MISSOULA — Ryan Tirrell is living a childhood dream playing for the Montana Grizzlies.
The senior linebacker has been entrenched in Griz football from a young age because his family is part of the very fabric of the program, as Tirrell is the nephew of head coach Bobby Hauck.
"He's always been a coach in my eyes, because I've grown up with him being a coach, so I've always known that side of him," Tirrell said. "So it's not like it was a weird change or anything for me, but it's been fun. We obviously see each other outside of football, so it's fun to talk about stuff like that."
Tirrell rarely missed a Griz game growing up, and now as a member of the team, he sees some of himself in the next generation of kids hanging out around the program. Specifically, he remembers former defensive linemen at UM used to throw tape balls at him to tease the young fan.
"I was always around practices and just certain players growing up," Tirrell said. "So being now that I'm one of the players, and I see little kids around our practice, like coach (Justin) Green's little kids and coach (Roger Cooper's) kids and stuff like that. I know exactly what it was like and how special it was when I get acknowledged by one of the Griz players and stuff like that. So it's been cool growing up around it my whole life."
The Missoula native went on to stand out at Loyola Sacred Heart before getting his dream opportunity to play for the Grizzlies.
And Tirrell's growth was steady and in line with many Griz players. He contributed on special teams his first few years on the team, before ultimately cracking the defensive rotation last season and seeing big minutes in a loaded linebacker room on a team that made it to the FCS national championship in Frisco.
"It was a huge eye-opening experience," Tirrell said. "Had a ton to learn every game, there's so much to learn on as there is now still. But it was eye-opening how different it is out there compared to special teams, even. Everybody's super physical and fast, and you got to be a good decision maker.
"It was special. We were all super tight. Our team chemistry was definitely there. It was super special, especially with all those guys, because I'd known them all for so long, like Levi (Janacaro), (Tyler) Flink and Braxton (Hill). I've known Flink and Levi since I was little. Braxton, I played basketball with him growing up, so we all just had a really tight bond, and it was special because we were winning. So it was it was a lot of fun."
This year, Tirrell hasn't missed a beat as a starter at linebacker, a culmination of his work and patience now paying off. In his career so far, Tirrell has racked up 108 total tackles, four for loss, and two sacks.
"It was definitely a lot of work that went into it," Tirrell said. "So sometimes I'm walking by the stadium, I'll just sit back and kind of reminisce and think about how cool it is that I get the opportunity that not a lot of people do. So just taking advantage of it.
"I've really been enjoying it. I've been trying to take advantage of every rep that comes my way, because I know they're limited for myself, and I'm just trying to lead my teammates by example and just show the young guys the way."
Outside of football, Tirrell did his undergrad in finance and will finish his MBA this winter.
So for Tirrell, it's been a special run for the Montana kid, and he's making every moment count, to try and make his senior season memorable and last as long as he can.
"It meant the world to me, getting the opportunity, because I barely missed a Griz game growing up, so this was definitely the place I wanted to be," Tirrell said. "It was nothing short of, thus far, just a wonderful ride, and I wouldn't change anything about it."
