MELSTONE — The father of former Montana State football star Brody Grebe is reflecting on what could have been after his son nearly qualified for the U.S. Olympic bobsled team last year ahead of the 2026 Milan Olympics.
Grebe was introduced to the sport after making connections through the NFL combine and first tried the sport in July. In just six months, Grebe was just a few spots away from representing his country.
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"It was a bit of a side quest I'd say," Grebe said in January. "I never dreamed of being an Olympic bobsledder."
His father, Jason Grebe, was understandably surprised when his son said he was going to Lake Placid, N.Y., for tryouts last summer.
"I was like, 'What the hell do you know about bobsledding?'" Jason said with a smile during an interview this week at his Melstone home. "And he was like 'Absolutely nothing.'"
Despite his lack of experience, Grebe's athleticism paid off after the initial tryout.
"I did well enough that I was fortunately asked to come back and go to the Olympic trials," Grebe said.
So, he went back and trained for two weeks later in the fall, ultimately coming up just short.
"I was right on the cusp of making the Olympic team, and they told me to stay ready," Grebe said.
For his father, the shock eventually wore off and the decision to try out started to make sense.
"He's pretty open to whatever and it was just something that intrigued him you know," Jason said. "It was like, Olympics? I'll go to the Olympics if I can."
Jason added that the sport of bobsledding actually aligns well with the skills Grebe learned from football.
"It's all power and speed," Jason said. "All stuff that is very football related."
The Grebe name is an iconic one for Bobcat fans. Brody starred for the Cats, wearing the No. 41 legacy number during his time in Bozeman, and his younger brother Bryce helped the Bobcats win their first national championship since 1984 back in January.
For Brody, who now works as an engineer in Williston, N.D., the memories of playing football hold a special place in his heart.
"It's something you think about every day, I would say," Grebe said. "Sometime during the day, something reminds you of it. Just how much you miss it and the great memories you have doing it."
Grebe said the bobsled tryout helped scratch his competitive itch, and his father said he could see him competing again in the future.
For now, the plan is to focus on his wife and career. Without a doubt, his father said he will be watching closely to whatever it is he does next.
"You never know what he's going to do. He's always up to something," Jason said.
