Top 10 Athletes From Montana
Robert Craig Knievel Jr. of Butte, a.k.a. Evel Knievel, is not eligible. He was a stuntman, and a daredevil, and an icon. But I don't care how many times he appeared on ABC Wide World of Sports, he was not an athlete.
Dishonorable Mention to Ryan Leaf of Great Falls. The quarterback was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 1997, leading Washington State to its 1st Pac-10 title, and its 1st Rose Bowl in 67 years. He finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting, behind Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson and Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning.
In the leadup to the 1998 NFL Draft, since both the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Chargers needed new quarterbacks, it was clear that Leaf and Manning were going to be the top 2 picks. And when the Colts picked Manning 1st, nobody seemed to think that the Bolts got a mere consolation prize. Everyone seemed to think that Leaf had the goods to become an NFL star.
Maybe he did -- from the neck down. But he developed a reputation for a poor work ethic, spent more time playing golf than studying film, and was caught on tape screaming at a reporter. Rodney Harrison, an All-Pro safety who would later win 2 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, called it "a nightmare you can't even imagine."
He hurt his throwing wrist the next year, and his disciplinary problems continued. He was healthy and seemingly grown-up in 2000, but not effective. He was released in 2001. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him, but quickly released him because of his attitude. The Dallas Cowboys signed him, and they lost all 4 games in which he appeared. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks, but he complained that his wrist had not fully healed, and retired, having played his last game at age 25, completing only 48 percent of his passes, for 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.
Often called the biggest bust in NFL history, he seemed to have turned things around, coaching on the staff of West Texas A&M (not Texas A&M) from 2006 to 2008. But the wrist never really healed, and he got addicted to painkillers, and got into legal trouble as a result, spending most of 2012, '13 and '14 in prison.
Now 41, he runs a foundation to aid people dealing with mental health and addiction recovery issues. At last check, he was okay. He's probably the biggest name on this list. But not the best, and he's not big for the right reasons.
10. Kroy Biermann of Hardin. The linebacker played at the University of Montana, and was the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. He then played 8 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. However, he is best known as the husband of Kim Zolciak of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
9. Corey Widmer of Bozeman. A linebacker, he went to Montana State, and played for the Giants from 1992 to 1999.
8. Brock Osweiler of Kalispell. He quarterbacked Arizona State, then was Peyton Manning's backup on the Denver Broncos, winning a ring for Super Bowl 50. He reached the Playoffs with the Houston Texans in 2016, and is now back with the Broncos as their starter.
7. Larry Krystkowiak of Shelby. The forward for the University of Montana was a 3-time Big Sky Conference basketball player of the year. He wasn't as lucky in the NBA. He arrived in 1986, and was with the San Antonio Spurs between George Gervin and David Robinson; the Milwaukee Bucks after they stopped dominating the Central Division; the Utah Jazz before Karl Malone and John Stockton started reaching the NBA Finals; the Orlando Magic before Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway got them there; the Chicago Bulls during Michael Jordan's hiatus; and the Los Angeles Lakers before Shaq and Kobe Bryant got them to the top.
He went into coaching, including returning to Montana, and won the Big Sky Conference Tournament in 2004 and 2005. He is now the head coach at the University of Utah.
6. Jeff Ballard of Billings. A member of the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame, he pitched his way to a 41-53 major league record from 1987 to 1994, with the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
5. Greg Rice of Missoula. Known as the Little Dynamo, because he was just 5-foot-5 but had a lot of energy, he won the mile run, competing for Notre Dame, at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in 1937 and 1939. He set a world record 8 times, and won 65 straight races. He set an indoor 2-mile record that stood for 9 years, and an indoor 3-mile record that stood for 17 years. He was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's best amateur athlete in 1940.
World War II prevented him from competing in the Olympics, as the 1940 and 1944 Games were canceled, and by the time the 1948 Games were held in London, he was 32, and had already turned professional, with the New York Athletic Club. Under today's rules, he would have been allowed.
He left the sport to enlist in the U.S. Merchant Marine for the duration of The War, and became an accountant in River Edge, Bergen County, New Jersey.
4. Pat Donovan of Helena. An All-American offensive tackle at Stanford University, he was a 4-time Pro Bowler, and played in 3 Super Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys, winning Super Bowl XII in 1978.
3. Dave Dickenson of Great Falls. The University of Montana quarterback won the 1995 Walter Payton Award for Division I-AA player of the year. He played in the NFL with San Diego, Seattle, Miami and Detroit, but never as a starter. In Canada, it was a different story. He won the Grey Cup with the Calgary Stampeders in 1998, with the BC Lions in 2007, and with the Stampeders again in 2008. He was Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player in 2000, and Grey Cup MVP in 2006.
He went into coaching, and helped the Stamps win another Grey Cup as their offensive coordinator in 2014. In 2016, he was named their head coach, and won CFL Coach of the Year.
2. Dan O'Brien of Missoula. Those of you over the age of 30 will remember the Reebok "Dan & Dave" ads in preparation for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, as Dan and Dave Johnson prepared to qualify in the decathlon.
It fell flat on its face when Dan, then the current world recordholder, failed to make a proper pole vault at the Olympic Trials, and Dave went to Barcelona alone, winning a Bronze Medal. Dan came back and won the Gold Medal in 1996 in Atlanta, fulfilling his destiny as the unofficial "world's greatest athlete."
1. Dave McNally of Billings. A 3-time All-Star, He pitched a complete game to clinch the 1966 World Series for the Baltimore Orioles, and won another game and hit a grand slam in it to help them win it in 1970. His career won-lost record was a sterling 184-119. He helped the O's reach the postseason 6 times, and is a member of their team Hall of Fame.
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