Ty Gregorak Position: Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers

Ty, who just wrapped up his eighth season as an assistant coach at Montana in 2011, was named defensive coordinator by head coach Robin Pflugrad in February of 2012. He replaced Mike Breske, who is now the defensive coordinator at Washington State.

Gregorak, 33, returned to Montana in 2011after a one-year stint at Central Washington. In 2010 he worked with the tight ends for the 8-3 CWU Wildcats, and that season CWU was the Great Northern Athletic Conference champion.

Prior to his one-year stint at CWU, he had a seven-year tenure at Montana under the tutelage of former mentor Bobby Hauck.

In his eight seasons with the Griz they have won eight league championships, and advanced to three (2004, 2008, 2009) FCS title games and two semi-finals (2006 and 2011).

In his eight-year tenure at UM he has coached 17 all-conference players. This past season Griz senior Caleb McSurdy was chosen the Big Sky Conference's defensive MVP and named to several All-American teams. McSurdy finished 10th in school history with 293 career tackles. Also a year ago, sophomore linebacker John Kanonagta'a was a second team all-league pick, while senior Alex Shaw was an honorable mention selection.

Other standout linebackers he coached at Montana include Tyler Corwin, Brandon Fisher, Shawn Lebsock, Tyler Joyce (ranked second in UM history with 356 career tackles), Shane MacIntyre, Kyle Ryan, and Loren Utterback - all of whom were All-Big Sky picks.

Gregorak coached the secondary in his first season (2003) at Montana. Before coming to Montana, Ty served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Washington in 2001 and 2002.

He was a three-year letterman at linebacker for the University of Colorado, from 1997-2000. He was the recipient of the Lee Willard Award (outstanding freshman) for the Buffaloes in 1997. In 1998, CU played in the Aloha Bowl, while the 1999 squad played in the Insight.Com Bowl. He was a 2000 Academic All-Big XII selection, and a finalist for the National Academic-Athletic Achievement Award that year.

He was a standout prep athlete at West Valley High School in Spokane, Wash., where he was a first-team all-state selection in 1995 and 1996. In 1996, he was chosen the state of Washington's Defensive Player of the Year and voted Super Prep magazine's West Coast Defensive Player of the Year.

In 1997, Gregorak was named West Valley High School's Student-Athlete of the Year. He was named to several All-American teams that year, including USA Today. He was named team captain of the East squad in the Washington State All-Star game in 1997. He was team captain for the West in the 1997 High School All-American Game in Orlando, Florida.

He earned a B.A. degree at Colorado in communications in 2001.

Ty has a son, Gage, 3.