Inside the Life of a Griz Long Snapper

Meet the Griz is a series that tells the stories of Montana Grizzlies athletes, coaches, and contributors. Here are some of the previous Meet the Griz athletes:

Meet the Griz: Long Snapper Grayson Pibal

Say it with me: "Long snappers matter, too!" Especially when you play for Coach Bobby Hauck and the Montana Grizzlies.

"I think it's just the fact that he cares so much about it," Griz Long Snapper Grayson Pibal said on why Coach Hauck's teams are so good on special teams. "You might see other programs where it's not something that their head football coach cares about as much, and it kind of reflects in their special teams."

Pibal is in his fifth season with the Montana Grizzlies. No other current Grizzly has played more than Pibal at 33 career games. Pibal was a second-team All-Big Sky performer a season ago. As a long snapper, you typically don't receive credit and are only mentioned when something goes wrong, but Pibal has played well for the Grizzlies, including racking up some memorable moments.

"Probably recovering a fumble at UC Davis," Pibal said on his best college play. "That's probably one that I'll end up exaggerating over time. I'll probably tell grandkids down the line that I stripped it from him and returned it for a touchdown," Pibal joked.

That game at Davis was the first key victory en route to the Big Sky title and National Championship appearance in 2023.

Pibal recovers the fumble at Davis in 2023. Credit: University of Montana Athletics

If you think special teamers don't practice hard and don't put in championship-level effort, think again.

"Coach Hauck likes to think of us all as football players, so we're doing almost everything everybody else is," said Pibal.

Practice and study film like any other football player. That's the Montana Way.