MISSOULA — Geno Leonard has extra motivation to appreciate each and every opportunity he has to step on a football field.
The senior linebacker for the Montana Grizzlies is a Missoula native, who grew up dreaming every fall to suit up for his hometown school, knowing exactly what he wanted to do.
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"I grew up Saturdays in that stadium, playing football at the tailgates, acting like I was Caleb McSurdy or whoever the linebacker at the time was," Leonard said. "I wanted to be that guy and I wanted to play linebacker here at the university."
But it's been a career of trials and tribulations for Leonard.
After helping lead Sentinel High School to the 2020 Class AA state football championship, a season impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Leonard walked on at Montana looking for a chance to live out his dream.
The first two years were a typical cut-your-teeth grind, but in 2023, as Leonard was ready to break out, a setback got in the way.
"I had a good spring, had a good spring game. I was really excited," he explained. "We were in the weight room. I was back-squatting randomly, just a random weight that I could do. Next thing you know, popped a disc, legs went numb. That was back surgery."
So Leonard missed the full 2023 season because of it. Fast forward to fall camp in 2024, again he was ready, but once again, life had other plans as a foot injury halted his playing in the opening week.
"I was getting really fed up at that point," Leonard said. "Mentally, it really took a toll on me. I mean, coming off of a surgery, getting really excited for a new season. So I thought I had an opportunity to play a little bit, but that got taken away from me again."
But by leaning on his teammates, family, coaches and faith, Leonard pushed though it all, and late in 2024, he worked his way back and got into the mix both on special teams and on defense late in the season.
"I was struggling in my head of, 'Should I keep going?'" he said. "It's been a toll and it's been brutal. But I looked at Kellen Detrick and TJ (Rausch) and Drew Deck and all those guys. I'm like, those guys have gone through plenty of their own, you know, hardships. So it's like, I've got to finish it with my guys and, finish this senior year and be a leader as much as I possibly can. Who cares? There's time to do other things and finish out other things you want to do at that point.
"This community's been everything to me and the amount of support I've gotten from the people I've grown up with and around. I mean, this community kind of raised me in who I am."
But back in the spring, an even more serious issue arose, as Leonard was dealing with a heart condition called atrial tachycardia, a disorder that affects heart rates and can cause plenty of side effect issues and discomforts that the young athlete dealt with throughout the years. His heart rate would spike at random times over the years, and Leonard also would deal with fatigue and lightheadedness among other complications.
"They went in through my groin, up into my heart, zapped off some cells and some things to clean up my heartbeat and my heart rate," Leonard said of his latest surgery. "So I was able to get that all figured out.
"It's like a back surgery, a heart surgery, a foot surgery. They keep these things coming. And I've been feeling pretty good since. I've just been happy to have the support from everybody and keep this thing going."
But through it all, Leonard's perspective, appreciation and spirit, persevered.
"It's ultimately going to make me a better person and just a better guy," Leonard said. "There's definitely going to be setbacks for the rest of my life. It's not like everything's going to be smooth sailing once I leave here anyway. So yeah, just kind of continue going forward. That's the biggest thing.
"It's been very fruitful to see, you know, the perseverance kind of continue to expand and see it throughout our team too. I think a lot of guys, they've learned to deal with hard things. And that's just who our team is. We're a tough group. And I definitely think it's flowing throughout the program."
Having already gotten his degree in marketing and while working on his masters in business administration in the spring, this year, fully healthy, Leonard has made the most of it.
He was a team captain in Montana's first game as he got in on a sack, and this past week against Cal Poly, Leonard grabbed his first career interception, as the kid from Missoula and the Grizzlies continue rolling on a memorable final ride.
"I think everybody's just so happy to see everybody be successful," Leonard said. "And I've seen that in my life, just making plays on the field. A lot of guys are really happy for me, just especially going through all those things and just seeing it all through and not coming up short on this dream of playing football here and finishing out with my teammates.
"It's been so much fun to see this whole thing out and take the coaching we've had ever since we were freshmen and just becoming better every single season and taking what we need to improve from one year to the next. And you can see it across the board. Everyone's taking that approach. And we've been successful so far. So it's been a lot of fun. And I think everyone kind of expected that role at the beginning of the season. So yeah, it's really cool to kind of see it play out this year."
