Through the years: 1,000 home wins for Montana Basketball
1/19/2020 9:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
What started more than a century ago reached quadruple digits on Saturday, with the Montana men's basketball team earning its 1,000th home victory.
The 1,000 wins have come in a variety of fashions, and in a variety of venues. The first known full-time home to Montana basketball was Schreiber Gym, beginning in 1922 and lasting three decades until the Field House was built. Schreiber Gym – which at the time went by a variety of names, mostly just Men's Gym – still stands today, currently housing the university's military science classrooms on the southeast side of campus.
In 1951, a bill was passed that allowed for the construction of fieldhouses on state campuses. Just over a year later the university's board of education approved the construction of the $800,000 facility and the following spring, on March 12, 1953, Governor J. Hugo Aronson broke ground for the building, which officially got underway the following day.
The facility took just a handful of months to build, giving Griz fans their first opportunity inside the beautiful Field House on Dec. 18, 1953.
While many today may not remember the grand opening, it's a game that should never be forgotten. That night No. 1 Indiana – the defending national champions – made its only visit to Missoula. The Hoosiers, led by four future NBA Draft picks, including Bobby Leonard, who played seven years in the NBA before coaching five more, beat the Grizzlies, 74-54.
It's fitting that Montana's 1,000th home win came against Idaho, because so did the Grizzlies' first win inside Dahlberg Arena – then simply known as the Field House. Two weeks after Montana's loss to No. 1 Indiana, a nationally ranked Idaho team came to Missoula, with Montana winning, 60-57, over the 17th-ranked Vandals.
Dahlberg Arena, as it is known today, is far from Montana's only facility, but it's where the majority of the Grizzlies' 1,000 home wins have come. Since it opened its doors in December 1953, Montana is 720-248. Across the nation, just five Division I schools have been playing in their home venue for at least 60 years and have a better home winning percentage than Montana does at Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies trail only Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Wichita State. Quite the company, to say the least.
Montana is one of 32 schools west of the Mississippi with a .740 winning percentage or better in its current home facility. The .744 winning percentage ranks better than 80 percent of Division I teams across the entire nation.
Overall, Montana is 1,000-409 (.710) on its home courts.
When Dahlberg Arena was built in 1953, it was then known as the Field House and was used for boxing as much as it was basketball. On June 6, 1966, it was dedicated to honor Harry Adams, the famed athletics director, track & field coach, assistant football coach and three-sport athlete at UM. In February 1979, the court inside the field house was named to recognize George "Jiggs" Dahlberg, who served as Montana's basketball coach from 1937-42 and again from 1944-55, followed by a stint as athletics director for nearly two decades. Dahlberg earned three varsity letters in both basketball and football in the 1920s.
Through its history, Dahlberg Arena has hosted nine ranked opponents, including a 1982 win over No. 8 Idaho. In 1966, Montana scored a facility-record 111 points in a win over Idaho State. A decade later, future NBA star Michael Ray Richardson set a record with 40 points in a win over Montana State. Dahlberg Arena has been host to five Big Sky Conference tournaments, in addition to countless high school state competitions. Away from athletics, the facility has been host to everything from auto and garden shows to circuses and rodeos, not to mention pretty much any world-renown musical act one can think of – ranging from the Grateful Dead to Garth Brooks.
In 1981, a record 9,540 fans packed to the roof to witness the Griz take on rival Montana State, a 63-58 victory. Of course, Dahlberg Arena has been remodeled several times since then and now seats 7,322 fans.
The two biggest renovations came in 1972, when the layout of the court switched from east-west to north-south and the court was lowered 12 feet. Years later, the removable court – which was raised several inches from the dirt ground – was replaced with a permanent one. The other major upgrade came in the late 1990s, when the facility was transformed from a gymnasium into a true venue. The $15-million conversion added theatre-style seating; restrooms; food and beverage services; and the Sky Club lounge overlooking the arena floor, in addition to supplementary facilities such as two practice gyms, a weight room, staff offices, an academic center and the Hall of Champions display along the concourse. The project was so expansive that the facility completely closed, forcing the basketball team to play its 1998-99 season at nearby Sentinel High School.
But from the different venues to the different names, one thing has remained through the years: a lot of games won. In fact, as of Saturday, 1,000 of them.
Gallery: (1/19/2020) MBB: 1,000th Home Win
The 1,000 wins have come in a variety of fashions, and in a variety of venues. The first known full-time home to Montana basketball was Schreiber Gym, beginning in 1922 and lasting three decades until the Field House was built. Schreiber Gym – which at the time went by a variety of names, mostly just Men's Gym – still stands today, currently housing the university's military science classrooms on the southeast side of campus.
In 1951, a bill was passed that allowed for the construction of fieldhouses on state campuses. Just over a year later the university's board of education approved the construction of the $800,000 facility and the following spring, on March 12, 1953, Governor J. Hugo Aronson broke ground for the building, which officially got underway the following day.
The facility took just a handful of months to build, giving Griz fans their first opportunity inside the beautiful Field House on Dec. 18, 1953.
While many today may not remember the grand opening, it's a game that should never be forgotten. That night No. 1 Indiana – the defending national champions – made its only visit to Missoula. The Hoosiers, led by four future NBA Draft picks, including Bobby Leonard, who played seven years in the NBA before coaching five more, beat the Grizzlies, 74-54.It's fitting that Montana's 1,000th home win came against Idaho, because so did the Grizzlies' first win inside Dahlberg Arena – then simply known as the Field House. Two weeks after Montana's loss to No. 1 Indiana, a nationally ranked Idaho team came to Missoula, with Montana winning, 60-57, over the 17th-ranked Vandals.
Dahlberg Arena, as it is known today, is far from Montana's only facility, but it's where the majority of the Grizzlies' 1,000 home wins have come. Since it opened its doors in December 1953, Montana is 720-248. Across the nation, just five Division I schools have been playing in their home venue for at least 60 years and have a better home winning percentage than Montana does at Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies trail only Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Wichita State. Quite the company, to say the least.
Montana is one of 32 schools west of the Mississippi with a .740 winning percentage or better in its current home facility. The .744 winning percentage ranks better than 80 percent of Division I teams across the entire nation.
Overall, Montana is 1,000-409 (.710) on its home courts.
As the home venues have changed, so has its current home.Through the Years: 1,000 home wins for Montana Basketball
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 19, 2020
➡️ https://t.co/ISwEOeg2bx#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/eUPqrIaRPK
When Dahlberg Arena was built in 1953, it was then known as the Field House and was used for boxing as much as it was basketball. On June 6, 1966, it was dedicated to honor Harry Adams, the famed athletics director, track & field coach, assistant football coach and three-sport athlete at UM. In February 1979, the court inside the field house was named to recognize George "Jiggs" Dahlberg, who served as Montana's basketball coach from 1937-42 and again from 1944-55, followed by a stint as athletics director for nearly two decades. Dahlberg earned three varsity letters in both basketball and football in the 1920s.
Through its history, Dahlberg Arena has hosted nine ranked opponents, including a 1982 win over No. 8 Idaho. In 1966, Montana scored a facility-record 111 points in a win over Idaho State. A decade later, future NBA star Michael Ray Richardson set a record with 40 points in a win over Montana State. Dahlberg Arena has been host to five Big Sky Conference tournaments, in addition to countless high school state competitions. Away from athletics, the facility has been host to everything from auto and garden shows to circuses and rodeos, not to mention pretty much any world-renown musical act one can think of – ranging from the Grateful Dead to Garth Brooks.In 1981, a record 9,540 fans packed to the roof to witness the Griz take on rival Montana State, a 63-58 victory. Of course, Dahlberg Arena has been remodeled several times since then and now seats 7,322 fans.
The two biggest renovations came in 1972, when the layout of the court switched from east-west to north-south and the court was lowered 12 feet. Years later, the removable court – which was raised several inches from the dirt ground – was replaced with a permanent one. The other major upgrade came in the late 1990s, when the facility was transformed from a gymnasium into a true venue. The $15-million conversion added theatre-style seating; restrooms; food and beverage services; and the Sky Club lounge overlooking the arena floor, in addition to supplementary facilities such as two practice gyms, a weight room, staff offices, an academic center and the Hall of Champions display along the concourse. The project was so expansive that the facility completely closed, forcing the basketball team to play its 1998-99 season at nearby Sentinel High School.
But from the different venues to the different names, one thing has remained through the years: a lot of games won. In fact, as of Saturday, 1,000 of them.
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