Pat Ogrin

Pat Ogrin, son of Don and Raelene Ogrin is the second of six children. He was born and raised in Butte, MT, but lived in Cutbank for a short time.

While attending Butte High School, he excelled in both football and basketball. As a stand out defensive tackle for the Butte Bulldogs, he was selected for Class AA All Conference and All State Teams two years in a row and was chosen as a Prep All America Football Player 1975-76, the only football player chosen from Montana in that year. In 1999, Pat Ogrin was named the Butte High School Defensive Tackle of the Century.

Pat Ogrin decided to attend University of Wyoming on a full football scholarship. The team reached the Fiesta Bowl in his Freshman year. He played as a freshman, and started every game his sophomore and junior year. By Ogrin’s senior year, Coach David Knauss was pleased with Ogrin touting “He is blessed with great physical ability. He has size, quickness (4.77 in the “40”), intelligence and an outstanding attitude. Maybe even more importantly, he’s had experience.” He was voted in the pre-season likely Top Defensive Player in WAC by Skywriters. Unfortunately, during his senior season, while a NY scout was watching him run drills, he sustained a knee injury. He sat out a couple of games and then returned to the field, but after the third game, he re-injured his knee, and this time it would require surgery. Because of the operation he underwent in December for torn knee ligaments and cartilage, he was forced to miss the Blue-Gray and Senior Bowl football games. While many had expected him to be in the third or fourth round of the draft, he was bypassed due to the injury. However, the Redskins coach called him during the 12th round and said if they didn’t draft him, they would be interested in picking him up as a free agent.

He got a lucrative contract with the Washington Redskins, under head coach Jack Pardee, as a free agent in 1980, yet remained on the injured reserve list for the entire season. In 1981, under new head coach Joe Gibbs, he was released during training camp, but re-signed in November to help the defensive line. He played in the final 5 games with a recorded 6 tackles. In 1982, he was again released during the training camp, but was picked back up by the Redskins allowing him to play in 3 regular season games and 2 playoff games. The Redskins went on to win Super Bowl XVII against Miami. In 1983, he was released during their training camp.

In 1984, with the USFL growing in popularity, the Denver Gold, with head coach Craig Morton, signed Ogrin, who ended up as the leading Denver defensive lineman with 82 tackles/46 solo and 5 sacks. His success continued with the Denver Gold and new head coach Mouse Davis in 1985, however, after this season, the USFL was dissolved.

This would be the end of Pat Ogrin’s football career…or so he thought.

In 1988, Pat received a call from a former coach asking him if he would have any interest in arena football, to which he responded, “Sure, why not one more time.” At 30, he signed on with the Pittsburgh Gladiators, playing both offensive and defensive tackle. “It wasn’t easy making the transition,” Ogrin said, “Playing both ways is very hard, you don’t get any breaks. Looking back on it, one way was a luxury!”

After one season of arena football, Pat Ogrin retired from football for good.

Pat returned to college and obtained his PharmD, became a Pharmacist and is still working as a Pharmacist today in Louisiana. He is living with his wife, Helen, has two grown sons, Dylan and Christian, and three step children, Virginia and Davis (still in college) and Lillian.

“I’ve lived in many different places, but I always consider Montana my home and where my football journey began. And now, I am grateful for this honor of being a part of the Montana Football Hall of Fame.