Stoll wins prestigious award

MISSOULA, Mont. — Former Sandpoint and current University of Montana football standout Erik Stoll was honored Tuesday night with the President’s Award at the 17th Annual Robert O. Lindsay Scholar-Athlete Honors Banquet at the University Center.

Stoll, a sophomore who is slated to start at strong safety for the Grizzlies next fall, maintained the highest GPA of any male athlete at UM, boasting a 4.0 over the past two semesters while majoring in biology. With more than 290 student-athletes in the Montana athletic programs, the award was hard-earned and given only to the top male and female scholar-athletes in the school.

Stoll played in all 16 games for the Griz last fall, registering 45 tackles while backing up All-American safety Colt Anderson, who is now playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Stoll is projected to be the starter as a junior, and may even be backed up or possibly joined in the defensive backfield by his younger brother Kurt Stoll next season.

After tearing his ACL during his first year at Carroll College two years ago, Kurt Stoll opted to quit football and transferred to Missoula last year. Evidently watching his older brother’s team advance to the championship game of the Football Championship Subdivision whet Kurt’s appetite, and he walked on this spring at Montana.

“He got disinterested and said his heart’s not in it,” said father Bob Stoll, a veterinarian in Sandpoint, of Kurt’s decision to take a year off. “He walked on this winter and they really like him.”

Both Stoll brothers took a slightly circuitous routes to Missoula, with Erik transferring after one year at Idaho State and Kurt after one year at Carroll. Both are maintaining 4.0 GPA’s, with Kurt in the pre-vet program, and both are in the best shape of their lives. Bob said Kurt actually played more in the spring scrimmage than Erik, and is thrilled to see both of his boys reunited on the gridiron.

“They kind of took the long way to get there, but they both got to the best program in the Northwest,” said Bob Stoll, who plans to attend most of the games next season. “I can’t wait to get a picture of them together in their new uniform. We still have a picture of them in red on our fridge.”