Mick Delaney stands at the end of the tunnel leading into Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the entrance that gives him a sense of affirmation each and every time he exits it. The Montana safety is fully dressed for practice, yet he needs some extra attention. A pair of UM trainers flank him, ensuring the wraps below and on top of his pads are adequate for this mid-week practice.
The fifth-year senior will be the first to tell you he is hurting. “I’m falling apart at the seams,” he says as the trainers bolster his ailing shoulders. He injured his left shoulder in Montana’s season-opener against Saint Francis last season. He injured his right shoulder during spring football.
All the pain has been rewarded by a grand total of 14 game appearances and six total tackles in his four seasons thus far at Montana. But for Delaney, the sacrifices have been unequivocally worth every moment of physical agony.
Washington-Griz has always been the mecca to Mick, the place he dreamed as a child he would get a chance to run in to. The maroon of Montana runs through Delaney’s veins so constantly and consistently, he knows to the exact day how long it will be until his Grizzlies take on their fiercest rivals.
“It’s 67 days until the Brawl of the Wild,” Delaney said as his battered body received extra reinforcement. “I have about 67 days left in this body but I would never in my life give this up. Doing what you love, my fifth year, I refuse to not enjoy it. It’s my last one.”
Unranked Montana has nine games including seven against Big Sky Conference opponents before heading to Delaney’s hometown of Bozeman to face rival Montana State. The countdown begins with Saturday’s non-conference finale against Savannah State in Missoula.
The fact that Delaney has made it this far is a testament to his perseverance and toughness. Mostly, it’s an affirmation that Griz football is a part of him.
After a standout career as a two-sport athlete at Bozeman High, Delaney returned to his UM roots. The football and track star turned down offers from various Frontier Conference programs in state to pursue his dream of playing for the Griz. The son of former Montana football player Mike Delaney joined UM as a preferred walk-on for his grandfather, Mick Delaney, the man he is named after and the Grizzlies’ head football coach from 2012 until 2014.
Now he’s entering the twilight of his career. Delaney has played almost exclusively on special teams during his time in Missoula. He played in nine games and made five tackles last season. While he is far from a star, he has assumed a position as a leader and uniting factor in Montana’s locker room.
“You see how important this football is to him,” UM defensive coordinator Jason Semore said. “You can tell it’s in his blood. You see some of these kids from California who are here and they see how important all of this is to Mick. He holds them accountable even though he’s not a starter. And they listen because they see how important it is to him.
“I tell my guys all the time leadership isn’t given to you because you are best player out there. Leadership is given to those who the game is most important to. Mick defines that.”
Semore says Delaney prepares like he’s going to start week in and week out even if that’s a cry from reality. That example helps set the tone each week even if Delaney will have a small impact on the game each Saturday. He also serves as a liaison amongst the Griz, something he strives for.
“For myself, I’ve taken on a role where it’s not like I’m a defensive superstar but I want to be approachable by everybody on this team and help out whenever I can, whether that’s vocally, emotionally, helping these dudes out to be the best they can be,” Delaney said.
These days, Delaney spends “a lot of time in the training room” even if the reward is to simply cover kicks and punts on Saturdays. It’s unlikely he will play much on defense during the heat of the season with the likes of starters senior Justin Strong and sophomore Josh Sandry plus talented junior Evan Epperly and intriguing redshirt freshman Gavin Crow ahead of him on the depth chart.
Sandry, an imposing safety from Bigfork who leads UM with two interceptions through two games, might be ahead of Delaney in the lineup but he defaults to the senior when it comes to setting the example.
“He’s one of our leaders, for sure,” Sandry said. “Mick is the kind of guy who doesn’t play a whole lot but everybody still looks up to him because he’s a guy everybody can count on.
“He’s a glue guy. He gets along with everybody and everybody gets along with him.”
Shann Schillinger, a former Big Sky safety and NFL player for four years, says it’s been a pleasure to coach Delaney because of his consistent demeanor, his work ethic and his football IQ. Delaney helped the UM defense stem the difficulties of a new coaching staff despite the fact that Bob Stitt took over for the man Delaney is named for.
“He’s a guy who guys respect,” Schillinger said of Delaney. “He comes out here and works his butt off every day. It’s no secret he’s had some injuries. He’s hurting right now. But he doesn’t complain.
“He’s a Montana kid and this program means the world to him. You can never have enough of those guys in my opinion. He’s been around it, he loves it and he’s been a pleasure to coach.”
Many scoffed at the notion of Delaney being able to compete in the Big Sky Conference when he first walked on at UM. Many screamed nepotism when the younger Mick committed to play for his grandfather. Five years later, the 6-foot, 196-pounder has gutted through scout team practices, zero headlines and a couple of painful injuries to reach the final year of his football career.
“It’s been a lot, a challenge,” Delaney said of his journey. “There’s a lot of people with 100 percent certainty, including my younger self, who didn’t think I would make it this far. It’s a lot of resilience, lots and lots of toughness. There’s a lot of things you don’t get to do but you have to cherish everything you do get to do. That’s what’s mainly gotten me through.”
Running out of that iconic tunnel still gives Delaney chills. Anything he can do to help the Griz reclaim the success he remembers watching last decade serves as “a dream come true, a cherry on top of this whole experience.” Delaney remembers coming to Missoula and watching Montana win game after game. He remembers rooting on players like Schillinger, Mike Ferriter, Justin Green and Andrew Selle, all now assistant coaches on Stitt’s staff.
Montana won 12 straight Big Sky Conference titles, a string that ended in 2009 before Delaney was even in high school. His primary goal is to help the Griz ascend to that level again. It’s what he has gutted through the pain, the wraps, the rehab and the anonymity for.
“There’s a lot of things that could probably cause me to walk away from the sport but when you look back at those who came before you, what has gotten me here, the work I put in, I remember that kid who fell in love with this team 15, 16 years ago,” Delaney said. “I’m still doing it for him. This is all about sticking with it and grinding through. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez and Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved.
