NFL, Griz Great Colt Anderson Shares Great Copper & Gold Jerseys Story
The Butte Missile. Does it get any better than that nickname? Also known as Colt Anderson, the former Griz Football star returns home to take his rightful place in the Grizzly Hall of Fame this weekend. Anderson, like the rest of the Griz Hall of Famers, didn't believe he was selected to the Hall of Fame.
"It still doesn't seem real," said Anderson. "Kent Haslem was trying to get a hold of me in the offseason and it just so happened it was right around the same time I was transitioning to this new job (Tennessee Titans Special Teams Coordinator), so I had a lot going on. He finally texted me and said 'You need to call me, I got some very important things.'
Important, indeed. Haslem finally informed Anderson he made the Hall of Fame. Anderson responded with "Are you kidding me?"
READ MORE: Scott Gurnsey Talks The Good Ole' Days, Beating The Cats 4x In A Row
It's funny to me that all these Griz legends, Anderson, Scott Gurnsey, Kelly Pilcher and Dylan McFarland, are shocked by the news. They're some of the best to do it at the University of Montana, of course you're a Hall of Famer, but I digress.
Anderson's path to Griz stardom wasn't a stroll in the park. He started as a walk-on and eventually emerged as one of the all-time leading tacklers at UM.
"I think it's a combination of my upbringing. Being born and raised in Butte where we have that blue-collar mentality."
I'll let you listen to the full interview at the bottom of the article on the Daily Drive With Ace Sauerwein podcast, but there is one story I want to share. One of Anderson's best memories was wearing the old-school copper and gold uniforms against the Cats in 2008.
"When Bobby pulled out that duffel bag the whole room just players and coaches erupted. And then how we presented it was pretty funny too. We go out in our normal colors and then Bobby's like 'We're gonna do a quick stretch and warm up and then we're gonna come back in, we gotta change real quick and then we come out with the smoke and Monte and motorcycles and it's roaring. Then all of a sudden we bust out of the blowup helmet and it went silent for a good 2 seconds because everybody was in shock. And then it just erupted."
Chills.
For the full interview with Colt tap the podcast below. Fast forward to the 7:27 mark.
Every Montana-Born NFL Player (1922-1949)
Gallery Credit: Ace Sauerwein