Jon Montoya (2018) - Hall of Fame - Montana State University Athletics

Jon Montoya

Induction:
2018

   Jon Montoya’s path to Bozeman was winding. A native of southern California, he spent his high school years in South Dakota before arriving at Montana State in the fall of 1999. But once he arrived in Bozeman, Montoya’s path was amazingly direct.
   Montoya started all 48 of his games as a Bobcat, leaving the Big Sky littered with opposing offensive lines and a long list of awards and impressive statistics. Montoya was a two-time team captain who during his career landed First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors twice, honorable mention All-America honors twice, and was First Team All-Big Sky twice and Second Team once.
   But Bobcat coach Mike Kramer remembers him for traits that can’t be quantified in statistics. “Jon Montoya had a real, daily toughness shrouded in a deeply personal commitment to something bigger than our game,” Kramer said. “He was an unselfish team leader and never had a bad day, never wanted for himself.”
   Montoya was part of Montana State’s amazing 1999 recruiting class, which featured seven players that landed All-Big Sky honors in the Blue and Gold and three (so far) that are in the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame. Montoya, with classmates Adam Cordeiro and Jay Hackett, helped form the heart of an ascending defense that eventually helped the Cats win back-to-back Big Sky titles in 2002 and 2003.
   The 2000 season saw the Bobcat football program struggle through a difficult 0-11 season, but with only four seniors on that team the stage was set for many youngsters to gain invaluable experience. Montoya led the team with seven sacks and 18 tackles-for-a-loss, and the former South Dakota High School Gatorade Player of the Year earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. As a sophomore in 2001, Montoya was a unanimous First Team All-Big Sky choice with 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss.
   Kramer’s third Bobcat team in 2002 was ready to break out, and Montoya played a big part. He earned All-Big Sky and Honorable Mention All-America honors, and for the first time was named First Team Academic All-America, arguably college athletics’ most meaningful honor. He logged 18.5 tackles-for-loss, nine of which were sacks, and Montana State’s late-season surge culminated in a 10-7 win over the Grizzlies in Missoula that gave the Cats their first Big Sky crown since 1984. That season was an amazing ride, and Kramer said Montoya’s strong play and cool demeanor were driving factors.
   “Jon was our greatest player every time he was on the field,” Kramer said. “His extraordinary level of performance was always overshadowed by his humility and concern for correctness.”