Tyler Uselton’s eye-opening freshman campaign at powerhouse Butler Community College ended with the Grizzlies playing up-and-coming Iowa Western for the National Junior College Athletics Association national championship this past Sunday.
The Grizzlies lost to Iowa Western 27-7 in the title game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa — home of the University of Northern Iowa.
“They were taking a knee and our sideline was just real quiet and we weren’t saying anything,” Uselton said. “The game’s over, and Coach (Troy) Morrell was walking down the sideline and he looks at me and another freshman and says, ‘This is what we have to prepare for next year.’ ”
Morrell, who has guided the Grizzlies to six national crowns in his tenure as head coach, reiterated himself when he spoke with returnees for next season during a team meeting on Tuesday.
“Losing the game changed my whole perspective and it changed a lot of perspectives on football, in general,” Uselton said. “It’s a long season. I’ve been doing it since July 20 every day, since playing in the Shrine Bowl, putting the pads on every day, and you’re worn out by the end of the season.
“It hurts to get beat. We want nothing more now than to get to that game again next year. It motivates me to go out and work to get back to that position.”
Uselton was a standout offensive guard at Great Bend High School, where he started three seasons in becoming perhaps the most feared blocker in the Western Athletic Conference.
“He’s the best offensive lineman I’ve ever coached, hands-down,” GBHS head coach Bo Black said.
The rude awakening of how difficult it is to play at the next level hit Uselton big-time after he arrived on the Butler campus in El Dorado last summer.
Coming off meniscus surgery on his right knee after suffering an injury during his official visit at NCAA Division-II Fort Hays State earlier in the year, the 6-foot-3 Uselton arrived to Butler’s camp somewhat overweight, tipping the scales at around 335 pounds.
“At first, coming in, I was honestly a little heavy,” Uselton said, “and I was a backup and it was different for me. I was kind of bummed out, but you realize that it’s the Butler way and that’s just the way you learn and I definitely learned a lot.
“I realized that I probably wasn’t ready to play. I needed to sit and learn because there are some ‘freak’ athletes that I did not see in high school that we played against.”
Uselton, who shedded around 25 pounds in the preseason, trimmed down to 310 for his playing weight.
“I got so much faster when I lost the weight,” Uselton said. “When we worked out in the morning, my quickness got a lot better, too.”
Although he was an understudy for right guard Reed Bergstrom, a first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference selection, and left guard Tyler Hutchinson a second-team all-conference pick — both sophomores — Uselton got his fair share of playing time as first-year player.
“I’m planning on being a starter next year,” Uselton said. “I got some good playing time. I played a lot this season. I played the whole game against Garden City, when they were ranked No. 19, after our right guard got hurt on the second series.
“I got to play in all but three games this year. If I could go back to signing day and choose where I was going to go, I’m coming to Butler, 100 percent.”
 Black said Uselton has the right mind-set to maximize his capabilities.
“To have the opportunities that he had this year definitely made for a real special season for him,” Black said. “He got to play quite a bit and to be a part of a national championship game, it was just a great year for him. Most people don’t know how difficult it is to move on and play at the next level.
“We talk about Tyler being the best offensive lineman we’ve ever had and he’s playing backup at a junior college in the State of Kansas and that says a lot for the juco system and, in particular, the type of talent Butler Community College gets in there. It’s just a process. He had a great chance to get his feet wet and hopefully, he’ll be a very good player for Butler next year.”
The Grizzlies took the Jayhawk Conference by storm once again this season, winning the league crown for an unprecedented 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
“Playing in the Jayhawk Conference, we were rolling teams, but you just realize all of the good teams out there,” Uselton said. “Iowa Western is going to be a powerhouse from here on out. They’re only in their fourth year of football and they won a national championship.”
That title game is something Uselton says he’ll never forget.
“The national championship, it was awesome,” Uselton said. “Walking onto the field for stretching before the game, that’s probably one of the top experiences of my life.
“It was nuts. That place gets rocking.”
The UNI-Dome was a loud venue, according to Uselton.
“The whole thing is made of cement, so it echos,” Uselton said. “That was a big problem for our offense (in the game). We couldn’t hear anything.”