Montana
Montana Griz Picked to Repeat as Big Sky Conference Champions
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – The Montana Grizzlies have been picked by both the media and the Big Sky Conference to repeat as champions this season.
I spoke with Eric Taber, UM Athletic Director for football just after the announcement on Sunday that the Griz would repeat as conference champions.
The Montana Grizzlies have been Chosen to Repeat as Big Sky Conference Champions
“Certainly is a great tip of the hat from media members and other coaches from around the conference after what I described as just a magical football season last year,” began Taber. “But like we always say, it’s not the poll at the beginning of the season that matters; it’s the poll at the end of the season, and having the target on your back now is always a challenge, and we look forward to proving that we are the number one team in the conference once again.”
After an early road loss to Northern Arizona, the Grizzlies went on a tear with a 10-game win streak that sent them to Texas to face South Dakota State for the FCS National Championship.
Coach Hauck says Every Year is a Rebuilding Year
I asked Taber about Coach Hauck’s attitude toward each new season.
“That’s what college football coaches do,” he said “They reload every year, and I think that the Montana Grizzlies are no different. “We’re just really excited to see some of the faces that emerged last year, the Riley Wilsons, the Keelan Whites of the world, to see some of those guys really shine this year. And then, as always, there’s going to be somebody that impresses everybody that no one’s even heard their name before.”
Taber said having the winningest coach in Big Sky Conference history is an amazing advantage.
Taber Emphasized that Hauck is the Winningest Coach in Big Sky History
“I think Coach Hauck didn’t become the winningest coach in Big Sky Conference history by accident,” he said. “I think our coaching staff is really dialed in. I think our players are really dialed in. And, you know, I think getting to that national championship last year just let everybody within the organization know that this is what it’s supposed to be. This is the expectation, and that’s what it takes to get there.”
Taber was also excited to have seven home games this season, giving the Griz a definite home-field advantage.
“It really is a great home-field advantage,” he said. “Having seven home games is a really big deal, and we’ve got some challenging teams coming in for the non-conference part of the season, and then some really great games down the stretch in the Big Sky portion of the season. So we’re going to need everybody there and looks like we’re on track to break another season ticket record this year, and we’re just going to need all the butts in the seats we possibly can get.”
READ MORE: College Football Playoff Changes Could Impact Griz
According to a press release from Eric Taber, “The Griz received all but two first-place votes in the coaches’ poll with 120 total points and 17 more first-place votes in the media poll than the runner-up with 442 points to lead each by a wide margin.”
Montana and Montana State finished 1 and 2 in both the coaches and media polls.
Most Interesting Classes at the University of Montana
MISSOULA, Mont. — In this week’s Amazing America, NBC Montana is highlighting smokejumpers and their efforts to keep our communities safe during wildfire season.
NBC Montana caught up with a current and a former smokejumper to learn more about the work they do and how the job has changed throughout the years.
Jim Kitchen was a smokejumper for 20 seasons, fought over 100 fires and raised his three daughters on a smokejumper base, where he served as base commander.
Kitchen says he’ll never forget his first jump, when he started training in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1987.
“I went, ‘That was amazing,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah,’ and I go, ‘Have you ever done anything as amazing in your life? I mean, we just made our first jump,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen told NBC Montana when he laughed his crew had to do 50 pushups.
Kitchen saw several changes during his career, including women entering a historically male-dominated field. He told NBC Montana Deanne Shulman, the first woman smokejumper, paved the way for the industry.
He recalled a time when he was on a trip to Washington, D.C. , in the early ’90s to coordinate emergency response, when a U.S. Department of State official asked him a question.
“He goes, ‘I didn’t realize men were smokejumpers.’ And I had to go, ‘Peter, I’ll have you know, there’s quite a few of us, and actually, it’s the women that are rare,’” said Kitchen “The early ladies in smokejumping, they always met and exceeded the bar, and they were instrumental in doing these winter details.”
Another change he oversaw as base commander, was moving from round parachutes used in World War II, to the ones used today.
“Ram-Air parachutes that inflate make the shape of the wing and they actually have about a 20 mph forward speed. And so you can you can fly those in much windier conditions, higher elevations,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen says the job requires you to roll with the punches and make quick decisions on the fly.
He said while training new jumpers, he taught them early to prepare and never hesitate.
“The only thing that we ask of you is that you take all the information that you can and then make a decision,” said Kitchen.
Nick Holloway, a current Missoula smokejumper, who’s been working for 14 seasons, says it’s important to rely on your training, stay positive and persevere.
“Having done this for a few years, it’s just trying to know that essentially every season is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. Just stay healthy, stay focused and keep having a good time,” said Holloway.
NBC Montana asked both men what they were most proud of during their time jumping.
Kitchen recalled fighting a fire near the Grand Canyon, when he and his crew decided to manage a fire instead of suppressing it when they ponderosa pine trees.
The crew let the fire burn to a plateau, “The Ponderosa pine has about a 20 to 30-year fire return interval in that area,” said Kitchen. “That’s one of the high points as far as land stewardship of my career is seeing fire on a landscape escape and not necessarily suppressing it but allowing it to burn, because then you’re saying it’s good for decades after that.”
Holloway told NBC Montana, while he has “too many to count,” he’s most proud that recently he jumped a 3- to 5-acre fire at Yellowstone National Park.
The fire grew to 8 acres, “So seven days later we got around everything, put it all out and essentially with a good product upon departure. So it’s just a classic example of a smokejumper fire.”
Holloway says staying fit for annual trainings, regardless of experience, is critical to staying fire-ready.
“Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, a certain amount and then a mile and a half in a certain time as well,” said Holloway.
Kitchen told NBC Montana he still does his pullups, pushups and sit-ups.
“Many of my colleagues are still in really fit shape even in their 60s, 70s and 80s,” he said.
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