MISSOULA — Former Montana Grizzly quarterback and two-time Indoor Football League national champion Dalton Sneed has returned to Missoula as an offensive assistant, head coach Bobby Kennedy announced on Thursday.
Sneed was a two-time Grizzly offensive MVP, a 2019 All-Big Sky honorable mention and the 2018 Big Sky newcomer of the year during his two-year stint at Montana. He finished his illustrious career at UM with 6,159 passing yards, the eighth-most of any quarterback in program history.
He then went on to play professionally in the IFL where he led both the Bay Area Panthers and the Arizona Rattlers to a national championship and was named MVP of the title game in his first season with the Panthers. He’s the only IFL player to ever lead two different franchises to a national title.
After retiring following the 2025 season, Sneed now returns to Missoula to begin his coaching career. He will work closely with offensive coordinator Brent Pease and help mentor the Grizzly quarterbacks and receivers.
“I’m excited to have Dalton back in Missoula working with the Grizzlies. He is a good, young football mind. Obviously, he was a great player and knows the standard of this place well,” said Pease.
“He’s jumped right into coaching. He’s already taken the bull by the horns and is working to get more comfortable in the role. He’s a real self-starter and I think he’s got a bright future in coaching.”
A true dual-threat quarterback, Sneed produced 7,002 yards of total offense, the most of any two-year player in program history and the sixth-most total yards overall as a Grizzly. He finished his career at UM averaging 304.4 yards of total offense over the course of 23 games, the third-best average in Griz history — this despite missing two games to injury his senior season.
After a short stint with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, Sneed went onto a four-year indoor football career where he was annually one of the most productive players in the IFL. He led the Panthers to the 2023 national title and was named MVP of the championship game. He repeated as a national champion in 2024 with his hometown Rattlers. In his final year at Arizona, he led the Rattlers back to the playoffs for the 29th time in program history.
“I’m extremely fortunate for the opportunity. There’s nowhere else I’d start my coaching career, and I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of coaches. I love Montana, love the tradition, love the state and love the fan base,” said Sneed.
“I can’t wait to move my family up here and be an asset to the coaching staff and the players.”
Sneed and the Grizzlies have completed two of their 15 allotted spring practices on Wednesday in Kennedy’s first season at UM head coach. They will cap the spring season on April 10 with the annual Griz Spring Game in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Kickoff for the showcase is set for 6 p.m., with tickets available now at GrizTix.com.
