Stadium updates to honor legends

With the start of football season less than 16 days away, Washington-Grizzly Stadium is receiving a long overdue facelift ahead of this year's home opener, while at the same time paying homage to a pair of Grizzly legends.

"One thing I've always noticed about Washington-Grizzly Stadium is that we've never had a place to honor the retired jersey numbers of Dave Dickenson and Terry Dillon," said Montana director of athletics Kent Haslam.

"With planned maintenance already underway, I thought the time was right to finally make that happen while also updating the look of the west side with our current fonts and logo."

The most notable difference fans will see when the Grizzlies take on Valparaiso on September 2 is the maroon fascia on the west side of the stadium that buffers the top of the luxury suites and the bottom of the press box.

The iconic script Griz logo will be placed in the center of the fascia above the 50-yard line, updating the look of the stadium with current athletic department branding. The existing signs honoring Montana's two national championship teams (1995 and 2001) will move to the viewer's left of the Griz script logo.

Montana's only two retired football numbers will be displayed to the right of the Griz script, enshrining the "Legend of the Fall" Dickenson (#15) and Dillon (#22), a former UM and NFL halfback who died in a tragic work accident in 1964.

For the 2017 Griz squad, the addition of Montana's legendary retired numbers represents more than just paint on a wall, it's an opportunity for current and future Grizzlies to be reminded of those who have gone before.

"Our guys are going to be looking up there and dreaming that maybe they could become one of those legends someday," said head coach Bob Stitt. "You want your guys thinking that if they continue to work, they could be that guy. Dave Dickenson didn't know he was going to be up there when he arrived on campus as a freshman."

"Super Dave" Dickenson is Montana's all-time leading passer with 11,080 yards to his name in the air. He led the Grizzlies to the 1995 national championship – the first in program history – and won the Walter Payton Award that year as the outstanding offensive player in, then, D1-AA football.

The Great Falls native and three-time Academic All-American went on to an illustrious career in the Canadian Football League, where he won four Grey Cup championships and was named Grey Cup MVP in 2006.

Dickenson was most recently named CFL Coach of the Year after his first season at the helm of the Calgary Stampeders in 2016.

Dillon played for the Griz from 1960 – 1962 and went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings for a short time before his death in Missoula. He was an All-American for UM in 1962 and was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco that year as well.

According to newspaper reports at the time, he was working on a construction project on a bridge west of town when a portion of the surface gave away, sweeping him down river. To this day, he remains the No. 15 rusher in Montana history with 1,569 total yards.

Dillon was also a member of the inaugural class of the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame, inducted posthumously in 1993.

That's a lot of history packed in two little numbers. There is an old saying that says: someone without knowledge of their history is like a tree without its roots.

Running backs coach Justin Green also laid down roots in Washington-Grizzly Stadium from 2003-2004, and has earned a place on the wall of the Topel Tunnel with other former Griz legends who played professionally.

For Green, those numbers on the maroon fascia that will be visible every day at practice represent an opportunity to pass on a legacy.

"For us, it's a history lesson. Understanding the history of what has come before you and where you fit in that history," said Green.

"I think that's a thing every player here has to come to realize, and the sooner he does, the sooner he realizes that this is a legacy-leaving program. So, what are you leaving behind, individually as a player and as a teammate? What's your mark on history?"

***

Also receiving a touch-up in Washington-Grizzly Stadium is some of the steel and vinyl directional signage around the stadium, making it easier for fans to find their way.

The concrete brickwork that surrounds the luxury boxes has also received a fresh coat of color for the first time in over two decades.

"It's been about five years since we've painted all the fascia and trim, and it's probably been 20 years since we've re-stained the block. The block was really looking rough," said Montana associate AD for internal operations Chuck Maes.

To those that have seen the project move forward during fall camp, the difference between the freshly painted fascia and the old, sunbaked maroon siding is night and day.

"We try to keep to a five-year maintenance plan for painting the maroon fascia," Maes added. "Maroon is tough; it turns pink in a hurry. You see the new versus the old, and it makes you say, wow."

Other cleaning and maintenance projects at Washington-Grizzly Stadium this summer have included a power-washing of the east side fascia, and new, updated digital menu boards in the concession stands throughout the stadium.

The project is scheduled to be completed ahead of opening day.

Tickets for Montana's home-opener against Valparaiso are available now and can be purchased at griztix.com, or at the Adams Center Box Office.

University of Montana Athletics

Related Videos