BILLINGS--At 6'4 and topping 300-pounds, Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Mike Person was destined to play in the NFL--specifically the offensive line.
Coming out of Glendive in eastern Montana, Mike played for his father Jim in high school, earning first team All-State honors twice along with team MVP for the Red Devils.
That caught of eye of Montana State, and it was off to Bozeman to play for the Cats. More than durable, Person at one point started 35-consecutive games for the Cats and head coach Rob Ash.
In 2010, Person played a key role in Montana State winning the Big Sky conference championship, earning first team all big sky honors in both his junior and season seasons.
In 2011, Person was selected by San Francisco in round seven of the NFL draft, and that, as it turns out, was the start of a 9-year odyssey through the NFL.
Released by San Francisco in August, Person was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on September first, then released ten days later. The will to succeed would keep the Glendive native on the move.
Over the next seven years, Person would land in St. Louis, Atlanta, Kansas City, back to Indianapolis, and finally returning to the team that drafted him in 2011, San Francisco.
It was with the 49ers in 2018 that Person would see his hard work and persistence pay off. He was named the Niners starting right guard and played in all 16-games. He was rewarded after that season, signing a three-year, 9-million-dollar extension with San Francisco, and that same year the ultimate reward--playing on the NFL's biggest stage, the Super Bowl. Kansas City went on to win that game 31-20, and for Mike Person, it marked the end of a long journey through the NFL.
Person announced his retirement in June of 2020 after playing in 73 games with 48 starts. Retired as a player but still very much a part of the NFL, Mike Person is currently an offensive coach with the Miami Dolphins.
Mike Person, inductee into the Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame.Â
