Perseverance and family history help Sirmon find his role

Cy Sirmon comes from a football family, to say the very least.

His Grandad played at Washington. His dad John was a four-year letterman at Idaho, and three of his uncles all played division-I college football.

Griz fans will remember one of them. Cy's uncle David Sirmon was a national champion linebacker at Montana who lettered from 1993-'96. Another uncle Peter Sirmon was a standout at Oregon who played in the NFL for six seasons with the Tennessee Titans and is now the co-defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Cal. His third uncle Thad Sirmon played at Oregon State.

Cy also has a pair of cousins, Jacob and Jackson Sirmon, who are both currently playing football at Washington. Jacob (David's son) was ranked the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the nation coming out of high school. Jackson (Peter's son) played in four games for the Huskies as a true freshman linebacker, including the Apple Cup and Rose Bowl.

The family's athletic prowess extends beyond the football field too. His cousin Maddie is on the track team at Washington State, his sister Claire is on the rowing team at UW, and he's got two more cousins who are prepping to row in college as well.

The Sirmon family loves their sports, and growing up in that environment will teach a guy a thing or two about competition and perseverance.

"We have a great family dynamic. Immediate family, extended family, we all have a good time when we're together. So, naturally you like those people, and you want to aspire to be like them," said Sirmon.

It's no surprise then that after playing various positions during his Grizzly career, Cy has finally found a home.

During his four years as a Grizzly, Sirmon has suited up at linebacker, defensive tackle, and offensive guard.

Now a week into spring ball in his senior season, Sirmon has been running with the first team at center, where he is hoping his varied experience and newfound size help bring the DOLA to the Griz O-line in 2019.

A JOURNEYMAN FINDS HIS PLACE

Before arriving in Missoula, Sirmon was set to follow in dad's footsteps at Idaho. But before he committed to the Vandals, he happened to catch Montana's 2013 win against Appalachian State on ESPN and was immediately sold on Griz nation.

Cy's uncle David Sirmon in action for the Griz in 1996

"It was an absolutely packed house, people with their shirts off, crazy Griz fans, everything. The announcer said: 'It doesn't get any bigger than this. It might be FCS. It may not be the SEC but I've been to all these venues, and this is big time.' And I was like, I want to go there," said Sirmon.

"I saw that excitement about that team, and I saw that everybody cared. I knew I wanted to be a part of a program with that much passion, and I never looked back."

Now following in his uncle's footsteps at UM, Sirmon was recruited to play linebacker after earning first team all-conference honors as a junior and senior at Wenatchee High School, where he saw time at linebacker and on the offensive line.

As a redshirt-freshman backer in 2016, he played in all 11 games for the Griz, recording 14 tackles and a half-tackle-for-loss. In 2017 he bulked up and played defensive end where he posted nine tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and even registered a TFL against his home-state Huskies. He was seeing minutes, but not climbing the depth chart.

Then, a week before Montana's home opener against Northern Iowa in 2018, Sirmon was asked to make the switch from the defensive line to the injury-depleted offensive line where it didn't take long for him to flourish. No more than a month after making the switch he was making his first start at guard.

"Cy has made a real quick transition. I think his understanding of what our offenses were trying to do when he was playing defense has given him a pretty good idea about the structure and how things work," said Grizzly offensive line coach Chad Germer.

"The thing, I think, that's helped him the most is just his pure ambition to be a good football player and to get on the field. From the moment he moved over he's been very diligent in trying to improve his game."

And improve his game he has.

Gone are the days of being a trimmed-up linebacker. Since dedicating himself to the offensive line, Sirmon has gained over 80 pounds, while at the same time setting new personal bests in the weight room, like pulling up nearly 375 pounds on a hanging clean and hitting a 30-inch vertical jump.

By the time the season starts on August 31, he's hoping to tip the scales at 300 pounds of "good weight," despite it being "a lot harder to tie his shoes than it was before," he laughs.

"My rule to myself over the years as I moved positions is that I don't want bad weight that isn't going to move itself. I want muscle weight," said Sirmon. "Of course there is a little fat, that's unavoidable, but my strength gains in the weight room have been incredible."

Germer, who was an All-America center for the Griz in the '90s, thinks those gains are what could put him on top of the depth chart next season.

"He's an excellent weight room guy. He's a big kid, and getting bigger never seemed to be an issue. The amount of time he's put in the weight room has allowed him to make that transition even quicker because he's definitely got the strength to be a quality offensive lineman," said Germer.

But being a good center is about more than just blocking the man in front of you. A good center will have the fitness and speed to get downfield and block if necessary. And that's where Sirmon thinks his experience is really going to pay off.

"I spent years doing footwork drills as a linebacker and working on quickness and change of direction. That coordination you get playing in open space really translates," says Sirmon.

"You have to go second level or sometimes third level to the DBs and safeties, and you have to block a guy that's a lot faster than you. So, you have to be able to position yourself effectively. That's probably the biggest carryover."

Perhaps what helps more than anything, Sirmon says he's fine with leaving the bright lights and glory of being a linebacker and getting sacks behind. He's happy grinding away in the trenches and embracing his new position.

"No fans come to the game to watch the O-line. They want to see the touchdowns and the receivers and quarterbacks, and we're fine with that. We know it's a team effort and everything relies on everybody," says Sirmon.

"I personally get just as much joy getting a clean block on somebody as I used to getting a sack. It's really rewarding because it's really challenging."

PR! 170kg (374.85lbs) from HANG pic.twitter.com/wzZ12jwswO
— Cy Sirmon (@cysirmon59) March 2, 2019

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH…

Mastering the X's and O's of the offensive line is one thing, but sticking with the sport through position and playing time changes takes a tough person. One who was raised right by his family and loves the game.

For Germer, who played with David Sirmon at UM briefly in the early 90's, having football in his veins has helped give Cy that perseverance needed to work until he found a home and help the team wherever needed.

"They're all die-hard football guys, the whole family. The list goes on and on, and they're all very intense, and they're all dedicated to the sport. I see a lot of similarities with Cy," said Germer.

"The Griz are part of their family tree. He's obviously full of pride, and I know he wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

One would think that growing up in such a competitive family with a deep football background that Cy would have been handed a pigskin when he was a toddler and told to hold on to it until college. But with their encouragement, Sirmon says it was also high school football in small-town Wenatchee that helped foster his love of the game.

"I was never forced into football, never told this is what we do and this is what you're going to do, I was just asked what I want to do. I wanted to play football," says Sirmon.

"I had a good class in high school, so football was always a lot of fun for me. We were always kicking butt and working hard. It's just something I love to do."

Now as Sirmon (who is a three-time Academic All-Big Sky performer in the classroom) reflects on that long and varied personal and family football history, he feels it's his time to lead other teammates through the same tough times.

As the likely starting center for the 2019 Griz, he wants to use his leadership skills and unique background to help make better teammates, and a better team.

"I know as well as anybody what it's like to be a second team, third team, no team type of guy. A lot of my career I felt like I didn't really have much of a home because I was constantly moving," added Sirmon.

"I pushed through, kept going, and it's funny. Now all those feelings I had when I was in high school are just flooding back. I'm playing more, and that's what everybody wants.

"It's also giving me some insight into how important the big picture is. All the guys I've ever played with that maybe never got as much time as they would have wanted, I understand now how pivotal their role is."

Sticking with it has paid off for Cy Sirmon, and now he's hoping he and the Grizzlies reap the benefits in his senior season.

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Perseverance and family history help Sirmon find his role

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