#47 Vince Huntsberger

UM Safety (1998-2001)
Libby, Montana

2001 National Championship MVP
Two-time Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP
2001 Buck Buchanan Award runner-up
Leading tackler in Montana history
Four-time Big Sky Champion
Eight-time All-American
Only Grizzly to receive a vote for the Heisman Trophy

A native of Libby, Vince Huntsberger played for the Grizzlies from 1998-2001 and achieved enormous success both on the field and in the classroom as the 2001 National Championship MVP and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.

He was a durable player and never missed a game in his career, starting in 55 in a row. He is Montana's all-time leading tackler with school-record 469 career stops (includes playoff games), 265 of which were solos.

He was named to numerous All-American teams in 1999, 2002, and 2001, and was a team captain and All-Big Sky Conference selection those three seasons as well. He was tabbed the league's defensive MVP in 1999 and 2001. In his four years as a starter, the Griz went 45-10 and won four league titles and garnered the 2001 Division I-AA National Championship.

Huntsberger earned several major team awards: Steve Carlson (MVP, 2001), Golden Helmet (hardest hitter, 2000-2001; Terry Dillon (best back or receiver, 1999). Nationally, he was the runner-up for the 2001 Buck Buchanan Award (I-AA National Defensive Player of the Year).

Huntsberger maintained a 3.87 GPA majoring in biology/pre-med and was a three-time Division 1 Academic All-American. He was one of 16 national finalists for the 2001 Division 1 William V. Campbell Trophy (National Scholar-Athlete of the Year) and received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Huntsberger and his wife Amelia have three children, Luke, Alina, and Levi. They live in Sandpoint, Idaho, and he is a physician at Lake Pend Oreille Medicine PLLC.

MORE ON HUNTSBERGER

Football Accolades/Achievements/Records

2001 National Champion
2001 Championship Game MVP
Two-time Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP (2001 & 1999)
2001 Buck Buchanan Award runner-up (National Defensive Player of the Year)
Won 4 Big Sky Conference championships
Two-time First-team All-Big Sky (1999 &200)
Second-team All-Big Sky (2000)
Montana's all-time leader in career tackles (469* Including Playoffs – 393 Regular Season)
Received a vote for the Heisman from Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star in 2001 because, "He is what I want to believe the Heisman is about . . . But he is, I think, the most outstanding player in college football this year."
Eight All-American selections (2000 & 2001: Associated Press, Don Hanson's Football Gazette, The Sports Network, Walter Camp Foundation)
Four-time varsity letterman for the Griz
Started 55-straight games for the Griz
Win-loss record of 45-10
Led team in tackles three seasons in a row
Team best of 113 tackles in 2001 (Regular Season)
Team captain 3 years in a row
Steve Carlson Team MVP 2001
Two-time UM Golden Helmet Award winner 2000 & 2001
UM's Terry Dillon Award winner 1999 (best back or receiver)
UM's Special Teams Player of the Year as a freshman (1998)
Co-recipient of UM's Freshman of the year award (1998)
Played in 2001 Paradise Bowl All-Star Game
Three-time Big Sky Player of the Week (x2 in 1999 & 2001)
Career highs: 20 tackles at Idaho in 2000, 16 of which were solo - 3 interceptions vs. EWU in 1999 - 3 pass deflections at Idaho in 2000

*Including playoffs, Huntsberger totaled 469 tackles in 55 games (8.52/game). If the NCAA and Big Sky Conference recognized tackles and playoff totals as official statistics at the time:

Huntsberger would be the third all-time leading tackler in Big Sky history.
His single-season high of 145 tackles would have been the school record until 2018 when Dante Olson had 151 and would be the 8^th-best single season in Big Sky history

Huntsberger Career Stats*

Year	GP	Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds	Sacks: No-Yds	INTs-Yds	PBU	PD	FR-Yds	FF	Blk Kick
1998	12	49	40	89	0	0	0	6	5	0	0	2
1999	12	51	43	94	1-10	1-10	4-17	4	8	0	0	0
2000	15	90	51	141	5-12	1-6	1-7	6	7	2-0	1	0
2001	16	75	70	145	3-15	1-11	3-63	10	13	3-92	5	0
Total	55	265	204	469	9-37	3-27	8-87	26	33	5-92	6	2

*Including Playoffs
** The NCAA did not recognize tackles, tackles for loss, or sacks as official stats until 2000. Playoff games were not included in any team or individual single-game, season, or career record until the 2002 season.

Academic Accolades/Achievements/Records

2001 National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist (National Scholar-Athlete – One of 16 finalists)
Three-time Academic All-American (1999, 2000, 2001) – Only three-time member at the time
Inaugural I-AA Athletic Directors Association (D1-AA ADA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient (2002)
D1-AA ADA Academic All-Star Team (2001)
Big Sky Scholar-Athlete (2002)
Four-time Academic All-Big Sky selection
Maintained a 3.87 GPA in biology/pre-med
Awarded UM's Bruce E Blattner Memorial Scholarship
Received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship