious?  Other states will laugh themselves into a bloody stupor when they read we put Fort Shaw on our mountain of greatest athletes.

Guess how many people were playing hoops seriously in 1904?  NOT A PERSON!  Fort Shaw women were the best because they were the only team in the world taking the game seriously.  In 1904, the sport of basketball was viewed as a women’s sport and there were very different rules.  Men playing the game viewed it was a recreational activity.  It was treated like we treat a game of corn hole today.  And just as we play corn hole, I’m sure half the people were drunk.

A little history lesson: in 1904 the UM basketball team was not what we think of as a team today.  The team was actually a class offered out of the Physical Education Department.  They played many different games, and treated basketball as a “unit.”  So to say the best basketball players or even the best athletes were playing the game is false.  I’m sure the same goes for MSU.  These noobs, who could not care less about a particular game, had no chance against a team that practiced routinely and worked to fine tune the skill.

Also the World’s Fair games were a joke.  Sure, it sounds cool, but at the time basketball was unpopular in America, the sport’s birthplace, so there is no way Mexico or France was fielding a team that could compete with people who actually practiced.  It’s over 100 years later and the teams of the world still generally suck at hoops.

Z-Train:  Hahaha.  Yes, Fort Shaw does get a leg up because no one else was playing the game.  BUT I think a Mount Rushmore can have a spot for trailblazers.  We shouldn’t discount the team solely based on the quality of competition they played.  I think they are great because they were incredible trailblazers-they essentially popularized basketball.

Clarence Toole:  But it is not just the level of competition.  Let’s talk rules…basketball was for the most part women’s activity at the time, and the rules reflected the era’s archaic notions about women and physical activity.  Doctors believed women were too fragile to sprint and jump and they actually thought their female reproductive system could fall out of their vaginas if they exerted themselves too hard.  Think about this: the women’s marathon was only added to the Olympics in 1980!  The rules of basketball prohibited how far you could run.  Dribbling was not emphasized.  And people were discouraged from sweating too much—which would have immediately disqualified me from playing.  The game wasn’t the same. The size/strength/speed advantage that usually favors a man was restricted by the style.

We cannot include Fort Shaw!

Z-Train: Clarence, your history of basketball fails to point out that women were ordinarily forced to play half-court, and the game was not taking off because it was as boring as a Saturday in Bismarck.  Fort Shaw refused to play half court, preferring the athleticism required to run the full court.  No one could hang with their fast-paced style.  They literally were the run and gun when the baskets were about two weeks removed from being peach buckets.

I am sure Jim Thorpe would get dick nailed by a third stringer in today’s NFL, but I think we got to look at the historical context—they (1) revolutionized the game for women, (2) made it popular in MT, where basketball continues to dominate small town sports, and (3) must’ve had giant brass balls.  I think, taken all together, that is something Montana can be proud of, more than a middling NFLer.

Josh Huestis

Photo by Bagumba (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Josh Huestis started his basketball career as a standout at CMR High School in Great Falls.  He went on to play college ball as a small forward at Stanford, averaging 7.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks over the course of four seasons.  A two-time Pac-12 Defensive team selection, he finished his career with Stanford as the all-time leading shot blocker in the school’s history.  In 2014, he was the selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 29th pick of the NBA Draft.  Currently, he has been assigned to play for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League.

The case for: First Montanan drafted in first round of the modern era of NBA Draft.

The case against: Has been stuck in the D-League since being drafted.

Larry Krystkowiak

Image via http://basketball-nba-us.blogspot.com/

Larry Krystkowiak played high school basketball for Big Sky High School.  The 6’9” power forward signed with the University of Montana Grizzlies and set school records for career points (2,017) and rebounds (1,105).  He was selected as the Big Sky Conference MVP three times and is the only person to have had this honor.  In 1986, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls as a 28th overall pick.  He played nine seasons in the NBA for the Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks, the San Antonio Spurs, the Utah Jazz, the Orlando Magic, and the L.A. Lakers.  Overall, he averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.  After retirement, he went on to coach the University of Montana, Old Dominion, the Idaho Stampede (an NBA development team), the Milwaukee Bucks, the New Jersey Nets, and the University of Utah, where he still serves as head coach today.

The case for: The most successful NBA player in Montana history

The case against: Never reached full potential due to injuries.

Expert analysis

Bear Tycoon: Let’s group Huestis and Krystkowiak together.  I’m admittedly biased towards basketball players.  I watch a lot of NBA games thanks to the magic of NBA league pass.  I also think if Montana had a state sport it would be basketball.  Cat/Griz football suck up a lot of oxygen, but on the high school level, from AA to class C, basketball reigns supreme.

That’s why I have Larry Krystkowiak in my top four.  He is the most successful NBA player in Montana history.  In his best season (1988-89), Krystkowiak averaged almost 13 points and 8 rebounds per game.  His player efficiency rating (PER) was 14.2.  For comparison, that same season a young Scottie Pippen had a PER of 14.9 and Craig Ehlo had a PER of 13.7 (Michael Jordan’s PER that year was an unreal 31.1).  For a recent comparison, three players in the NBA this season have a PER of 14.3 and they all play for the Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah, Bobby Portis, and Niko Mirotic.  It’s not a perfect measure, but it shows Krysko was a legit baller, probably right around league average.

I’m also tempted to put Huestis in my top four just because I think he will be a decent NBA player once he gets a chance.  Coming from Montana is super hard.  Here is the complete list of Montanans drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft: Josh Huestis and some dude named Ed Kalafat in 1954.  (Adam Morrison was born in Glendive, but went to high school in Spokane so we won’t count him).

Huestis is putting in a solid performance in the D-League: 10 ppg, 5.6 rpg.  And he had a great college career at Stanford.  In PAC 12 history, he is 2nd all-time in career offensive rebounds, 6th in defensive rebounds, and 6th in blocks.

Clarence Toole: Huestis needs to start for a team for a couple years to surpass Larry Kyrstkowiak as best basketball player in Montana history.  Krysko’s best season came with a Buck’s playoff team that made it to the second round by upsetting the Atlanta Hawks.  That Hawks team had some serious hitters: Moses Malone, Doc Rivers, Spud Webb, and Dominique Wilkins!  So, if Josh can start for a team that makes it beyond the second round, that would propel him above Larry K.

Bear Tycoon: I’m OK with that.  Larry K is my top 4 right now because he had a solid NBA career.  However, this highlight tape gives me hope for Huestis.

To be safe, I’m going to put the chiselers of our sports Mount Rushmore on notice that I expect to replace Krysko with Huestis in 2019.

Boxing

Todd Foster

Image via of BoxRec.com. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Todd_Foster

Todd Foster was born and raised in Great Falls and was a standout athlete at CMR High School.  He moved on to amateur boxing and in 1987 he won the National Golden Gloves Light welterweight championship.  In 1988, he won the United States Amateur Light welterweight championship.  That same year, he found himself on the U.S. Olympic Team for the 1988 games in Seoul.  The 21 year old had a first round bye, knocked out his opponents in the second and third rounds, but suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Grahame Cheney of Australia in the quarterfinal round.  Foster returned home to Great Falls a local hero.  He had a brief stint as a pro boxer from 1991 to 1996 with a record of 17-3-0 and a WBC International Welterweight title.  Today, Foster can be found in his hometown of Great Falls, running Kid Foster’s Boxing Academy.

The case for: Olympian, folk hero

The case against:  Good but not great pro career.  Tough to compare boxing to other sports

Expert analysis 

Bear Tycoon: Todd Foster is in my top four.  In support of his inclusion, I submit this video:

In the ‘88 Olympics, Foster DESTROYS poor Chun Jin Chul of Korea.  He is literally on his back before Marv Albert can finish saying “and we’re under way.”  Albert flubs for a few seconds trying to figure out the guy’s name it happens so fast.

Thirty years later, it is easy to forget the hype that surrounded Foster.  I remember my dad going up to the airport (either sending him off or welcoming him back) and coming home with a signed box of Wheaties.  He had friends over to the house just to look at it.

Foster was a media darling.  ABC hand-picked him as one of the faces of the 1988 games – kind of like Michael Phelps in 2004 or Nancy Kerrigan in 1994.  This pre-Olympics story from Philadelphia Inquirer does a nice job of capturing the national attention Foster had going into the games.  Aside from the suspicious amount of ink it spends on Foster’s fear of walking around in Houston, it includes the following gems:

“Back home, if you have a disagreement in a bar, you just fight it out with your fists.  You know nobody’s going to pull a knife.  You don’t know that in a big city.”

“There aren’t a lot of mean streets in Great Falls,” said Foster, who will turn 21 just before the Olympics.  “I think a lot of the (boxers) like to say they come from ghettos, bad streets.  That might be why it’s tough for these kids to accept me.  I’m the high-class white boy.“

Maybe Todd Foster makes my list because he’s a fellow Great Falls guy and I’m a homer.  But I truly think he deserves a spot.

Football: The Quarterbacks

Brock Osweiler

Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Beall on Flickr

Brock Osweiler, the 6’8” quarterback for the Denver Broncos, hails originally from Kalispell.  He was a standout basketball and football player for Flathead High School, and after initially committing to play basketball at Gonzaga University, he ultimately decided to focus on football.  He turned down scholarships from Stanford and Washington State to play for the Arizona State University Sun Devils.  In the 2012 NFL Draft, he was selected by the Denver Broncos as the 57th overall draft pick.  Brock started seven games for the Broncos in 2015 and had a record of 5-2.  He’s now backing up Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50 when the Broncos take on the Carolina Panthers.

The case for: NFL QB, winning record, John Elway loves him, handsome

The case against: Too young, benched mid game for Peyton Manning, gets sacked – a lot

Dave Dickenson

Dave Dickenson was born and raised in windy Great Falls.  He was a standout football, basketball, and golf player for CMR High School as well as a 4.0 student.  He led his football team to two state championships, and in return, CMR retired the #15 jersey in his honor.  He went on to play for the University of Montana Grizzlies, and became the most successful Grizzly quarterback ever: by the time he graduated in 1995, he had made the NCAA D I-AA record books with the highest completion percentage, highest percentage of passes for a touchdown, and the fewest interceptions per pass.  In 1995, he won the Walter Payton Award for most outstanding offensive player in Division I-AA.  The University of Montana retired his #15 jersey; only one other Griz football player, Terry Dillon #22, has received this honor.  “Super Dave” or “The Legend of the Fall” as he was known, was listed as the 12th best Montana athlete by Sports Illustrated and was voted the most popular athlete in 2004 by a SI poll.  Dickenson started his career in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders in 1997.  After earning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 2000, he signed with the San Diego Chargers.  After two disappointing seasons as third string QB, Dickenson returned to Canada to play with the BC Lions in 2003.  After a string of successes and some unfortunate injury setbacks, he signed with Calgary again in 2008 and retired from a long and illustrious career in 2009.

The case for: 1995 National Champ, named best male athlete in Big Sky Conference history, Darling of Montana

The case against: Never made it in the NFL

Ryan Leaf

Image via JukeLeft.com

Ryan Leaf was born and raised in Great Falls.  The 6’5” quarterback led his team at CMR High School to a state title in 1992.  He went to Washington State University, and as a senior, led his team to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to the Michigan Wolverines.  That same year, Leaf was voted the “most outstanding player” in college football by the media and former players.  He was a finalist for the Heisman, but he finished third behind Charles Woodson of Michigan and Peyton Manning of Tennessee.  Going into the draft, there was a legitimate debate whether the Indianapolis Colts should select Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf with the number one pick overall.  Leaf went #2 to the San Diego Chargers.  It did not go well: his performance on the field was characterized by interceptions and sloppy play.  Off the field he was rude to his teammates and the media.  After an injury and being bounced around between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Seattle Seahawks, he chose to retire.  This has also not gone well: his life after football has been marred by substance abuse and legal trouble, including spending time in prison in Montana.

The case for: 2^nd overall pick, Heisman finalist, incredible college career

The case against: just go google Ryan Leaf

Expert analysis

Bear Tycoon: It is generally agreed that quarterback is the toughest position to play in any major American sport.  It requires a unique combination of athleticism and intelligence.  I believe Brock Osweiler is the best quarterback in Montana history.

Most people’s guts tell them it is too soon to give Brock this title.  “He hasn’t shown enough in the pros” or “he’s too young,” their guts grumble.  Unfortunately for their gut reactions, the numbers don’t back this up.  At the highest level of competition (the NFL), he has outcompeted both Dickenson (who never played a snap in the NFL) and Leaf (who had a longer career).  Check out these numbers:

I love Dickenson, but the fact he never played a regular season snap in the NFL knocks him off Mount Rushmore for me.  Despite playing in 1/3 of the games, Osweiler already has more wins than Leaf.  He has higher QB rating.  He has THIRTY LESS interceptions.  Close on touchdowns.

Yes, it is true Brock is young.  Yes, he was benched for Peyton Manning in Week 17.  Even if he never plays again (I think he will start for the Broncos next year), his seven game stretch this year for the Broncos gives him a place on the mountain.

Coach: To me, professional accomplishments are worth more.  Every state has a Dave Dickenson.  Put him up against the best from other states and does he stand out among them?  I don’t know if any of these guys would make my top four.

Z-Train:  Let me make the case for Dave Dickenson.  Dickenson is a Montana-centric star for sure – like the local playground legend but statewide.  Montana is unique in being this obsessed with the FCS.  The Griz are Montana’s favorite team, and he is their best player of all time.   So the fact his NFL career never happened doesn’t bother me.

And he is a one-name star – I think that says a lot.  Say “Dave” in a conversation about Montana athletics to any Montanan and they don’t think McNally, that’s for dang sure.

Bear Tycoon: You’re right.  Dickenson is special to Montana.  As you said, he is the best player to ever play on our state’s favorite team.  And he was really, really, good.  The Big Sky Conference named him the best male athlete in conference history.  Here is a nice 4-minute highlight reel from his time in Missoula:

The dude just picked apart defenses.

One of my favorite videos online is this seven minute recap of the 1995 national championship victory over the Chad Pennington led Marshall Thundering Herd.

For those old enough to remember those playoffs, it really felt like it was Montana vs. the world.

To me though, Osweiler ranks above him.  Voting for Dickenson is a vote for nostalgia.  I get the temptation, and don’t fault those supporting Dickenson (he’s probably 5 or 6 on my list), but I think folks are severely undervaluing what Osweiler has accomplished.

Z-Train:  UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT:  Despite his fall from grace, Ryan Leaf has to be on the Montana Sports Mount Rushmore.  Phenomenal college athlete and probably the one Montana athlete everyone knows is from Montana.  Random people around the country even know he’s from Great Falls.  Does any other Montana athlete have that kind of recognition?  No.

But his post-college buffoonery really makes it hard to want to chisel his visage into any Montana mountain.  Maybe there’s a good way to spin it, though, by making his monument an ever-looming testament to man’s hubris.  He’s like our own Icarus–except the sun he flew too close to was actually a giant orb of Oxy, its ever-present, ineffable pull too great for even our most glorious heroes.

So, I say he makes the cut, but we don’t use some triumphant, Wazzu Cougs pre-Rose Bowl picture Leaf, all bucktoothed and cocksure:

Image via Seattle Times Archives

That doesn’t tell the story, and that’s actually a disservice to how essentially human a story it is.  I propose we blast this full moon of broken dreams onto the monument:

Image vie Deadspin

And when we take our little whipper-snappers to gaze up at our stony sports greats, we can tell them there, on the right, that disheveled ball of dough with dead eyes that will inhabit your little dreams for years, was our greatest sports hero.  He was a man that had every natural athletic gift you could ask for (and a few you can’t ask for), was within a whisker’s breadth of grabbing the biggest golden ring we have in sports, but gave it all away to get heroically stoned on stolen smack.  It’s a pick six of a life, it’s a story I want to tell my kids, and it’s a story we can’t ignore or overlook just because it ends with prison and a strangely swollen face.

To paraphrase Saul Berenson, Leaf almost painted a masterpiece, and not many people can even pretend to get close to that.  To do that he needed to walk a knife-edge that very few people even can attempt.  The insane self-confidence he needed to attempt it can only break a couple ways—one way lands you in a Montana prison for stealing meds from strangers, and the other turns you into a pathological killer on the field, willing to bend any rule to win (see: Brady, Tom).  He famously broke the wrong way, but no one else on our list that could even get to that point.

Football: The non-quarterbacks

Colt Anderson

Image via Colt’s Twitter account: @andersoncolt

Colt Anderson was born and raised in Butte.  He lettered in football, basketball, and track at Butte High School.  He walked on as a redshirt for the Grizzlies in 2004, but he secured a scholarship as a safety.  In 2008, he was team captain, played in all 16 games, was named All-Big Sky player, and was named team MVP.  He was signed as an undrafted free agent to play in the Vikings’ practice squad in September 2010.  A few months later, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.  His career was interrupted by a torn ACL in 2011, but he eventually signed with his current team, the Indianapolis Colts, in 2014.

The case for: 88 career tackles.  Played meaningful role on good teams.

The case against: Not an impact player.  Was involved in the worst fake punt in NFL history.

Dane Fletcher

Image via Jeffrey Beall on Wikimedia

A Bozeman native, 6’2” Dane Fletcher started his football career at Bozeman High School.  He was an all-state linebacker and an honorable mention all-state tight end.  In addition to football, he played baseball and hockey, and played for the Bozeman Icedogs junior hockey team in high school and college.  Football was his focus, and he signed with Montana State University to play defensive end.  He was team captain by his senior year, and he received All-Big Sky honors and was named the Big Sky Defensive MVP.  He was undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft but ended up signing with the New England Patriots to play linebacker, where he saw some field time and made some noteworthy plays: forcing a fumble against the San Diego Chargers and making a late fourth quarter sack against the Green Bay Packers.  After a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fletcher signed back with the New England Patriots in 2015 for a one-year contract.

The case for: Absolute beast, Bill Belichick loves him.

The case against:  Career numbers are behind others in this subgroup

Dwan Edwards

Image via Carolina Panthers Instagram

Edwards, 6’3 and 315 lbs., is a native of Columbus and now plays defensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers.  He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft.  He played college football at Oregon State.  In college, he was a two-time All Pac-10 selection.  In the pros, he’s been an impact player throughout his long career.

The case for:  Part of the monster Carolina Panther defense that is playing in Super Bowl 50, long career.

The case against: Low name recognition.

Kroy Biermann

Image via AtlantaFalcons.com

Kroy Biermann was born and raised in Hardin.  He was a standout athlete at Hardin High School, earning three letters in football, three in wrestling, and two in track.  As a junior and senior, he was team captain and earned First-team All-State picks both years as a linebacker.  He went on to play defensive end for the University of Montana Grizzlies in 2004.  In 2007, he was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive MCO and became Montana’s first ever recipient of the Buck Buchanan Award.  In 2008, Biermann was the top performer in both the vertical jump and the 3-cone drill of the NFL Combine.  He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, and he quickly made a name for himself with his sacking ability.  After a tearing an Achilles in 2013, he returned in 2014 and signed a new contract with the Falcons in 2015.  Biermann is also known for his appearances in The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The case for:  Insane athlete, first Montanan to win Buck Buchanan Award (top FCS defensive player)

The case against: Appeared on the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Expert analysis

Bear Tycoon: We grouped Anderson, Edwards, Fletcher, and Biermann together because they are all NFL defenders.  Before we dig in, let’s take a comparative look at their NFL careers.

Before I dug into their stats, I think I overrated Colt Anderson’s NFL career.  Part of the reason is I get excited every time I see a Montanan on TV, and feel like I see Colt all the time.  He’s been on the Colts for two seasons, and they’ve played in an incredible (and league maximum) ten primetime regular season games during that stretch.  Plus his team played in three playoff games back in 2015.  Point being I overinflated his value in my head because he’s on TV all the time.  Frankly, I’m a little surprised by his stats compared to the other NFL defenders on the list.

Clarence Toole: Colt is going to end up in the top four.  I can totally see 80% of Silver Bow county getting behind a campaign to vote Colt to the top.  It’ll turn into a Facebook campaign among Butte people for sure.  That guy will be their mayor someday.

Bear Tycoon: Dane Fletcher could one day be on Montana’s Sports Mount Rushmore.  Fletcher is a monster.  I think he would win in a fight against anyone on this list and is the toughest person in our final 16.  That counts for something.

Look at his resume of toughness.  Here he is casually modeling for Eastbay magazine with an 8,000-pound chain around his neck.

image via eastbay.com

Here he is (probably) conquering some unclaimed territory for the good ol’ US of A during a 2014 bye week.

Image via Dane’s Instagram: Danefletch

Here is a video of him almost killing a NY Giant in THE SUPERBOWL:

But looking at his numbers, the best I can say is Dane has the potential to be the best on this NFL defender list.  I don’t think he (or any of the other NFL defensive players on the list) is quite Mount Rushmore material right now.  A few more seasons and he can surpass Dwan Edwards’ numbers, and maybeeeeee crack my top four.  He missed all of 2012 and 2015 because of injuries, and even considered retiring before the season began.  We’ll see how the rest of career plays out.

Hot Take Nate: I’m glad you brought up Dwan Edwards.  He has played in the league since 2004 and signed a 2-year deal with the Panthers before the start of this season.  That’s 11 years in the league and he still gets playing time.  He’s a two time All-Pac 10 defensive lineman and was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2014 draft.  He has playoff experience and was a key part of the Panther’s league leading defense in 2014.  What other Montana NFL player has had this kind of staying power in the league with results?

Z-Train: Dwan is arguably our best NFL player.  Overall, I am down on all our NFL players though because their success is mostly just sticking around.  They are all successful, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t light my subjective fires. 

Hot Take Nate: I agree with Big Z on the staying power being the big draw for Dwan even though he’s never been a Pro Bowler and all that.  He doesn’t have the draw that Osweiler and Leaf had being QBs and he didn’t go to a Montana school like Fletcher, Carpenter, Person, Mariani, and Anderson did so we tend to forget that he’s having a really good NFL career for anyone’s standards – especially for a Montanan.

Clarence Toole: I respect Kroy a little more than some of the others on this list because you need to be strong AND fast to play DE or OLB in the NFL.  Plus he’s just an all-around athlete.  He stepped in for the injured placekicker during a game a few years back, and had kickoffs of 67, 58, and 54 yards, after not kicking since high school ball.

Bear Tycoon: Let’s look again at the comparison of the NFL defenders on our list.

Kroy stands out because of his monster sack numbers.  It’s also worth noting that when you watched his Grizzly teams, and when you watch the Falcons now, you can’t help but notice Kroy on the field.  This is my favorite highlight of his (starts at 0:14): he attacks poor Jake Delhomme, tips the pass, catches it, and returns it for a touchdown.

That being said, Kroy does not crack my top 4.

Dan Carpenter

Image via Jeffrey Beall on Wikimedia

Dan Carpenter’s football career began at Helena High School.  He was a two-time all-state kicker and punter, and set school records as a wide receiver.  He went to the University of Montana as the placekicker for the Montana Grizzlies, where he finished a noteworthy career with a 72.8% field goal success rate, four straight All-Big Sky selections, and two straight All-American selections.  After going undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft, Carpenter signed with the Miami Dolphins and set the Dolphin’s rookie record for most consecutive field goals that same year.  He left the Dolphins in 2013, and signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he remains today.

The case for: Best fantasy football career for a Montanan.  12^th most accurate kicker in NFL history.  2009 Pro Bowl.

The case against: Can we have a kicker on the list of best athletes?  Might get cut from Buffalo.

Expert analysis 

Scotty: I think Carpenter deserves a spot, but you forgot to include this video of him hitting himself in the face with his own helmet.  Should count against him: 

Bear Tycoon: Carpenter was near the bottom of my list originally, but these numbers are impressive.  Pro Bowl appearance and 12^th most accurate kicker in NFL history!?  That’s really something.  Not to mention there was a free agent bidding war for him in my fantasy auction league last year.

Clarence Toole: I cannot support Dan Carpenter as an “athlete.”  Kicking is more a skilled technician than anything else is.

Bear Tycoon: But from my perspective, it’s not a contest of who would win in a fight.  It is who should be recognized as the best athletes in Montana history.  Carpenter is more of a household name nationally than most on this list, and that has to count for something.  I’m not sure where he lands for me.  Certainly top half of the list, but not top four.  I won’t dismiss his candidacy simply because of the position he plays.

Clarence Toole: Stop.  We can’t put a kicker on a mountain.  Kickers are just fractionally above Rodeo Clown.  We can put Dan on a license plate, or maybe a picture in the Mo Club.  BUT NOT A MOUNTAIN!!!

Z-Train: His handlebar mustache thing would look good in granite.

The ‘Other’ category

Evel Knievel

Image via teadrinker on Flickr

Born in Butte in 1938, Evel Knievel is probably the most famous daredevil and stunt performer in history.  Leaving high school after his sophomore year, he started working for Anaconda Mining Company in the copper mines.  After driving an earthmover into a power line while attempting to pop a wheelie, Knievel was fired.  He went on to seek thrills in rodeos, ski jumping, pole vaulting, ice hockey, wilderness outfitting, motor biking, and some law-breaking until starting his own daredevil show jumping his motorcycle.  With his quintessential white leather jumpsuit, Knievel jumped over trucks, buses, live animals, and the Snake River Canyon.  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Knievel suffered 433 bone fractures by 1975 from all his stunting.

The case for: Internationally known.  Might be the most famous Montanan ever.

The case against:  Was he really an athlete?

Expert analysis

Clarence Toole: Evil Knievel wasn’t an athlete. He was a crazy prick that sat on a motor and hired someone to do trigonometry.  Butte HATES Knievel.  He was known to be an asshole and if the very town you represent despises you, you can’t represent the state.

Scotty: Look at this video and tell me Knievel doesn’t deserve a spot on the mountain.

If he was still alive, he’d help us blast the mountain for this Mount Rushmore, and then he’d jump over it.  I don’t know how you’re defining athlete, but guts, badassness, international name recognition, and propensity to fly are all factors for me.

Laser (from American Gladiators)

Image via complex.com

“Laser” or Jim Starr as he known to his family, was born in Great Falls.  He played linebacker for the Montana State University Bobcats, earning an All-American designation.  He joined the American Gladiators show midway through their debut 1989/1990 season.  A dominant force in Powerball and Pyramid, Laser was the only gladiator to appear in all seven seasons of the show.  He is also rumored to be the most injured gladiator, after breaking his nose, breaking his ankle, injuring both of his shoulders, and herniating a disk in his back.

The case for: AMERICAN GLADIATOR WAS THE BEST!

The case against: Is this a sport?

Expert analysis 

Scotty: You guys all seem to forget the obvious choice for greatest athlete to come out of Montana – it’s not even close.  Jim Kalafat aka Jim Starr aka LASER was a household name from 1989 to 1997.  Said to have been spawned from the Great Falls themselves and forged from an alloy of beef jerky and iron, this is a man who scoffed at commoner sports and instead trained in the depths of Golds Gym like a Dolf Lundgren montage to become a modern day Gladiator – an American Gladiator that is.  I challenge any of the aforementioned “athletes” to go head to head in a bout of Hang Tough or Powerball and we’ll see who should be the fucking George Washington of the Montana Sports Mount Rushmore.

Bear Tycoon: Someone made a fan tribute video of Laser.  It is two minutes of him form tackling competitors, flexing his muscles, and running in slow motion with a parachute attached to his back.  It is tremendous.  Would love to see Laser (in his prime) and Dane Fletcher get into a fight.

Wrestling

Mike and Bill Zadick

images via www.mikezadick.com

The Zadick brothers were born in Great Falls and attended high school at Great Falls High School.  Both brothers are only two of seventeen wrestlers to win four state high school championships, which they won in different weight classes each year.  The brothers went on to wrestle for the University of Iowa and earned five All-American designations between the two of them.  On the international level in freestyle wrestling, Bill won a bronze and silver in the World Cup, a bronze in the Pan American Championships, and gold in the World Championships, all in the 66 kg weight division.  Mike won silver at the Pan-American Games in the 60 kg weight division.  Today, both brothers are successful coaches: Bill for USA Wrestling and Mike at Virginia Tech.

The case for: Iowa wrestling, Olympics

The case against: Like boxing, tough to compare wrestling to other sports

Expert analysis

Z-Train:  Bill and Mike Zadick are all time great athletes in wrestling – not just in Montana but nationally and in the world.  Both went to most successful program in college history – Iowa.  It’s the equivalent of Duke or UNC in basketball.  Or Alabama in football.  They were All-Americans, Bill won a national title.  Michael was the most feared and hated wrestler in the nation and subject of amazing ESPN documentary that’s on YouTube and that I watch on the reg.  Bill won a gold at worlds and Mike won a silver.  Bill is in the wrestling HOF, Mike is in the Iowa HOF, I believe.  Mike used to refuse to shake people’s hands after matches, step on them Ndamukong Suh-style, and drop his head gear on them.  He wanted to show them that they were lower than he was and destroy all of their confidence.  They attained the pinnacle of what I think is the most difficult sport.

Really, everyone needs to watch the ESPN doc—it heavily features Montana and Mike.  There are great shots of Great Falls and it shows how tough wrestlers really are.  I could not make it through one Iowa wrestling practice.

Clarence Toole: I’ve seen the doc and I’m convinced Iowa wrestling is a cult.  I’m positive the way they train is terrible for their body, but it also gives them a mental edge that is more valuable than being optimally fit.  I kept asking myself if the U.S. Special Forces should just recruit graduating seniors from the Iowa wrestling squad.  Even though Mike and Bob found a lot screen time, I think they could have done a standalone documentary on the Zadick family.  Wrestlers are the toughest people I know.  If some runt-asshole was lipping off and deserved to be punched, I’d probably think twice if I caught even a hint of cauliflower ear.

VOTE

It is now up to you, Montana, to tell us who is in the top four.  Vote in the form below or directly through Google here.

Also! Don’t forget to signup for the Montana Mint’s Sports Email list.  It is awesome.  Comes out weekly during the Cat/Griz football seasons, and sporadically the rest of the year.  Sign up here.

This Montana Mint Mega article is a result of a lot of writers.  Special thanks to Bear Tycoon, Clarence Toole, Coach, Courtney Lake, Hot Take Nate, J. Strong Smith, Montana Parlay, Scotty, and Z-Train.

Tags: baseball, basketball, Billings, boxing, bozeman, brock osweiler, dave dickenson, football, great falls, helena, kalispell, missoula, msu, ryan leaf, sports, todd foster, UM, wrestling, zadick

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