Dwyer, a senior in business administration, is the in-house funnyman on the University of Montana sideline. Whether it’s grins, knee slaps or gut-busters, the Kalispell native keeps the team in high spirits.
"I joke around more than most," Dwyer said. "You have to have fun in whatever you’re doing. If I make people laugh that’s alright with me."
"Maybe it’s because I’m always stating the obvious," he said.
Being blunt is fine with Dwyer, a former walk-on who doesn’t see the field as much as other Grizzly players. This is Dwyer’s final season at UM, but he says he’s comfortable with his role on the team.
Dwyer gets somewhere between five to 10 plays in a game on special teams, he said. Usually it’s five to six plays on punt return and two to three more on kickoff return - if the other team can score on the Grizzlies, that is.
Dwyer, a receiver his first two seasons, is listed fourth on the depth chart at cornerback, and has yet to register a tackle in a game. He played in every game last season and will be a fixture on special teams this year.
Dwyer’s teammates and coaches call him "Dwizzle" or "Dwizz." Earlier this week, he spoke with one of the jokers from the Missoulian.
Q: What kind of things did you do over the summer?
A: I stayed in Missoula, worked out with the team. There were a lot of guys here. It was great to see everybody here. We all got better.
Q: Did you have any summer jobs?
A: I was a handyman for a lady in town. I just did a bunch of yard work. I didn’t know her. I answered an ad in the paper. It was pretty cool. She let me have plenty of time off to go fishing.
Q: How did you land at UM?
A: Coming out of high school I was undecided on what I wanted to do. Coach Tom Hauck called my house a couple times and asked me if I wanted to walk on. If there was any place I wanted to play ball, it was UM, so I just showed up and kept showing up and coach (Bobby) Hauck put me on special teams. That’s it.
Q: What’s it like being a four-year guy, but being used mostly on special teams?
A: Every team has role players and they’re just as important as the guys who play every down. Your role might be small, but it always makes a difference.
That’s my whole career, just being a role player. But I made a lot of really good friends. You laugh and joke a lot. Everyone is so close. That’s what I got out of it. I relish my role as a role player.
Q: Can you tell us one of the more memorable plays in your career?
A: Last year versus Eastern Washington I got beat real bad by the bullet (the outside cover man on punts) and Tuff Harris fielded the ball on the 4-yard line. (The ball) was rolling around and he picked it up, which you’re not supposed to do if it goes inside the 10-yard line. Anyways, I was supposed to be holding up the bullet and he got by me, but I was able to catch back up because it was such a long play and I got a block on the guy and Tuff took it 96 yards for a touchdown. That was one of the most memorable plays I was ever involved in.
Q: Do you ever find yourself watching the crowd at Griz games?
A: Not really. We work so hard during the season and all those months in the offseason. We’re guaranteed 11 chances to play a football game in one season; when those chances come I?don’t take my eyes off the field.
Q: What was your reaction when you first found out about Appalachian State beating Michigan?
A: I heard it in the middle of our game (against Southern Utah), lining up at bullet, to go cover a punt. I mentioned it to the guy across from me, but he didn’t have too much to say. I thought it was a pretty cool thing. Good for them.
Q: Does Bobby Hauck have a sense of humor?
A: He does. He has a great sense of humor. He’s pretty funny. It’s mostly when we’re watching tape and the things he says. And just the way he kind of carries himself and how he wants us to carry ourselves. Pretty much any thing he does during fall camp is funny. We’re together so much during camp, there’s just a lot of humor in fall camp.
Q: Who does the best Bobby Hauck impersonation on the team?
A: Everybody’s got their own Bobby Hauck impression that they do well.
Q: Is there anything that happened during a game that made you and your teammates crack up?
A: The very first game I ever played on special teams was against South Dakota State. There was this one punt that was rolling but hadn’t been downed yet and the whole punt return team was lined up behind the ball. It looked like they were having a party, so I went sprinting over to the ball to join them and a South Dakota State player almost knocked me into the ball. It didn’t happen, but almost. Later on, Bobby said ‘What the hell were you doing?’ and I said, ‘I’m just looking to party coach.’ He laughed really hard and then the whole team laughed. It was pretty funny. It was almost tragic and I regret it, but it was still funny.
Lighting round
Favorite comedy: Big Lebowski and Quest for Fire.
Nerdiest guy on the team: Brandon Fisher.
Hardest hitter: Van Cooper Jr. and Colt Anderson.
Flathead or Glacier: Flathead. Thanks, Coach Aps.
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