You can call it the “oh yeah” game, and we all play it all the time in Montana.

Whenever someone tells you a story to highlight the greatness of Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott, another person will say, “Oh yeah, well listen to this.”

Then, that person tells another great Tommy story that he thinks is even better than the one you just told. We could do this all day because there are just so many great Tommy Mellott stories.

Most of these stories have nothing to do with playing football, either.

He went to a birthday party for a very young girl he just met when he was a star at Butte High. He wrote a heartfelt letter to the graduating sixth graders at his alma matter Margaret Leary Elementary when he couldn’t attend the graduation because of COVID. He was a high school mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He was a recipient of the Mariah’s Challenge Scholarship.

He told Bobcat fans to quit heckling the players for the Montana Grizzlies after he had a huge performance to help beat MSU’s biggest rival last year in Bozeman.

When the Montana-East West Shrine Game was canceled because of the pandemic in 2020, Tommy started a cornhole tournament that raised more than $50,000 for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Spokane, Washington.

Really, I could go on and on.

In Butte, we joke that Tommy is simply too good to be true. It might seem that way, too, but Tommy is the real deal. He is, without question, the genuine article.

I got my first glimpse of just how great of a young man Tommy is when he was in the seventh grade. It was Veterans Day, and Tommy’s grandma Margie Fogarty showed me an essay her grandson wrote about veterans for school.

Now, I had long known the name Tommy Mellott, thanks to our Little Guy Football reports and the Grade School Track Meet. On that Veterans Day nearly a decade ago, however, I got my first glimpse of his true greatness.

Veterans Day has long been my favorite holiday.

No, I did not serve in the armed forces, but I have so much respect and admiration for those who did. My dad and my grandpa both served.

My grandpa Bill, who passed away at 89 in 2015, served in the Navy during World War II. My grandpa was my favorite golfing partner and my best friend.

He told me so many of his stories over the years, but it wasn’t until I read the diary he kept while serving on the USS Rudyerd Bay that I realized what he was really going through.

My dad volunteered for the draft in 1967. He served in the Army and had orders for Vietnam before North Korea captured the USS Pueblo in January of 1968.

Whether you are a combat veteran or a veteran during peacetime, you are a hero, and you should be treated as such. When you signed up, you did so knowing that there was a decent chance that you were going to lay down your life so that people you never met can be free.

Most people will agree with that, but too many do not follow through. When I see someone wearing a hat that says veteran or the name of a ship on it, I always ask that veteran about his or her service for our country. Then I thank the veteran.

I didn’t do that when I was in junior high school, though. Tommy did. 

Like I did when my grandpa told stories, Tommy clearly listened to his grandpa. His grandpa was Gene Fogarty, a Korean War veteran and legendary East Junior High School coach who passed away in 2021.

Check out Tommy’s seventh-grade essay about Veterans Day:

“Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light.” That is the beginning of the starting stanza in the Star-Spangled Banner, but when I sing it before any sporting event, I think of all the American Veterans out there risking their life for our freedom. American Veterans should be on everyone’s list of most respectable people. However, there are numerous citizens that don’t show them enough respect. 

If you didn’t already know, veterans are the reason we live in such an amazing country. They get up every morning knowing this could be their last day. You might think our president would need to draft these brave soldiers to fight for our freedom, but he didn’t. These amazing people sign up for it, not because they need to, but because of their love for this country. They love our country so much that they will leave their family and friends to protect strangers that they have never seen or met. A lot of people don’t realize how special they really are and they don’t show it either.

My grandfather was a veteran of the Korean War as a Marine. He is my mom’s dad and is a loving husband and grandfather. He is the reason I have such a strong passion for sports and a yearning to be the best I can be. Now almost everything I do is either school or sports related. Like every grandfather, he loves telling me stories about his life. Whether it is sports related or when he was in the Marines he always has a story to tell. I love listening to him. He is a great American hero.

Although veterans are the reason we have freedom and liberty, people still don’t show them respect like I do. My parents taught me to always approach a dressed military man or shake their hand, and thank them for serving. They also taught me to always respect the American Flag by crossing my right hand over my heart. I notice many adults that don’t ever do this and I think it’s just pathetic. Every mother and father should teach their children to show respect towards these very important people. 

The next time you see a man or woman in uniform make sure you show them how much you respect them by shaking their hand or even talking to them for a while.

That sentiment coming from a man Tommy’s age today would be impressive. That it came from a seventh grader, to me, is absolutely mind blowing.

Apparently, Tommy’s teacher agreed because he received a 100 percent on the paper.

This Veterans Day story should win any contest talking about the greatness of Tommy Mellott, but I am sure someone will try to top it.

Saturday is Veterans Day. As Tommy pretty much said in his essay, every day should be Veterans Day. Our Veterans should be treated like royalty 365 days a year. Make that 366 next year.

So, whether it is this Saturday or just any other day of the week, I encourage you to follow the advice of young Tommy Mellott. Shake the hand of a veteran and talk to him or her for a while.

Ask the veterans about their service time, and then tell them thank you. Make veterans feel exactly like the heroes they really are.

Then, tell them a Tommy Mellott story and see if they want to play the “oh yeah” game.

— Bill Foley, a University of Montana Graduate who will be cheering for Tommy Mellott and the Montana State Bobcats (except when Big Jake Olson has the ball) when they play in Missoula Nov. 18, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.