BILLINGS — Shann Schillinger and Mike Person — two eastern Montana natives — crossed paths in the Montana/Montana State football rivalry three times. Now they’ll try to achieve what Schillinger calls “shared joy” as they join forces on the University of Mary staff in Bismarck, N.D.
Schillinger, entering his fourth year as Mary’s head coach, announced Thursday to MTN Sports that he has hired Person as the Marauders’ next offensive line coach.
Person, from Glendive, has been friends with Baker’s Schillinger since their youth. Person was a standout offensive lineman at Montana State, while Schillinger starred as a safety at Montana. Both became late-round NFL draft picks.
“We’ve known each other a long time,” Schillinger said. “We both had the chance to play at our in-state schools and go against each other in that rivalry. I’ve always had a ton of respect for Mike as a player and as a person.”
Person has lived in the Columbus, Ohio, area for several years with his wife and three children. He joins the Marauders after coaching high school football in Dublin, Ohio, and launching his own offensive line academy.
In 2022, Person also served as an offensive quality control assistant in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.
“I am extremely excited to be joining the University of Mary football family,” Person said in a text message to MTN Sports. “I have competed against coach Schillinger in high school, college, and professionally, and am now lucky to be working alongside him. My wife Kelly, and our three kids, Sean, Nora, and Eli, are overjoyed for our next chapter.”
Schillinger said Person’s versatility from his playing career will serve him well as an offensive line coach.
“We’re very fortunate to have a guy who played at a high level and has coached at a high level,” Schillinger said. “Mike played center, guard and tackle in the NFL, and he’s coached the technique side at all those spots. His experience and the way he relates to our players is going to be a big advantage for us up front.”
Person played nine years in the NFL with the Seahawks, Rams, Falcons, Colts and 49ers. He started at right guard for San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV at the end of the 2019 season. At Montana State, Person started 35 consecutive games on the offensive line under coach Rob Ash and was a member of the Bobcats’ 2010 Big Sky title team.
The Grizzlies and Schillinger, who had a four-year NFL career with the Falcons and Titans, went 3-0 against Person’s Bobcats in their Brawl of the Wild matchups.
“I haven’t mentioned that to him yet,” Schillinger said with a laugh. “My daughters came out to the office last week and he was giving them a hard time. When his kids get here, I’ll be sure to educate them as well.
“At the core of it, he’s passionate about the place he went to, and I am about mine, but right now we’re both passionate about getting our program going in the right direction. To be able to share in that together is going to be a lot of fun.”
Aside from coaching the offensive line, Person will have a recruiting impact, Schillinger said, especially as the program works to lure more talent from the Treasure State.
“In the short time he’s been here, the impact he’s had on recruiting has been awesome,” Schillinger said. “He’s hard-working, diligent, and a really good evaluator of talent.”
Person joins a staff with other Montana connections.
Van Cooper, who played defensive back at Montana from 2003-07, is the Marauders’ running backs coach and co-special teams coordinator, as well as recruiting coordinator. Eli Alford, a defensive lineman at UM from 2018-22, serves as Mary’s outside linebackers coach and is co-special teams coordinator. Tanyon Bissell, a Bozeman High alum who played at Boise State, is the Marauders’ wide receivers coach.
The 2026 season will be Schillinger’s fourth as head coach at Mary. The Marauders finished 4-7 last year after back-to-back 2-9 seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Schillinger previously served as an assistant coach at Nebraska and Dickinson State in North Dakota before joining Montana as safeties coach in 2016. He remained with his alma mater through the 2021 season and later worked as a defensive analyst at Mississippi State.
Schillinger told MTN Sports that the Marauders' season opener will be against Rocky Mountain College — in Glendive — on Aug. 27.
