MR. ELECTRICITY: Louie-McGee weaves his way into Montana record books
MISSOULA, Montana — It’s 7 a.m. on the first day of Jerry Louie-McGee’s career as a Montana Grizzly. And he’s late.
Because of a glitch in his eligibility, the wide receiver from Coeur d’Alene by way of tiny Worley, Idaho did not get to participate in fall camp in 2015 in Missoula. He could not join the Griz until school began several weeks after Montana opened its first fall camp under head coach Bob Stitt.
On the first day he reported to the University of Montana campus, Louie-McGee did not know where to go. He showed up to where he thought the football weight room was — Montana would not open its glistening Champions Center for two more years — but the door was locked.
According to former Montana wide receivers coach Mike Ferriter, Louie-McGee sat outside the locked door, missing his lift. Under Stitt, if you missed a workout or a class, the entire team endured punishment.
“Stitt is there the next day looking at the list and he says, ‘Ok, everyone is running for…Jerry Louie-McGee?” Ferriter remembered. “He was like, ‘Who is Jerry Louie-McGee?’
“Everyone has to run for him and everybody is mad. None of the guys on the team know who Jerry is. Jerry telling this story is the funniest because guys were yelling at him, he’s scared, he feels terrible. That was a low point (laughs).
“Then a few weeks later, we ran 40s. Nobody ever wondered who Jerry Louie-McGee was ever again.”
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