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What's your story?

My parents moved to Missoula so my dad could get his PhD in clinical pshycology once he was out of military service during Vietnam. It was the early/mid 70's so they were here during the golden age of Grizzly basketball and attended football games occasionally as well. However upon the completion of Wa Griz and the hiring of Don Read the football team made a turnaround. My dad doesn't hunt and isn't much of an outdoorsman so growing up in the 80's and 90's my fall weekends were spent mostly in Wa Griz on Saturday and watching the Packers on Sunday. Instead of hiring a babysitter it was lower cost to buy my sister and me general admission seating at the basketball games too, so that's where I spent many winter evenings as well.

I grew up a Griz fan, I've known nothing else. I've got my degree from the UM, so does my wife. It's all we've known and we love the school and it's sports programs.

I honestly couldn't imagine even becoming a "fan" of another team.
 
SaskGriz said:
Came to UM in 1985 because I knew I wanted to get a degree and work in the ski industry all my life. Started watching Larry Donavon coached teams at Dornblazer and then Don Reid (the smartest football mind, I've ever encountered) coached teams at WGS. Left Montana in '89, there was a girl involved (always is).
Made the 640 mile drive to watch the Griz/APP state game this year, my first one live since 1991. We have a CFL team up here, the Roughriders and we pride ourselves on getting pretty rowdy, but there is no comparison to the wall of noise and craziness that comes out of the north end zone at Washington Griz. Got down to the GRIZ/UND game as well, it's actually a much shorter drive for me. Most games are either on the internet or down at Cassidy's bar in Plentywood.
I am feeding my kids a steady diet of Griz football as well.
Incidentally I now live in a land of no trees, no mountains and no skiing. You never know how things are going to turn out, as our beloved GRIZ so often remind us.
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RIDER PRIDE this weekend. Green is the color, football is the game..... Grew up in Scobey, been to many Rider games.
 
Maynardsgametrail said:
Last cat/griz game in Dornblaser. I was very young and I accidentally rooted for the cats......... I got my ass chewed by my mom and dad.........Griz fan ever since. :thumb:
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Love it! Parenting as it should be done!! :thumb:
 
Was in Jr High when Doug Selvig was recruited. He was fun to watch as a 12-13 year old kid, we all wanted to be Doug. Grew up a Griz hoops fan, now a fan of all Griz sports.
 
Mother is from Missoula. Dad is from Billings. Both went to school and graduated from UM. They fell in love at neighboring frat/sorority houses. I grew up in Laurel. Family has had season tickets since I can remember. Spent my fall weekends watching Griz games in Missoula. Grandparents and aunts/uncles also have season tickets. Brother graduated from UM. I started college in 2001 at UM and lived with my best friend and Griz football player. Spent a lot of time with the 2001 National Championship Team. Still talk to a lot of the players quite regularly. Ended up transferring to Bozeman for Civil Engineering. Parents almost disowned me. I lived with cat football players which was interesting. This week was always a good time with the banter back and forth. Had to burn all my Griz posters after cat/Griz in 2003 because of a bet. Now live in Billings and still spend my fall weekends in Missoula watching the game. I am about as die hard as it comes. Love the Griz and love Missoula.
 
My story is a little bit different. I didn't grow up in Montana and only moved to MT about 8 yrs ago (I'm 43 now.)
I grew up in Moorhead, MN just across the river from Fargo. Grew up watching the Bison going to every home game. Back in the mid 80's was the heart of their DII dynasty years. Earle solmonson took over in '85 and won two stright DII championships. The two previous coaches, Don Morton and Jim Wacker had that program at such a level with outstanding players, that I at 15 could've coached that team to two national championships. Then Earle, riding on his players coat tails took off to Bozeman and we all know how that turned out for him. I was ticked that he took off like that. It was the week after the chipper and he was gone. So, I rooted against the Bobcats because of him.
Then, when NDSU played UM in 2003 of course I was rooting for NDSU. But, watching the game on TV and seeing that stadium and the atmosphere, I was impressed. From then on I started following the Griz and have cheered for them ever since.
 
Born in the Bitterroot way back in the early 1940's. Dad was an avid fan of the Griz. One of his best friends was a ref for both basketball and football. I was involved in Griz track.

Family is all Griz even though one of our kids rebelled and went to msu for a year. We had four kids attending UM at the same time.

Ex wife was a msu grad. Makes me hate them even more!

Some grand kids attending msu have been left out of our will. (joke)

We are proud of the U. We want a clean program and demand one. Have left a few bucks for the athletic department to give out to kids that need a boost to attend the school.

In the meantime beat the sh1t out of the cats Saturday!
 
Good thread. Alum. Came to Missoula in 1977 to go to school. Went to one football game that I can remember during college. Dark days for the football program, Dornblaser felt like my H.S. field, had some run-ins with players that turned me off, other priorities. Basketball team was hot, and became a Griz fan via basketball. Then (after college) came Dennis Washington and Don Read and I started paying attention. I gradually started attending games, but looking back I was in. Living in the Flathead, was aware of Grady Bennett's exploits at Flathead, and I knew his father Don, so later on I wanted to watch Grady play for the Griz, it was during that era that I really got hooked. Love the winning tradition, good reason to come back to town and campus, love the game day atmosphere, (and I realize this will catch me some sh**, but) I really love seeing Montana kids playing football for their state university. I want to see Montana guys on the field. I'm happiest when there are Montana starters and impact players and I really like it when the guys from the little schools that play eight man are impact players (have any Griz starters played six man?)
 
Umista said:
Born in the Bitterroot way back in the early 1940's. Dad was an avid fan of the Griz. One of his best friends was a ref for both basketball and football. I was involved in Griz track.

Family is all Griz even though one of our kids rebelled and went to msu for a year. We had four kids attending UM at the same time.

Ex wife was a msu grad. Makes me hate them even more!

Some grand kids attending msu have been left out of our will. (joke)

We are proud of the U. We want a clean program and demand one. Have left a few bucks for the athletic department to give out to kids that need a boost to attend the school.

In the meantime beat the sh1t out of the cats Saturday!
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I feel your pain brotha.
 
I moved to Helena when I was in the 6th grade and was a huge KU fan (we had lived in Wichita). I didn't really even follow Montana university sports until I was a freshman or sophomore, and then I fell in love with Griz BB. When I was a junior in HS, my brother was a freshman at UM, and I went over for a BB game against Idaho. Watching Pope and company, I was hooked BIG TIME. I knew where I was going to school. I had offers to play baseball at other schools, but UM was my home already by then. Now we live in the Seattle area and still have our NEZ season tickets.
 
My father played for the Griz in the 30's, after playing his frosh year at BYU. My aunt graduated from UM in the 30's. Attended my first Griz game and went to the Mo Club in the 50's, when I was a little kid. Have been a Griz fan off and on since then, especially after returning to Montana after 15 years of school and work out of state. Several of my wife's relatives have played football for UM, and some have done other sports. Was recruited by UM but went elsewhere. One being recruited at this time. Have had 2 kids attend UM. Many in my wife's family attended UM. Love the Griz.
 
I had been accepted at the U of M and Idaho, my senior year in high school I made a trip out west from Iowa to see both schools. I came to Missoula first and a friend of mine from high school showed me around campus, the dorms, and then said we needed to go to Aber Day. Never did make the visit to Idaho. My freshman year I'm asking who the hell is Barbara Evans and what the hell happened to Aber Day. Both of my degrees, BA and MA, are from the U of M. I distinctly remember my first Griz game, Dornblaser Field, we sat on the visitors side right behind the team and drank like squids and generally making a grand public spectacle of ourselves.
 
When I was just a squirt learning the joys of sports, I was amazed by the one and only Brian Salonen taking his CMR team to a state championship on television(yep, we used to get the state tourneys televised). He was one of my early idols. We all know where he went after HS...

So, I've been 'Griz' since about the age of 8. Going to a different college did NOTHING to change that.
 
My mom is originally from Missoula - she grew up on South Ave near the mall, her dad had a barbershop (that still is a barbershop today I think) next to their house when South Ave was in the "country" part of Missoula - in fact, the house she grew up in still stands today (near Star Rentals - I think), but I was born in Seattle, and lived there till I was 10. I'm in my late 20's, so I missed the Warren Moon days at UW, but did see a UW national championship, the 95 "Refuse to Lose" Mariners, and, the 1992 Seahawks going 2-14.

We moved to Missoula in 1996, and I had never heard of the Montana Grizzlies, Dave Dickenson, et. al. So, I got poked fun at pretty good in middle school when folks found out I had no clue who "Super Dave" was. Anyway, after hearing all the kids talk about The "Griz" at school, the first game I ever watched of the Griz was on TV. The 1996 "Montana Power Classic" between us and "state."

I remember thinking the game was pretty much over after Kinnaman scored unless something amazing happened. Then, it did. Groshelle with a bobca(n')t choke kicking the ball out of bounds, giving the Griz the ball at the 35. Incomplete pass. Long bomb down the middle of the field caught by Justin Olsen around the 19/20(?) yard line. Then "oh sh*t!" Ah Yat fumbled the snap! Phew! Recovered! Griz timeout. 2 more (or was it 3?) bobca(n')t timeouts. Kris Heppner drilling it right down the middle, seeing the ca(n')ts fans, players, coaches devastated on the field. Disgruntled ca(n')t cow-pie fan giving the LIVE camera the double-bird.

Been hooked ever since.
 
Born and raised in north west MT. Been a griz fan since Larry Kriscoviac " not sure how to spell his name" came to Plains with some griz buddies and held a basketball camp. I think it was about 4th grade. Been hooked on Griz sports ever since. I've only made it to one game at wa griz. Thanx to my brother working for meadowgold dairies i got to sit in box seats for the uc davis game in 2009. AMAZING TIME! I now live 20 minutes away from James Maddison in VA. I was there for the redemption game. That too was an amazing night. MM, Colt,... actually that whole team played an amazing game. Living here, I have actually got to go to more games. App state, Tenn.,J M, even chatty once. Hope to see some more games over here. Go Griz.
 
Born and raised in Missoula...attended Emma Dickenson & CM Russell and Sentinel HS. Went to exactly ONE Grizzly game at Dornblaser while growing up and watched my Dad and brother get into a fight with two very intoxicated jag-offs in the row in front of us. My dad vowed he'd never go back...I attended one year at the U before dropping out and joining the Navy. Haven't "lived" in Missoula since 1983 and really became a Griz fan during the asbsolute BOTTOM of the barrel years---the last year with Larry Donovan as the HC, mostly because there were a couple guys on the team I'd gone to HS with. I was attending the University of Idaho on a Navy ECP scholarship and couldn't stand anything about the Vandals or their athletics programs....Keith Gilbertson was the HC in football and Tim Floyd was the HC in basketball....I'd gotten into an altercation with one of the DE's during an intramural basketball game and the whole incident just left me with a bad taste for the school and the athletic department....the Griz came to town for football and were absolutely PASTED (38-0) by the Vandals....I stood in the student cheering section with my Griz gear on, cheering wildly for the "3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust" offense that Donovan employed....the Vandal fans thought it was "cute"....I thought they were all dicks.

The next year the Griz hired Don Read, and knowing his history and offensive style, the hire intrigued me. Four years later (1989) I was able to come back to Montana on leave over Thanksgiving and witness the very first playoff game in Wa/Griz stadium (wow....I hadn't realized the signficance of that game until JUST now) :shock: as the Grizzlies absolutely PASTED Jackson State. That was the day my fanhood was cemented. I've followed the Griz religiously ever since.
 
Because I saw my first griz game in the student section of the zoo, from the cozy position of my mommies womb..
 
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