By PATRICK RECORD
Last year, on a cold December day, the University of Montana’s football season came to an end after losing to the Montana State Bobcats, 16-21. The loss caused the Grizzlies to miss the playoffs for the first time in 17 years and put an end to that record-setting division I-AA streak.
In addition to the football season, it closed the door on the careers for a number of seniors, including starting defensive tackle and team captain, Tyler Hobbs.
In his life after Griz football, Hobbs is finishing his last semester at UM, where he will receive a degree in business and education. He is currently student-teaching at Big Sky High School, where he coached football this past season, in addition to coaching the sophomore men’s basketball team.
When asked what he misses most about playing football at UM: “Griz Nation,” Hobbs says. It starts with running out onto the field.
“You can hear the crowd murmur and the band playing,” he says.“ Then the smoke is released, the boys start filing out, and you run out to twenty-five thousand rabid fans that bleed maroon and silver.”
After reliving the moment, Hobbs admits he gets the chills just thinking about it.
Hobbs will be watching the game Friday night. He admits it’s hard to watch because he wants to be out there with the guys, and it brings back some of the best memories of his life.
Having played under the lights against Appalachian State in 2009, Hobbs can look back at the win and offer the Grizzlies some advice for Friday’s game.
“Don’t get caught up in the hype and just stay focused…. all the way through ‘Frisco,” he says. “The games [you’ll] remember are played in December.”
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Want to get hyped for Griz game day? Check out Patrick’s Griz football photo galleries from their game against Central Arkansas and the 2011 Brawl of the Wild victory over the Bobcats.
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Prior to moving to Missoula to attend the University of Montana’s Journalism School, Patrick Record lived in Los Angeles, where he worked as a freelance audio technician and camera operator. Currently, he’s the photographer for the UM Foundation. Patrick is also minoring in Central and Southwestern Asian Studies and his career goal is to be a war photographer following graduation from the journalism school. Check out Patrick’s website to see more of his work.