BUTTE — As Arie Grey handed off the state flag to his former quarterback under the lights at Bobcat Stadium prior to Montana State's runaway win over Idaho on Oct. 12, he couldn't help but notice that — even in this poignant moment — Tommy Mellott was as dialed-in as ever.
"We're standing there face to face and he was so locked in," Grey recalled of the pregame tradition at MSU. "I kind of pitied Idaho at that point in time because I was like, 'They're going get the best of this guy.' He was ready to roll.
"That moment is something I'll have forever."
Mellott's businesslike, no-nonsense attitude — which has helped the senior from Butte propel the Bobcats into their second FCS championship in four seasons — came as no surprise to Grey, a former MSU receiver and Butte High's head football coach who just wrapped up his 16th season guiding the Bulldogs.
Mellott earned the Bulldogs' starting quarterback role before his sophomore campaign and led Butte's offense from 2017-19. But his first career start came as a freshman against Billings Senior on Sept. 16, 2016.
"I remember saying to our staff, 'He belongs on this field, he is as talented as everybody else,'" said Grey of comparing the young Mellott to some of the Broncs' star players at the time, like Gabe Sulser, who went on to play receiver at Montana and Texas, and Nolan Askelson who went on to have an All-Big Sky career at linebacker for Montana State.
And while the result of that game was a 40-0 victory for the Broncs, Grey knew Mellott was the future.
"He deserved to be out there," continued Grey. "You kind of knew right then that he was pretty special. He was still growing and we wanted to protect him as much as we could. Then his sophomore year he became the starter and the sky was the limit."
Flash forward eight years and a ceiling still hasn't presented itself to Mellott as he and the Bobcats aim to tie a bow on what has so far been the most successful season in Montana State football history.
Mellott has carved out a lasting legacy with the Bobcats in Bozeman, but has done so as a native of Butte, the town where his identity was forged. And as Grey gets set to head to Frisco, Texas, to cheer on his alma mater and former signal caller, he believes Mellott is an ideal representative for the Mining City.
"He's the poster child for Butte, America," said Grey. "He's that guy that, 'I'm going to bring my lunch pail. I'm going to work extremely hard. I'm going to be tough. I'm not really going to say a lot, I'm just going to do my job.'"
