Brett Gastineau is the head coach of Helena's first-year semi-pro football franchise and whether it be as a coach, player or a brother, the gridiron has been a big part of his life.
"I pretty much ate, breathed and slept it my whole life," Gastineau said.
Gastineau is the brother of Mark Gastineau, a famed defensive lineman for the New York Jets. Gastineau is 18 years younger than his brother, but the younger Gastineau got great exposure to the NFL, by spending time with his brother and various Jets players.
Gastineau played college football for Mesa College in Phoenix and later played for the Raiders and the Rams in the mid-1990s as a lineman.
After his playing days in the NFL were concluded, he coached high school football in Arizona and also ran a plumbing company. As a plumber he got a job in Yellowstone Park, enjoyed the area and stayed in Montana. The Helena area appealed to Gastineau and he moved to Elliston and later Helena, when his wife, Vera, got a job with the state.
The Titans were formed in December and soon after Gastineau was approached to take over the reins on sidelines. He not only coaches the team, but he puts on the pads as well as a lineman for the Titans.
Gastineau says one of his goals is to help the 40 players on the Titans roster get to enjoy the same experience he got in professional football. He has developed contacts in the Canadian Football League as well as the Arena Football League. He said he hopes he can use his contacts to help the Titans move on to the next level.
"My goal is to have a successful season and get the guys a shot somewhere else," Gastineau said.
One Titan who may get his shot somewhere else is Spencer Steiner, a 6-foot-3 middle linebacker. Steiner is one of several players who played for the now-defunct Bozeman Kodiaks semi-pro football team but has since joined the Titans. He played college football at Western Montana for a year, and Montana State for a year.
Steiner recently got a tryout with the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders and he said he may get a tryout with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts
"I don't care which color jersey I wear, just as long as I play football," he said.
That sentiment is one shared by several players on the team. The Titans are a non-profit organization, which means none of the players get paid. Many have regular 9-to-5 jobs and hit the field simply for love of the game.
Brian Hilborn was an All-American kicker for Carroll College in 1993 and he now handles the kicking duties for Titans. He said that once you start to play football you are always looking to go out and knock some heads.
He added the quality of football is pretty solid in the RMFL. Many of the Titans have played semi-pro football and many have college football backgrounds as well.
"We're pretty competitive," he said. "It's a pretty good league."
The Titans are currently 2-2 on the season and have lost a game by one point to the Mini Cassia Bulldawgs and they have pounded the Fort Hall Cobras 72-0.
The Titans will have another home game tonight as they play the Pocatello Silverbacks at 7 p.m. at Vigilante Stadium. The final home game of the season will be May 25 when the Titans host the Snake River Rebels.
Gastineau said it was very important that the team reach an agreement with the Helena school district to be able to play at Vigilante Stadium.
"Getting (to play in) Vigilante was huge for us," Gastineau said.
Also huge for the Titans is a fan base in Helena who know and enjoy watching the game year-round. Gastineau said there is a wealth of football fans in the city.
"If we can get people out to support us, I don't think there is any stopping us," Gastineau said.
