CELEBRATI0N OF LIFE FOR FORMER GRIZ FOOTBALL GREAT STEVE OKONIEWSKI SLATED FOR JUNE 20TH IN MISSOULA
5/30/2024 4:28:00 PM | Football
A Celebration of Life for one of the finest football players and person ever to play at the University of Montana will be held Thursday, June 20, at 6:00 p.m. at The Still Room, 1609 West Broadway in Missoula.
Steve Okoniewski, a two-time All-America selection for the Grizzlies in 1970 and 1971, passed away at his home in Green Bay, Wisconsin on February 25, 2024. He was 74 years old.
'Oke' played offensive tackle for the Grizzlies under head coach Jack Swarthout. He began his college football career at the University of Washington, where he suffered an injury, and next played at Everett Community College.
His 1970 Griz squad was unbeaten in the regular season, going 10-0, and advancing to the Camelia Bowl. While at UM he was twice named first team All-America by Kodak, AP, and UPI, and in the Big Sky Conference. In 1988, he was selected to the Big Sky Conference's Silver (25-year) Anniversary Team. He was inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
"Best move I ever made in my life was the transfer from Seattle (UW) out to the University of Monana," Okoniewski said in one of his interviews.
Okoniewski, from Bremerton, Wash., Â was drafted in the second round of the 1972 National Football League draft and was the 41st overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons.
He played on the defensive line in the NFL during his six seasons with the Buffalo Bills (1972-73), Green Bay Packers (1974-75), and St. Louis Cardinals (1976-77). He was inducted into the Montana Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
He returned to the Treasure Stater after his NFL career and was the head football coach and athletic director in Deer Lodge from 1979-85 and had a brief stint in Wibaux High School after that. His 1979 Deer Lodge Wardens football team played for the Class A state title, a 14-7 loss to Whitefish, after going 0-8 the previous season.
Steve's final stop in education and coaching was at Luxemburg-Casco High School in Wisconsin, (about 20 miles from Green Bay) where he served as principal and an assistant football and wrestling coach from 1989 to 2014.
Barry Darrow, who started next to 'Oke' on the Griz O-Line, UM head coach Bobby Hauck, and Steve's daughters, Wendy and Ivy, are expected to speak at the get-together.
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Steve Okoniewski, a two-time All-America selection for the Grizzlies in 1970 and 1971, passed away at his home in Green Bay, Wisconsin on February 25, 2024. He was 74 years old.
'Oke' played offensive tackle for the Grizzlies under head coach Jack Swarthout. He began his college football career at the University of Washington, where he suffered an injury, and next played at Everett Community College.
His 1970 Griz squad was unbeaten in the regular season, going 10-0, and advancing to the Camelia Bowl. While at UM he was twice named first team All-America by Kodak, AP, and UPI, and in the Big Sky Conference. In 1988, he was selected to the Big Sky Conference's Silver (25-year) Anniversary Team. He was inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
"Best move I ever made in my life was the transfer from Seattle (UW) out to the University of Monana," Okoniewski said in one of his interviews.
Okoniewski, from Bremerton, Wash., Â was drafted in the second round of the 1972 National Football League draft and was the 41st overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons.
He played on the defensive line in the NFL during his six seasons with the Buffalo Bills (1972-73), Green Bay Packers (1974-75), and St. Louis Cardinals (1976-77). He was inducted into the Montana Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
He returned to the Treasure Stater after his NFL career and was the head football coach and athletic director in Deer Lodge from 1979-85 and had a brief stint in Wibaux High School after that. His 1979 Deer Lodge Wardens football team played for the Class A state title, a 14-7 loss to Whitefish, after going 0-8 the previous season.
Steve's final stop in education and coaching was at Luxemburg-Casco High School in Wisconsin, (about 20 miles from Green Bay) where he served as principal and an assistant football and wrestling coach from 1989 to 2014.
Barry Darrow, who started next to 'Oke' on the Griz O-Line, UM head coach Bobby Hauck, and Steve's daughters, Wendy and Ivy, are expected to speak at the get-together.
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