MISSOULA — Growing up on the high plains of Northeastern Montana in a town of 2,000 residents, Tucker Schye considered Lance Spencer a hero.
Ask Schye what the best part of his hometown of Malta is and he does not mention the dinosaur fossils it’s famed for. He contemplates saying hunting before settling on his favorite: high school football. The game was ingrained in him at birth from his father, Tad Schye, a pivotal member of Montana coaching legend Scott King as the Mustangs attained unprecedented success in the Class B ranks.
During a career that spanned more than two decades, King led Malta to 24 consecutive playoff berths, winning state championships in 1996, 2000 and 2006 while finishing as the state’s runner-up during Tucker’s senior year in 2012. Tad Schye was a part of every single one of King’s 206 wins.
Going to Mustangs’ practice is among Tucker Schye’s first memories, period. Spencer, the former fan favorite defensive end who wowed fans with his explosiveness and intensity during his time with the Montana Grizzlies despite battling a string of freak injuries, became Schye’s favorite player as a young boy.
Montana defensive end Tucker Schye/by Brooks Nuanez
“Me and Lance go back quite a ways. I can remember him from when I first had memories,” Schye said on Monday. “He was someone that really impacted my life because of idolizing him and how I got an appreciation for this (Montana) program.”
On Saturday in Bozeman, Schye will try to affirm his place as a Malta product turned Griz hero with one last performance on Montana’s biggest stage. UM will gun for a playoff berth against a hungry Montana State squad eager to deny the Griz a trip to the post season.
“I have a lot of hometown pride,” Schye said. “I like the fact that I’m from a small town in Eastern Montana. I get to represent that part of the state. Representing is that much bigger this weekend.”
Coming out of high school, Schye was considered the top linebacker prospect in the Treasure State. After earning Scout Team Player of the Year honors in 2013 at UM, he backed up a collection of all-conference Griz, providing depth behind Jeremiah Kose at middle linebacker as a redshirt freshman, Tyrone Holmes and Derek Crittendon at defensive end as a sophomore and Caleb Kidder last fall.
In the off-season, Kidder passed down Montana’s hallowed No. 37 jersey to Schye. In his one season wearing the storied garment — the number has been passed down to memorable Grizzlies defensive standouts who claim Treasure State roots for more than 30 years — and his lone season starting, Schye has been a pillar of consistency.
“He’s done an awesome job, of representing that number,” Montana second-year safeties coach Shann Schillinger, a Baker native who played five seasons in the NFL before returning to his alma mater to coach, said. “The things that everyone sees on Saturdays is it, but also throughout the week, being a competitive guy in practice, bringing it every day. To me, that’s what that number symbolizes. He’s done an excellent job at that and represented it to the fullest. I’m proud of Tucker and the type of player he’s been for this team.”
Montana defensive end Tucker Schye/by Jason Bacaj
Schye was productive playing middle linebacker behind Kose, notching 21 tackles in 2014. In his first season playing on the edge in 2015, he piled up five tackles for loss. Last season, he had 28 tackles and seven tackles for loss playing rotationally behind Kidder and All-Big Sky Conference end Ryan Johnson.
This season, Schye has blossomed into one of the Big Sky’s most productive and fearsome defensive linemen. His 13.5 tackles for loss lead the league entering the 117th Cat-Griz game.
“For his senior year, it’s been phenomenal to watch him not only produce but lead,” UM defensive line coach Brian Hendricks said. “He’s a guy who everybody looks to for his work ethic. As far as his mentality, he does it the right way. He’s a Montana kid in and out, very blue collar, doesn’t need to say a whole lot. He just goes to work.
“Man, very unselfish football, selfless and the production fortunately has been able to follow. But he’s only concerned about wins and the process of how to win. He’s not focused on the result, he’s focused on the process, the blue collar work ethic and leading this team.”
Spencer burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2002 after leading Malta to the 2000 Class B state title. He came to UM as a 205-pound linebacker/defensive end with a high motor and a raw skill set. By the time he cracked the lineup as a 230-pound redshirt freshman, his ultra-aggressive style helped him dominate opposing offensive linemen and ignite Washington-Grizzly Stadium with his timely and often violent quarterback sacks.
Spencer was a key cog in a Griz defense that notched 57 sacks in 2002, piling up 10 himself in Joe Glenn’s final season at the helm. The following year, the first under Bobby Hauck, Spencer screamed his way to five sacks in UM’s first six games before suffering a devastating torn ACL against Weber State.
In 2004, he contributed but did not dominate in 10 games. Against Montana State in the 2003 season finale, first-year head coach Bobby Hauck’s first against the hated Bobcats, Spencer recorded two sacks before being rolled up in a pile and suffering a broken leg. By 2005, he was a shell of himself athletically but still managed nine tackles for loss and four sacks. His 23 sacks still rank seventh and his 30.5 tackles for loss still rank 11th in Montana history but many wondered what he might’ve been had it not been for the two catostrophic injuries.
Montana defensive end Tucker Schye/by Brooks Nuanez
“High school football is a big deal in Malta, a special thing and he was the first one I remember wanting to grow up to be like,” Schye said. “Watching him play here made me want to be a Grizzly since I was a little kid.”
Don Molloy (1965-67), Duane Walker (1971, 1973-75) and Ed Cerkovnik (1977-79) are the Malta native letterman of record at Montana besides the two standout defensive ends of the 21st century. Schye will be one of only a handful of players in Saturday’s game — Montana junior linebacker Shayne Cochran is from Culbertson, UM redshirt freshman Michae McGinnis is from Sidney, MSU redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jarrod Asche is from Glendive — from Eastern Montana participating in the lastest installment of the bitter rivalry.
“He’s a small-town guy who works hard and knows how to get it done,” UM sophomore safety Josh Sandry, a Class B product himself from Bigfork, said.
“He’s our leader. He’s a great dude and a great teammate. You can always count on him. He plays the game with a lot of passion. He’s a great 37. He definitely deserved that number.”
Schye enters Saturday with a team-high 6.5 sacks, the fourth-best total in the league. He’ll have at least one more chance to add to his league-leading TFL total and boost his career number. Schye’s 25.5 tackles for loss as a Griz ranks 14th in school history, ahead of fellow No. 37s like Ciche Pitcher and Ryan Fetherston, four TFLs behind former No. 37 Jordan Tripp, five behind Spencer and six behind Kidder.
“It’s pretty special to me because you have that appreciation for the number,” Schye said. “It’s nice to be settled into the number when it’s not all about the hype because I was never about any of that. I don’t like to be about myself or anything like that but it’s nice to be settled in and just to be able to go play every weekend.”
Montana defensive end Tucker Schye/by Brooks Nuanez
In the off-season, UM head coach Bob Stitt expressed concern with putting a player on a pedestal, something wearing the esteemed jersey Montana fans deem their “designated hitter” sometimes causes. But once Kidder passed it on to Schye, those worries were quelled quickly.
“He’s a great 37,” Montana head coach Bob Stitt said. “How he’s handled that, how he deflects all the notoriety is really what 37 is supposed to be. He’s a great teammate, a great team player, hard working, selfless, all that stuff, I think when you think about 37, that’s what it is.
“We are proud of him. Our team is proud of him. Our fans should really be proud of him and how he conducts the No. 37.”
In terms of Saturday’s matchup between the white lines, Schye has certain caught the eye of Montana’s opponent as well.
“Tucker is a long player who can cover a lot of ground,” MSU second-year head coach Jeff Choate said. “He’s improved greatly as a pass rusher and is a big, tall guy who knocks a lot of balls down. It’s not just his ability to get after the quarterback but his ability to knock the ball down.
“He’s good against the run and his length can really have an effect on quarterbacks. I’ve been impressed with him as a player and their aggressive style on defense and he fits right into that mold.”
Schye is closing in on his degree in accounting. He will pursue football as long as he can before diving into the professional world.
Montana defensive end Tucker Schye/by Brooks Nuanez
When it comes to life after football, Schye said he can’t wait to bird hunt up on the Montana HiLine with his dad during the falls again. He said he’ll miss the little stuff, from the times grinding in the weight room to the jokes of the locker room.
The 14th No. 37 is among the most short-lived. Schye joins Fetherston and Missoula native Zack Wagenmann as the only No. 37s to wear the jersey for a single season. He gets his first, last and only chance to wear the sanctified garment against his fiercest rival on Saturday in Bozeman.
“You go out and take it,” Schye said when asked what it takes to win the rivalry game. “That’s really what it’s all about. It’s something you look forward to all year. It really comes down to who wants it more.”
“Saturday is huge. I love being from a small town. I can’t wait to represent one more time.”
The No. 37 Legacy
Kraig Paulson – Fullback, 1983-86, Plentywood
Tim Hauck – Safety, 1987-89, Big Timber
Todd Ericson – Safety, 1990-93, Butte
Jason Crebo – Linebacker, 1994-97, Helena
Andy Petek – Defensive End, 1998-00, Helena
Ciche Pitcher – Defensive End, 2001-03, Anaconda
Loren Utterback – Linebacker, 2004-07, Fort Benton
Carson Bender – Defensive Tackle, 2008-10, Deer Lodge
Ryan Fetherston – Defensive End, 2011, East Helena
Jordan Tripp – Linebacker, 2012-13, Missoula
Zack Wagenmann – Defensive End, 2014, Missoula
Caleb Kidder – Defensive End, 2015-16, Missoula
Tucker Schye – Defensive End, 2017, Malta
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
