Olson, Johnston named Grizzly Cup winners
5/4/2020 7:56:00 PM | Football, General, Women's Basketball
The criteria used to select Montana's annual Grizzly Cup winners have always been vague. Actually, there aren't any, the better to spark debate over the recipients chosen.
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But some years there is no need for argument, no need for discourse or to defend the aggrieved and overlooked. Some years it's just laughably simple.
Â
In 2019-20 it was so: Dante Olson and McKenzie Johnston.
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They require no lengthy write-up, these two. Their stories have been told in real time over the last five years. We've all witnessed their ascent and the heights they've reached.
Â
Along the way they've both surprised and fulfilled us, pulling out new levels of greatness as if they've been keeping them secret from us all these years, a gift that continued to produce the unexpected.
Â
One came in as an unknown from Oregon and worked his way to the pinnacle, being named the Buck Buchanan Award winner, the best defensive player in all the land, at least in FCS territory.
Â
His list of accolades nearly matches his number of career tackles: 397, more than any other Grizzly ever, which is saying something.
Â
The other arrived from Helena and didn't have the luxury of a break-in period. From her first game on, she was asked to carry a heavy burden: point guard on an injury-riddled team and a young one at that.
Â
Her teams lost more than they won in her career, but she was never defeated. The effort: always there. The fight: never in doubt. The nose: broken often, an occupational hazard, the result of always being in the middle of everything.
Â
They were champions in the classroom, beacons to a community that loves to follow the brightest lights, of which few have ever shown brighter.
Â
And the kids? Oh, how the kids would flock to them, two pied pipers of the pint-sized. And never was a young one turned away, never was either too tired to do the right thing, never too exhausted from on-field or on-court battle to make someone's day, to bring the light into someone's life.
Â
If only we all could have been so lucky to have such role models.
Â
One now turns his focus to the NFL, an undrafted free agent of the Philadelphia Eagles. The other is a free agent as well, still eyeing different career paths. Only one of them will be lucky enough to get her in its field.
Â
This is the 12th year the Grizzly Cup has been awarded to two winners, a marriage of excellence across sports, one that encompasses both sexes.
Â
Do Dante Olson and McKenzie Johnston top that list? If there is any debate, let it be that, from a historical perspective. As for this year, the case is closed.
Grizzly Cup winners
1921: Larry Higbee (football/basketball/baseball)
1922: Gil Porter (football/basketball/track)
1923: Gil Porter (football/basketball/baseball/track)
1924: Angus "Cammie" Meagher (football/baseball)
1925: Russ Sweet (football/basketball/track)
1926: Ted "Chief" Illman (football/basketball/baseball)
1927: Clarence Coyle (football/basketball/track)
1928: Ed Chinske (football/basketball/baseball)
1929: Tom Davis (football/track)
1930: Ray Lewis (football)
1931: Glenn Lockwood (basketball/track)
1932: Lowell Dailey (football)
1933: Dale Hinman (football/basketball)
1934: Al Dahlberg (football/basketball/track)
1935: Naseby Rhinehart Sr. (football/basketball/track)
1936: Henry Blastic (football/basketball)
1938: Bill Lazetich (football/basketball/track)
1940: Bob Thornally (football)
1941: Tom O'Donnell (football)
1942: Bill Jones (football/basketball)
1943: Henry Dahmer (football)
1948: Charles "Timer" Moses (basketball)
1949: John Helding (football/basketball/baseball)
1950: Jack O'Loughlin (football/baseball)
1951: Ray Bauer (football)
1952: Robert "Lefty" Byrne (football/basketball/baseball)
1953: Jack Luckman (basketball/track)
1954: Ed Anderson (football/basketball/baseball)
1955: Murdo Campbell (football/baseball)
1956: Dale Shupe (football/track)
1957: Don Williamson (football/baseball)
1958: Naseby Rhinehart Jr. (football/track)
1959: Mike Granbois (track)
1960: Rudy Ruana (skiing)
1961-62: Bob O'Billovich (football/basketball/baseball)
1963: Paul D. Miller (football)
1964: Tim Aldrich (basketball)
1965: William M. Rice (basketball/track)
1966: Gary B. Peck (basketball/baseball)
1967: Greg Hanson (basketball)
1968: Willie Jones (football/track)
1969: Mick Harrington (track)
1970: Roy Robinson (football/track)
1971: Lonzo Lewis (football/basketball)
1972: Steve Okoniewski (football)
1973: Earl Tye (basketball)
1974: Robin Selvig (basketball)
1975: Rock Svennungsen (football)
1976: Dean Erhard (track/cross country)
1977: Marsha Hamilton (gymnastics/track)
1978: Tim Kerr (football)
1979: Ed Cerkovnik (football)
1980: Craig Zanon (basketball)
1981: Rocky Klever (football)
1982: Greg Iseman (football)
1983: Brian Salonen (football)
1984-86: Larry Krystkowiak (basketball)
1987: Scott Zanon (basketball/track/football)
1988-2008: No Grizzly Cup awarded
2009: Jordan Hasquet (basketball), Jade Roskam (volleyball)
2010: Anthony Johnson (basketball), Lauren Beck (basketball)
2011: Erik Stoll (football), Jaimie Thibeault (volleyball)
2012: Bryan Waldhauser (football), Katrina Drennen (cross country/track and field)
2013: Mathias Ward (basketball), Olivia Weber (golf)
2014: Brock Coyle (football), Jordan Sullivan (basketball)
2015: Jordan Gregory (basketball), Brooke Moody (soccer)
2016: Tyrone Holmes (football), McCalle Feller (basketball)
2017: Brandon Gfeller (basketball), Sammy Evans (track and field)
2018: Fabijan Krslovic (basketball), Delene Colburn (softball)
2019: Michael Oguine (basketball), Erika McLeod (track and field)
2020: Dante Olson (football), McKenzie Johnston (basketball)
Â
But some years there is no need for argument, no need for discourse or to defend the aggrieved and overlooked. Some years it's just laughably simple.
Â
In 2019-20 it was so: Dante Olson and McKenzie Johnston.
Â
They require no lengthy write-up, these two. Their stories have been told in real time over the last five years. We've all witnessed their ascent and the heights they've reached.
Â
Along the way they've both surprised and fulfilled us, pulling out new levels of greatness as if they've been keeping them secret from us all these years, a gift that continued to produce the unexpected.
Â
One came in as an unknown from Oregon and worked his way to the pinnacle, being named the Buck Buchanan Award winner, the best defensive player in all the land, at least in FCS territory.
Â
His list of accolades nearly matches his number of career tackles: 397, more than any other Grizzly ever, which is saying something.
Â
The other arrived from Helena and didn't have the luxury of a break-in period. From her first game on, she was asked to carry a heavy burden: point guard on an injury-riddled team and a young one at that.
Â
Her teams lost more than they won in her career, but she was never defeated. The effort: always there. The fight: never in doubt. The nose: broken often, an occupational hazard, the result of always being in the middle of everything.
Â
They were champions in the classroom, beacons to a community that loves to follow the brightest lights, of which few have ever shown brighter.
Â
And the kids? Oh, how the kids would flock to them, two pied pipers of the pint-sized. And never was a young one turned away, never was either too tired to do the right thing, never too exhausted from on-field or on-court battle to make someone's day, to bring the light into someone's life.
Â
If only we all could have been so lucky to have such role models.
Â
One now turns his focus to the NFL, an undrafted free agent of the Philadelphia Eagles. The other is a free agent as well, still eyeing different career paths. Only one of them will be lucky enough to get her in its field.
Â
This is the 12th year the Grizzly Cup has been awarded to two winners, a marriage of excellence across sports, one that encompasses both sexes.
Â
Do Dante Olson and McKenzie Johnston top that list? If there is any debate, let it be that, from a historical perspective. As for this year, the case is closed.
Grizzly Cup winners
1921: Larry Higbee (football/basketball/baseball)
1922: Gil Porter (football/basketball/track)
1923: Gil Porter (football/basketball/baseball/track)
1924: Angus "Cammie" Meagher (football/baseball)
1925: Russ Sweet (football/basketball/track)
1926: Ted "Chief" Illman (football/basketball/baseball)
1927: Clarence Coyle (football/basketball/track)
1928: Ed Chinske (football/basketball/baseball)
1929: Tom Davis (football/track)
1930: Ray Lewis (football)
1931: Glenn Lockwood (basketball/track)
1932: Lowell Dailey (football)
1933: Dale Hinman (football/basketball)
1934: Al Dahlberg (football/basketball/track)
1935: Naseby Rhinehart Sr. (football/basketball/track)
1936: Henry Blastic (football/basketball)
1938: Bill Lazetich (football/basketball/track)
1940: Bob Thornally (football)
1941: Tom O'Donnell (football)
1942: Bill Jones (football/basketball)
1943: Henry Dahmer (football)
1948: Charles "Timer" Moses (basketball)
1949: John Helding (football/basketball/baseball)
1950: Jack O'Loughlin (football/baseball)
1951: Ray Bauer (football)
1952: Robert "Lefty" Byrne (football/basketball/baseball)
1953: Jack Luckman (basketball/track)
1954: Ed Anderson (football/basketball/baseball)
1955: Murdo Campbell (football/baseball)
1956: Dale Shupe (football/track)
1957: Don Williamson (football/baseball)
1958: Naseby Rhinehart Jr. (football/track)
1959: Mike Granbois (track)
1960: Rudy Ruana (skiing)
1961-62: Bob O'Billovich (football/basketball/baseball)
1963: Paul D. Miller (football)
1964: Tim Aldrich (basketball)
1965: William M. Rice (basketball/track)
1966: Gary B. Peck (basketball/baseball)
1967: Greg Hanson (basketball)
1968: Willie Jones (football/track)
1969: Mick Harrington (track)
1970: Roy Robinson (football/track)
1971: Lonzo Lewis (football/basketball)
1972: Steve Okoniewski (football)
1973: Earl Tye (basketball)
1974: Robin Selvig (basketball)
1975: Rock Svennungsen (football)
1976: Dean Erhard (track/cross country)
1977: Marsha Hamilton (gymnastics/track)
1978: Tim Kerr (football)
1979: Ed Cerkovnik (football)
1980: Craig Zanon (basketball)
1981: Rocky Klever (football)
1982: Greg Iseman (football)
1983: Brian Salonen (football)
1984-86: Larry Krystkowiak (basketball)
1987: Scott Zanon (basketball/track/football)
1988-2008: No Grizzly Cup awarded
2009: Jordan Hasquet (basketball), Jade Roskam (volleyball)
2010: Anthony Johnson (basketball), Lauren Beck (basketball)
2011: Erik Stoll (football), Jaimie Thibeault (volleyball)
2012: Bryan Waldhauser (football), Katrina Drennen (cross country/track and field)
2013: Mathias Ward (basketball), Olivia Weber (golf)
2014: Brock Coyle (football), Jordan Sullivan (basketball)
2015: Jordan Gregory (basketball), Brooke Moody (soccer)
2016: Tyrone Holmes (football), McCalle Feller (basketball)
2017: Brandon Gfeller (basketball), Sammy Evans (track and field)
2018: Fabijan Krslovic (basketball), Delene Colburn (softball)
2019: Michael Oguine (basketball), Erika McLeod (track and field)
2020: Dante Olson (football), McKenzie Johnston (basketball)
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
Jumps
/ Women's Track and Field
G
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
DE
/ Football
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
Multi-events
/ Women's Track and Field
G
/ Men's Basketball
LB
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