Thatcher Szalay (2022) - Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame

Thatcher Szalay

Induction:
2022
Class:
2001

Thatcher Szalay
Football 1998-2001
Whitefish, Mont. (Whitefish HS)

Considered one of the greatest offensive linemen to wear maroon and silver, Szalay was a key member of Grizzly teams that went 45-10 in his four seasons as a letterman. As a senior, he captained UM to the program's second National Championship – a 13-6 victory over Furman in Chattanooga, Tenn., in 2001 – and was a starter on the national runner-up team in 2000.

During his career, the Griz won four-straight Big Sky championships, with Szalay (pronounced Zu-lay) earning first-team all-conference honors at offensive guard in 1999, 2000, and 2001. He's the only Grizzly offensive lineman in program history to be named first-team all-conference in three consecutive years and one of only four players in league history to do it.

He was a major contributor on one of Montana's best-ever rushing attacks, opening up holes and lanes for running back Yohance Humphrey, who tops the Grizzly record book with 4,070 career yards.

A consensus All-American, Szalay was named to five different All-America teams after the 2001 campaign, more than any other Grizzly that season.

He was named the team's co-Golden Helmet Award winner as a sophomore in 1999 alongside Adam Boomer. He later won UM's Paul Weskamp award for outstanding offensive lineman and served as co-captain as a senior in 2001 before showcasing his skills for NFL scouts at the 2002 Paradise Bowl All-Star game.

Szalay went on to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002 and was the only undrafted free agent to make the 53-man roster that season. After three years with the Bengals, he went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens in 2005 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2006.

Also a star in the classroom, he was a two-time Academic All-Big Sky selection as a junior and senior. He graduated from UM with a degree in Education while competing in the NFL and earned a master's degree in 2010.

He is currently a math teacher at Florence Carlton Middle School in Florence, Mont., and was inducted into the Montana Football Hall of Fame in 2019

Quoting Szalay: "When I got that call, I couldn't even talk. Thank you were pretty much the only words I could muster up. But when I hung up the phone, boy, there was a puddle on my office floor. I just lost it," he said.

"Those five years just flew by, and winning that championship, the history it created, and the memories it made is still rewarding for me to this day."