(Editor's note: University of Montana media release)
MISSOULA -- Montana's Buck Buchanan Award-winning linebacker Dante Olson has signed to play professionally with the Edmonton Football Team of the Canadian Football League, the club announced Wednesday.
After being named to the team's negotiation list in September, Montana's all-time leading tackler joins former Grizzly wide receiver Jerry Louie-McGee on the Edmonton roster. Former Grizzly Brock Sunderland is also the club's General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations.
Olson signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 and spent time on the Eagles practice squad after posting near-record numbers at the NFL Combine in February of 2020, including a phenomenal 42-inch vertical leap.
Before that, he set a UM and Big Sky Conference single-season tackle record with 179 stops his senior year and became Montana's all-time leading tackler with 397 career stops in just two seasons as a starter for the Grizzlies.
He was named the FCS Defensive Player of the Year, the FCS Athletic Director's Defensive Player of the Year, and was named to seven different All-American teams as a senior.
A force for good in the community as well, Olson was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in 2020, highlighting the top players in the nation that prioritize community service.
The CFL has been a home away from home for Montana alumni in recent years. Olson, Louie-McGee, and Sunderland all represent UM in Edmonton.
Montana legend Dave Dickenson and his brother Craig Dickenson both serve as head coaches in the CFL, with Dave in Calgary with the Stampeders and Craig in Saskatchewan with the Roughriders.
Former UM quarterback Dalton Sneed also signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last year and remains on the team's roster.
