Griz Greats: The Silver Anniversary of the 1995 National Champions

ESPN Missoula
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Football
  • Updated Daily

In 1995 the University of Montana football team made a magical run to its first national championship, beating the Marshall Thundering Herd 22-20 on December 16th for the title. We commemorate this remarkable season 25 years later, through the eyes of the players, coaches and personnel involved in bringing a championship to Missoula Montana.

  1. 03/03/2021

    Defensive end Corey Falls

    Corey Falls was a junior defensive end from Medford, Oregon who led the Grizzlies with nine sacks during the 1995 run to the national title. Falls, who hails from the same town as future Griz Buck Buchanan Award winners Dante Olson and Tyrone Holmes, now works in law enforcement in the Portland area.

    1h 4m

  2. 03/03/2021

    Running back Kelly Stensrud

    Kelly Stensrud is a Missoula native and a Hellgate alum who was a senior starting running back for Montana's 1995 national title team. He scored 10 touchdowns during that 1995 season.

    51 min

  3. 03/02/2021

    Defensive end Randy Riley

    Randy Riley and fellow Butte, Montana native Brian Toone converged to make one of the biggest plays of Montana's 22-20 national title game victory over Marshall in December of 1995. The Butte safety proved to be the final margin of victory as the Grizzlies won their first Division I-AA national title.

    59 min

  4. 03/02/2021

    Sean Goicoechea, All-Big Sky safety

    Sean Goicoechea hailed from just down the road from Missoula, growing up in Stevensville, Montana. He rapidly rose to become a starter and key contributor at safety during his junior year to help the Montana Griz to the 1995 Division I-AA national championship.

    44 min

  5. 03/02/2021

    Offensive coach Brent Pease

    Brent Pease was a record-setting quarterback during his time playing for the Montana Grizzlies. During the middle and end of his professional playing career in the early 1990s, the Moscow, Idaho native returned in the off-seasons to help coach various offensive positions on Don Read's staff.  Pease, who went on to become an offensive coordinator at several Power 5 schools including Kentucky, Baylor and Florida, primarily worked with quarterbacks during Montana's 1995 run to the national championship, meaning Pease had a key hand in developing Walter Payton Award winner Dave Dickenson.

    36 min

  6. 02/09/2021

    Defensive end Yohanse Manzanarez

    Yohanse Manzanarez was part of the heart and soul of the Griz defense in 1995. The physical, tough defensive end from Great Falls set the tone in many ways, helping anchor the Montana defensive front as a senior on UM's national championship team 25 years ago.

    1h 3m

  7. 01/21/2021

    David Sirmon, linebacker

    David Sirmon was a senior linebacker for the 1995 Montana Grizzlies and finished his final season at UM as the team's third-leading tackler. He piled up 65 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss to go with a pair of pass break ups and one near interception that led to a pivotal safety in Montana's 22-20 win over Marshall in the 1995 Division I-AA National Championship game. David's nephew, Cy, was an All-Big Sky offensive lineman for the 2019 Grizzlies. His other nephew, Camden, was the quarterback on Missoula Sentinel's 2020 Class AA state title team. David's son, Jacob, was a 4-star quarterback recruit who started his career at Washington and is now at Central Michigan. David is a professor at the University of Washington.

    1h 3m

  8. 01/07/2021

    Jon Kasper, former Missoulian beat writer and current Big Sky senior associate commissioner

    Jon Kasper is a native of Great Falls, Montana who went to C.M. Russell High with former Montana All-American quarterback Dave Dickenson. Kasper attended the University of Montana, working for the student newspaper and radio station before becoming a staffer at the Missoula. Jon worked covering the UM football beat from 1997 until 2004 before taking a job at the Big Sky Conference office. He currently serves as a Senior Associate Commissioner for Championships at the Big Sky.

    47 min
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About

In 1995 the University of Montana football team made a magical run to its first national championship, beating the Marshall Thundering Herd 22-20 on December 16th for the title. We commemorate this remarkable season 25 years later, through the eyes of the players, coaches and personnel involved in bringing a championship to Missoula Montana.

Information

  • Creator
    ESPN Missoula
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2021
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tootell & Nuanez