One of the pleasures of hanging around college sports teams for as long as I have is watching kids other than your own grow up.
Every year I encounter a new crop of 17- and 18-year-old puppies, some of whom are leaving home for the first time, but all of whom are anxious to make their mark on the University of Montana athletic programs.
Some arrive full of confidence because of their high school or junior college success, while others are just happy to have an opportunity to earn a scholarship.
They teach me the latest verbiage, chuckle in disbelief when I use what they term antiquated slang and, quite frankly, keep me eternally young, at heart at least.
Defensive back Trey Young was a guy who arrived in Missoula in 1998 with an impressive pedigree from Helix High School in San Diego where he averaged nine tackles a game and set a school weight lifting mark for his position.
But while he started as a sophomore and began earning all-conference recognition, which led to an All American career, like several former UM athletes – like Griz basketball Hall of Famer Micheal Ray Richardson – Trey had a stuttering problem.
Whether it was present all the time I really don’t know, but when I first began interviewing him on the radio he struggled and the more self-conscious he got about it the worse the impediment became.
I wasn’t around when Richardson played for the Grizzlies, but when I began interviewing him several years ago the first couple of times we talked he struggled, then as he got more comfortable his stuttering basically disappeared.
Slowly, Trey became the same way as he made his way into feeling comfortable with the interview process and confident of his ability to answer any question. The stuttering basically disappeared, and by the time he was a senior he could have taken over the coach’s show he was so polished.
Just prior to Tim Bush’s funeral a couple of weeks ago in Kellogg, I ran into Trey and I hardly even recognized him. Here was the guy who initially could hardly put three words together without stammering now looking and talking the role of a Wall Street executive.
He was dressed in a long sleeve white shirt and tie after a 400-mile drive from Seattle and confidently talked about what his future holds after playing in the Canadian Football League.
When he wasn’t drafted after a stellar career that saw him named the Big Sky Conference defensive Player of the Year as a senior, he took a position at UM, fine-tuned his speed and agility under the tutelage of track coach Brian Schweyen and, when he got a chance, made the most of the opportunity by leading Calgary in tackles in 2007 before being traded to Edmonton.
But an injury-plagued season in 2007, and a move from free safety to linebacker, spelled doom for Young and he was cut. Coach John Hufnagel told me in Calgary when I was there with Griz basketball that Young was one of the most ferocious hitters he’d ever seen and “one of the best guys on the roster.”
But Young is still on the gridiron playing with Las Vegas in the United Football League.
The Locomotives completed its inaugural season in November with Las Vegas, under former NFL coach Jim Fassel, claiming the championship.
But while football continues to be good for Trey Young, it is his maturation off the field that I’m so proud of.
While he still holds out hope to continue to play and now competes in a league some say is positioning itself to provide players in the event of an NFL lockout, Young will continue to thrive and prosper.
With a UM degree in business with an emphasis in marketing and management, he has established a website, OfficialPlayerWatch.com, where players can post highlights and career information to market themselves to possible future pro teams or colleges.
“Believe in your endeavor and hard work will guide you,” reads the site’s motto at the top of the page.
Such perseverance has paid dividends for Trey Young, who is just a single example of why I love this job.