Current:Home > InvestDon Read, who led Montana to first national college football title, dies at 90 -TradeSphere
Don Read, who led Montana to first national college football title, dies at 90
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:09:46
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Don Read, the former Montana football coach who retired after leading the Grizzlies to their first national title in 1995, died Wednesday, four days before the school plays for a third national title. He was 90.
Read’s son, Bruce, confirmed his father’s death to The Oregonian while not disclosing a cause.
“He was a great person who touched many hearts and lives in a positive way,” said Bruce Read, an assistant coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. “I can’t tell you how many people have reached out.”
Montana plays defending champion South Dakota State on Sunday in Frisco, Texas, for the FCS championship.
Read was Oregon's head coach for three seasons, going 9-24 from 1974-76, and had two stints at Portland State (1968-71 and 1981-85) and also coached Oregon Tech (1977-80) before taking over at Montana for the 1986 season.
Read quickly built Montana into a Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse, running an exciting, pass-first offense. Montana drew capacity crowds to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, which opened in Read's first season. Under Read, Montana was 85-36, won two Big Sky titles, never had a losing season and won all 10 of its games against rival Montana State.
“He was a great guy and great coach and he really got things going here,” Robin Selvig, Montana's women's basketball coach for 38 seasons, told 406mtsports.com. “He was really nice and obviously he had some exciting football to watch, the way they played."
Read was the Division I-AA national coach of the year in 1995, when the Grizzlies — behind star quarterback Dave Dickenson — kicked a field goal with 39 seconds remaining to beat favored Marshall 22-20 in the title game of what is now known as the FCS.
Read’s 10-year tenure began a streak of 25 winning seasons for Montana football.
“He was authentic and cared more than the average person,” Dickenson, now the coach of the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders told 406mtsports.com. “He was very positive. To him, we were an extension of his family. The point of Don Read is that it wasn’t about the stars. It wasn’t about anything more than the team.”
Read wrote a book on quarterback development, “Complete Quarterbacking,” that was published in 2002. He was inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and served as the university's athletic director from May 2004 through July 2005.
Read was born Dec. 15, 1933, in Los Angeles. He played college football at Sacramento State.
veryGood! (7531)
Related
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Carbon Capture Faces a Major Test in North Dakota
- Why John Stamos Once Tried to Quit Full House
- Obamas' family chef found dead in pond on Martha's Vineyard: Police
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Chicago Mayor Receives Blueprint for ’Green New Deal’ to Address Environmental Justice
- Smooth Out Stubborn, Deep-Set Wrinkles and Save 50% On Perricone MD Essential FX Deep Crease Serum
- Jamie Lynn Spears Details How Public Scrutiny Over Britney Spears Drama Impacted Her Teen Daughter
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Advocates from Across the Country Rally in Chicago for Coal Ash Rule Reform
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Tiffany Haddish Shares She Had 8 Miscarriages
- Jamie Lynn Spears Details How Public Scrutiny Over Britney Spears Drama Impacted Her Teen Daughter
- America’s Iconic Beech Trees Are Under Attack
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Little Publicized but Treacherous, Methane From Coal Mines Upends the Lives of West Virginia Families
- Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser & Wife Cynthia Daniel Share Glimpse Inside Family Life With Their 3 Kids
- As an Obscure United Nations Gathering Deliberates the Fate of Deep-Sea Mining, the Tuna Industry Calls for a Halt
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Emergency Room Visits and 911 Calls for Heat Illness Spike During Texas Heat Wave
June Extremes Suggest Parts of the Climate System Are Reaching Tipping Points
Q&A: Heather McTeer Toney Reflects on the Ongoing Struggle for Environmental Justice in America
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
Prince George Is All Grown Up and Here to Make You Feel Old in 10th Birthday Portrait
RHOA Alum NeNe Leakes' Son Bryson Arrested on Felony Drug Possession Charges
Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Reveals She Privately Welcomed Baby No. 2 With Noah Baumbach