Montana Grizzlies Sports, Football and Basketball : Grizzoulian

This letter is from Athletic Director Jim O'Day regarding fan support for basketball. The following words are all him.

UM Students Return To East Side Seats For CSU Game

A challenge has been issued to the students at The University of Montana. They will return to the east side seats in Dahlberg Arena for Friday night’s game between the Grizzlies and the Rams of Colorado State University. This will be the first time in more than a decade that UM students, cheerleaders, dance team and band will fill those prime seats and floor space across from the team benches.

The entire section will be occupied by UM students… just like it was during the time of Jud Heathcote, Jim Brandenburg, Mike Montgomery, Stew Morrill and Blaine Taylor.

I remind you that this is only an experiment. A final decision will not be made until the season concludes as to whether or not a permanent change is forthcoming. All will be determined by the atmosphere on Friday night – and a continuing emphasis by UM students to back the team in high numbers for the remainder of the 2007-08 men’s basketball season. This is the students’ chance to show they will support the program. If student involvement is noticeable, and there’s a noticeable difference in the excitement level, our athletics administration will have a tough decision ahead.

It’s an ideal time for this experiment. The game will be played on a Friday night; the opponent is a quality Mountain West Conference team with star players; the football team is on the road; it’s the official season opener; and there should be relatively few conflicts. We hope to pack the house. The student gate will open one-half hour earlier for UM students (5:30 p.m.) so they can get their east side, lower level seats. Pizza will served to these early fans, courtesy of President George Dennison.

It’s a time to “Turn Back the Clock” to see if that old energy can be restored. It’s a challenge to the students to return to the glory years of Micheal Ray Richardson, Ken McKenzie, Derrick Pope, Larry Krystkowiak and Wayne Tinkle… when students made a tremendous difference in each and every game… when “The Zoo” was a factor in the final outcome, and caused the opposition to make mistake after mistake. It was a time when the student fans demonstrated their creativity, i.e., reading newspapers during pre-game introduction of the visiting team, studying the opposing players’ habits and standing and screaming in support of the five Grizzly players on the court.

It’s a time to put Dahlberg Arena back on the map as a place where opponents prefer not to play, but the home team prospers because of its home court advantage. I would also hope that it returns as a venue where students line up early outside the building to get the best available seats in the house to cheer their beloved Griz basketball team to victory.

Together, let’s see if we can make this a positive experience for the Griz basketball program. It should be a special night to remember.

Sincerely,

Jim O’Day
Director of Athletics
The University of Montana