MISSOULA — Montana's football program prides itself on the Treasure State natives who suit up for the Grizzlies.
That reasoning goes two-fold for its small-town products, something Ryder Meyer carries with him and knows well.
"I think the biggest thing, I just wanted to take it all in and just enjoy every moment," Meyer said. "For the past six years, college football has been my life, and I've gotten to enjoy it with some of my best friends, and I've made a ton of memories and relationships that are going to last a lifetime, and I'm just really grateful to have them be a part of the ride."
The Fairfield native grew up coming to Griz football games and remembers what it was like seeing his heroes take the field at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
"I grew up watching, you know, Shann Schillinger, Colt Anderson," Meyer recalled. "They're guys I really wanted to emulate. I pretended to be them in my backyard. And so now, the fact that I'm able to do that, I think it's something that I'll look back on further on in life and realize how special it truly was."
Football was always in Meyer's blood. His father, Les Meyer, was the head coach at Fairfield High School for 23 years.
Ryder of course grew up in the program, first as a ball boy before eventually playing for his dad as the duo led the Eagles to a pair of state championships in 2015 and 2018.
"Growing up, I guess it was just all I knew was football," Meyer said. "Friday nights, it was either at Fairfield — I was ball boy — or we're somewhere on the road, and then we'd get back Saturday morning, we'd head up to Missoula for the Griz game. And so now that I'm a Griz and looking back on it, it's pretty cool.
"I watched my dad (go) to eight state championships in about 10 years or so along those lines. So I was able to see the success that they had. My classmates and I, we wanted to emulate that and and we were able to win a lot of football games in Fairfield. And having my dad a part of it was was very special as well."
The dream eventually became reality as Meyer earned a scholarship to play football for the Grizzlies, where, as small-town Montanans are used to doing, he put his nose to the grindstone and steadily worked his way up the ranks.
For the first few years, that was starring on special teams, before last year where Meyer broke through and became a full-fledged starter at safety, as he, like the legends he looked up to, helped lead the Grizzlies to a national championship game.
"I grew up going to Griz games, and they were playing in the in the national championship every year," Meyer said. "As a young kid, that's something that I realized that you can do at the University of Montana. So the fact that we were able to do that last year was special.
"Going into this year, just knowing how we play football, I just wanted to continue to get better every day and continue to help our safety room and the defense as a whole get better."
The dream has continued on for Meyer in his final campaign as a leader, as he was voted a team captain by his teammates before the year began.
"Coach Bobby Hauck announced it to the team after our last fall camp practice," Meyer recalled. "And then three of us, (Trevin Gradney, Nick Ostmo) and I, are all roommates too, so we were kind of able to share that moment together. And you know, we grew up in this program together, and so I'm happy for them, and they absolutely deserve it, and for me personally, it's one of the biggest blessings and greatest honors I've had in my life."
In his career, Meyer has played in 44 games at Montana and has amassed 155 total tackles, eight for loss, and has also picked off a pair of passes including one this year in the opener against Missouri State.
He's also weighing following in the family business of coaching after it's all said and done. Meyer's brother, Tucker Meyer, is currently the special teams analyst at UCLA after a stop at North Dakota State last season where the two crossed paths in the FCS semifinals. Ryder will finish his MBA in December after getting his undergrad degree in business management.
His teammates, coaches and the opportunities have been the best part of the ride, and Meyer is soaking up every minute of his time left at Montana.
"I was the kid that hung out of the Topel Tunnel and gave everyone high-fives when they were coming out of the tunnel," Meyer said.
"When I run out of tunnel on Saturdays, I make sure that I give those kids high-fives that are hanging out there. Because, you know, I was them one day. And hopefully, you know, young kids can look at my story, coming from a small town, and through hard work, dedication, they can accomplish their dreams as well."
