Where are they now: Marty Mornhinweg

By: Bill Oram
GameDay Kaimin

Great quarterbacks are as much a staple in Montana football history as tourists are in Glacier National Park during summer.
Dave Dickenson, Brian Ah Yat, Drew Miller, John Edwards and Craig Ochs have all taken their place in the spotlight for the Grizzlies. But it’s a quarterback often forgotten in discussions of great Griz gridiron generals who has had arguably the most successful professional career.
Marty Mornhinweg is better known for his career calling plays from NFL sidelines than from under center for the Grizzlies in the early 1980s.
He was the head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2001 and 2002, and for the past five years has been with the Philadelphia Eagles, currently as offensive coordinator. Stops in San Francisco, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia make his NFL passport an enviable one.
Long before Dickenson and Edwards, two national championships, and nine straight Big Sky Conference titles, Montana football had its up and down years. Before 23,000-plus fans packed into Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Griz games were played at Dornblaser Field with its wooden bleachers. Fans were just the toss of a beer – especially when Montana State was in town – from the action.
Former Montana coach Joe Glenn said the Mornhinweg-led teams of the ’80s were largely responsible for the transition from middle-of-the-pack to top-of-the-heap.
“The times weren’t as good as they have been since they moved into the stadium,” said Glenn, who was an assistant coach during Mornhinweg’s tenure and now coaches the Wyoming Cowboys.
“(Mornhinweg) was amazing to watch. He probably played with a cast of less talented players than have been there since Marty.”
In his years as Griz quarterback, Mornhinweg’s teams were 22-30-1, a record that would likely make modern-day Griz fans cringe.
Yet, Mornhinweg’s teams were the first to prove the Grizzlies could contend, a fact that is consistent with recent Montana history.
“I think the fellows that I played with were tough. They were the types of guys (who) didn’t make excuses,” Mornhinweg said. “We didn’t whine or cry, we got better every day. Tough guys usually rise to the occasion. I don’t think we were quite the most talented team, but we won it.”
After Mornhinweg and his potent crop of receivers – highlighted by Brian Salonen and Bob McCauley – the Grizzlies didn’t win another Big Sky title for 11 years.
“I was happy for the teammates I had because they put a lot of time, effort, sacrifice and many of them were upstanding citizens and great students,” Mornhinweg said.
The San Jose, Calif., native came to Montana highly regarded, but major schools shied away from him and his 5-foot-9, 185 pound frame. But not the Griz.
“He played quarterback position like a linebacker,” said Daryl Gadbow, former Missoulian sports editor. “He was really tough. If he ran the ball there was no sliding; he ran right smack into somebody.”
Mornhinweg’s social life exuded the same zeal as on the field. He was a presence in the bar scene and was known for frequently dealing poker at the Stockman Bar.
“He was a partier and he liked to gamble,” Gadbow said. “The Grizzlies used to play down at (the University of Nevada) Reno and I heard they couldn’t drag him out of the casinos at night.”
Prior to his senior season in 1983, Mornhinweg was suspended after being accused of cheating on an exam. He sat out the year before returning in 1984.
“I think that most fans thought he was a good player and I think people thought he made a mistake and he paid for it,” he said. “And he stuck around.”
Mornhinweg’s stats at Montana were good, but not great. He threw for 6,083 career yards, sixth most all-time, and averaged 169 passing yards per game. However, even then he had the mind of a coach, Glenn said
He was introduced to great coaching early in his career. At Oak Grove High School in San Jose, one of his coaches was Mike Holmgren, coach of the Packers when they won the 1997 Super Bowl and currently coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Mornhinweg’s first shot to run an NFL team came in 2001 when he was hired by the mercurial Matt Millen to guide the hapless Lions. However, he was fired after two years and a 5-27 record.
Glenn said although Mornhinweg’s stretch at the top of an NFL team was short-lived, he has redeemed himself in Philadelphia. The Eagles have produced record-setting offensive numbers in his tenure, and he deserves another shot.
“He’ll get another chance,” Glenn said. “The first one didn’t work out so well as a head coach. People like him, players like him.”
Mornhinweg didn’t rule out coaching in the college ranks, at least once his four kids – the youngest is 8 years old – are out of the house.
“I’ve got a little time left here, but my wife and I have discussed some of those things,” he said. “It would be nice to get to a university setting one of these days.”
Mornhinweg, with his wife and kids, visited Missoula for the first time in 15 years this past summer, and said he frequently chats with former teammates.
Despite his extensive and lucrative career in the pros, Mornhinweg insisted the NFL isn’t as glamorous as it is portrayed by Hollywood.
“It may seem like that to some people, but we work hard, we prepare,” he said. “We do everything we can to have success that next week. You got to do it day-to-day, week-to-week. And we did this at the University of Montana.”