Jon Kasper grew up in Montana and was one of Montana's top sports writers from 1993 until 2004 with stops at the Great Falls Tribune and the Missoulian. Kasper covered Griz football in some capacity at the Missoulian from 1994 until 2004, including serving as the head beat writer from 1999 until 2004. He was the go-to source for Griz news and analysis during Montana's run to the 2001 national championship.
In 2001, the Montana Grizzlies mauled their way to the 2001 Division I-AA national championship, culminating in a 13-6 victory over No. 3 Furman on December 21 of 2001 to seal UM's second national title in seven seasons.
Montana has not won another national title, although the Griz won more games between 2000 and 2009 than any college football program had ever won in a decade.
Griz Greats: the 20th anniversary of the 2001 national champions is a 20-part podcast series featuring interviews with coaches, players and observers of that historic Montana team.