Grizzly Athletics remembers Mike Tilleman – A life well lived
10/13/2020 9:43:00 AM | Football
Going back as far as anyone can remember, Montana's head football coach and other Grizzly dignitaries have hit the Hi-Line and made a mandatory stop at Tilleman Motors in Havre every year on the GSA Spring Tour.
And every year, owner Mike Tilleman – one of the most legendary figures in Montana football history – and his wife Gloria put on a BBQ spread for the visitors and local Griz fans to enjoy while talking a little football.
It's a scene UM director of athletics Kent Haslam, who has been making that stop in Havre since 2006, knows well.
"I remember a few years we met back in the service department because Mike remodeled the building. There were cars up on the lifts, and we'd have plates of baked beans and ribs with 30 people tucked in there," Haslam laughed.
"If I could draw the classic spring tour image, that would be it. Sitting in a car dealership in Havre, eating ribs and potato salad and baked beans that Mike and Gloria had cooked, listening to the football coach talk. I love it."
But on Monday afternoon, there was a gathering of a different kind in Havre, as those closest to Tilleman gathered to celebrate a true Montana giant with an even bigger heart.
On September 18, Mike Tilleman passed away at the age of 76 with his family by his side. It was a well-lived life as a University of Montana student-athlete, professional football player, successful businessman, generous philanthropist, and loving family man.
A Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer and one of the first Montanan's to ever become an All-Pro in the NFL, Tilleman's accomplishments on the field are well documented as a defensive tackle that gave offensive linemen nightmares for 12 seasons.
But since his days as an All-Big Sky standout at UM in 1963 and '64, Tilleman and his family came to mean much more than being a dominant D-lineman to the Montana Grizzlies, and indeed, to the University of Montana.
As a man who was the living embodiment of the opportunity college football can provide, with the straight-talk style of a farmer's son from the Hi-Line, Tilleman was an ardent supporter of the student-athlete experience at the University of Montana, and was never afraid to voice his opinion on how to make it better.
As a financial booster of the department, his family name now adorns a meeting room in the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center, and countless student-athletes have benefited from the scholarship dollars they have provided over the years. But that's only one small aspect of his generosity toward UM.
Many at Montana, including Haslam, remember his interactions with coaches and administrators as always fair, always to the point, and always about putting the student-athletes first.
"Gloria, Mike, and the kids have been very supportive. Their financial support provided scholarships, helped build the Champions Center, purchased equipment, and do the things we need to get done. But Mike was a perfect example of what football can do for you. He was a hard worker from a small town who got his chance, went to the NFL, and became a successful businessman," said Haslam.
"He's a well-rounded person with roots in Grizzly Athletics. The success came in so many different ways. Athletically, through his family and business ventures, through his philanthropy. He was the whole picture of what the student-athlete experience is all about."
###
Bobby Hauck remembers the day he met Tilleman as a graduate assistant getting his feet wet in the coaching world at Montana. Standing an imposing 6-foot-7, it's hard not to.
"I was scared to death of him," said Hauck.
"He was just such a dominating presence. He was gruff and told you what he thought, and over the years, I grew to really cherish my time with him. I had a lot of fun with Mike. He was a fun guy to be around. I always like to say he was a big man with a big heart that was always willing to help people out."
For Hauck, the desire to help stemmed from the pride Tillman took in his family, his hometown, and the recognition that others had helped him become the legendary Montanan that he was.
"He was proud of numerous things. He was proud of his kids, and how accomplished they are, both professionally and academically," says Hauck.
"He was proud of being from the Hi-Line, and being the local boy made good. He was proud of his roots up there, he was proud of his Montana Grizzlies, and in the same token, proud of his Montana Northern Lights and the football program he helped build there."
Tilleman's pride in his family was well-placed, with each following in their father's footsteps as successes in their respective communities. His daughter Suzanne currently serves as the Dean of the Montana College of Business, his son Craig runs the family business in Havre, and other son Christopher is a leader in the tech industry.
"Gruff" is a word often used to describe Tilleman's approach to business. That same Hi-Line straightforwardness that led him to become successful was one of his most endearing characteristics for those close to him in Grizzly Athletics. The same trait that earned the trust of both Hauck and Haslam from early on.
"He was always a very intelligent guy. He always pretended to be the dumbest guy in the room, and he was probably the smartest. Just a genuinely great guy that was shrewd in business, charitable, and one of those guys you want on your team," said Hauck.
Haslam echoed the sentiment: "He liked to come off as the aw-shucks guy from the Hi-line. The old football player, but he was a very smart man. A smart businessman. And I truly believe he saw the value in his experience at Montana, what that led to, and he gained great satisfaction in supporting that."
###
Once both Haslam and Hauck worked their way past that rough exterior they were able to see the Tilleman's softer side, where they found a man willing to help at all times. But the one place no one wanted to see him was in the family suite at Washington-Grizzly Stadium if the Grizzlies were losing.
As an NFL veteran with the Vikings, Saints, Oilers, and Falcons, Tilleman was one of the few people that could chalk talk the game of football with the best of them, and still carried that intense emotional connection to the sport on gameday well after his playing days were over.
"Mike knew football. He wasn't a Monday morning quarterback. He knew what he was talking about. I really enjoyed stopping by their suite on gameday. Gloria was so sweet and welcoming, and Mike would be the gruff and tough football guy, but they were such great partners," said Haslam.
"Gloria and Mike are seriously two of my favorite people."
Knowing that, when needs would arise for funding in the athletic department, Haslam knew what he'd be getting into when he'd start the conversation with the Tillemans, and he says Mike never held back his opinion.
Haslam says He'd never hold back because he knew that even the son of an immigrant from a one-room schoolhouse in Zurich, Montana, can get an opportunity to go to college, earn a degree, and go on to do great things in life. That anyone can go from Montana, to the NFL and back to make things better in his home town.
It's for that reason Tilleman will be missed at the University of Montana, perhaps more than he'd ever know or would want to acknowledge. He wanted to make our state a better place, and did it in the most Montana way possible: by shooting straight, working hard, and taking action when his name was called.
"In this job, people say from time to time, 'If you don't do this, I will no longer do this.' That's everybody's prerogative, but Mike was always 'I'm here to support, but here's how I feel.' That, to me, added a lot more validity to his approach and thoughts," said Haslam.
"His motivations were always pure. I think he truly loved Griz football, and he saw what it could lead it to."
And every year, owner Mike Tilleman – one of the most legendary figures in Montana football history – and his wife Gloria put on a BBQ spread for the visitors and local Griz fans to enjoy while talking a little football.
It's a scene UM director of athletics Kent Haslam, who has been making that stop in Havre since 2006, knows well.
"I remember a few years we met back in the service department because Mike remodeled the building. There were cars up on the lifts, and we'd have plates of baked beans and ribs with 30 people tucked in there," Haslam laughed.
"If I could draw the classic spring tour image, that would be it. Sitting in a car dealership in Havre, eating ribs and potato salad and baked beans that Mike and Gloria had cooked, listening to the football coach talk. I love it."
But on Monday afternoon, there was a gathering of a different kind in Havre, as those closest to Tilleman gathered to celebrate a true Montana giant with an even bigger heart.
On September 18, Mike Tilleman passed away at the age of 76 with his family by his side. It was a well-lived life as a University of Montana student-athlete, professional football player, successful businessman, generous philanthropist, and loving family man.
A Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer and one of the first Montanan's to ever become an All-Pro in the NFL, Tilleman's accomplishments on the field are well documented as a defensive tackle that gave offensive linemen nightmares for 12 seasons.
But since his days as an All-Big Sky standout at UM in 1963 and '64, Tilleman and his family came to mean much more than being a dominant D-lineman to the Montana Grizzlies, and indeed, to the University of Montana.
As a man who was the living embodiment of the opportunity college football can provide, with the straight-talk style of a farmer's son from the Hi-Line, Tilleman was an ardent supporter of the student-athlete experience at the University of Montana, and was never afraid to voice his opinion on how to make it better.
As a financial booster of the department, his family name now adorns a meeting room in the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center, and countless student-athletes have benefited from the scholarship dollars they have provided over the years. But that's only one small aspect of his generosity toward UM.
Many at Montana, including Haslam, remember his interactions with coaches and administrators as always fair, always to the point, and always about putting the student-athletes first.
"Gloria, Mike, and the kids have been very supportive. Their financial support provided scholarships, helped build the Champions Center, purchased equipment, and do the things we need to get done. But Mike was a perfect example of what football can do for you. He was a hard worker from a small town who got his chance, went to the NFL, and became a successful businessman," said Haslam.
"He's a well-rounded person with roots in Grizzly Athletics. The success came in so many different ways. Athletically, through his family and business ventures, through his philanthropy. He was the whole picture of what the student-athlete experience is all about."
###
Bobby Hauck remembers the day he met Tilleman as a graduate assistant getting his feet wet in the coaching world at Montana. Standing an imposing 6-foot-7, it's hard not to.
"I was scared to death of him," said Hauck.
"He was just such a dominating presence. He was gruff and told you what he thought, and over the years, I grew to really cherish my time with him. I had a lot of fun with Mike. He was a fun guy to be around. I always like to say he was a big man with a big heart that was always willing to help people out."
For Hauck, the desire to help stemmed from the pride Tillman took in his family, his hometown, and the recognition that others had helped him become the legendary Montanan that he was.
"He was proud of numerous things. He was proud of his kids, and how accomplished they are, both professionally and academically," says Hauck.
"He was proud of being from the Hi-Line, and being the local boy made good. He was proud of his roots up there, he was proud of his Montana Grizzlies, and in the same token, proud of his Montana Northern Lights and the football program he helped build there."
Tilleman's pride in his family was well-placed, with each following in their father's footsteps as successes in their respective communities. His daughter Suzanne currently serves as the Dean of the Montana College of Business, his son Craig runs the family business in Havre, and other son Christopher is a leader in the tech industry.
"Gruff" is a word often used to describe Tilleman's approach to business. That same Hi-Line straightforwardness that led him to become successful was one of his most endearing characteristics for those close to him in Grizzly Athletics. The same trait that earned the trust of both Hauck and Haslam from early on.
"He was always a very intelligent guy. He always pretended to be the dumbest guy in the room, and he was probably the smartest. Just a genuinely great guy that was shrewd in business, charitable, and one of those guys you want on your team," said Hauck.
Haslam echoed the sentiment: "He liked to come off as the aw-shucks guy from the Hi-line. The old football player, but he was a very smart man. A smart businessman. And I truly believe he saw the value in his experience at Montana, what that led to, and he gained great satisfaction in supporting that."
###
Once both Haslam and Hauck worked their way past that rough exterior they were able to see the Tilleman's softer side, where they found a man willing to help at all times. But the one place no one wanted to see him was in the family suite at Washington-Grizzly Stadium if the Grizzlies were losing.
As an NFL veteran with the Vikings, Saints, Oilers, and Falcons, Tilleman was one of the few people that could chalk talk the game of football with the best of them, and still carried that intense emotional connection to the sport on gameday well after his playing days were over.
"Mike knew football. He wasn't a Monday morning quarterback. He knew what he was talking about. I really enjoyed stopping by their suite on gameday. Gloria was so sweet and welcoming, and Mike would be the gruff and tough football guy, but they were such great partners," said Haslam.
"Gloria and Mike are seriously two of my favorite people."
Knowing that, when needs would arise for funding in the athletic department, Haslam knew what he'd be getting into when he'd start the conversation with the Tillemans, and he says Mike never held back his opinion.
Haslam says He'd never hold back because he knew that even the son of an immigrant from a one-room schoolhouse in Zurich, Montana, can get an opportunity to go to college, earn a degree, and go on to do great things in life. That anyone can go from Montana, to the NFL and back to make things better in his home town.
It's for that reason Tilleman will be missed at the University of Montana, perhaps more than he'd ever know or would want to acknowledge. He wanted to make our state a better place, and did it in the most Montana way possible: by shooting straight, working hard, and taking action when his name was called.
"In this job, people say from time to time, 'If you don't do this, I will no longer do this.' That's everybody's prerogative, but Mike was always 'I'm here to support, but here's how I feel.' That, to me, added a lot more validity to his approach and thoughts," said Haslam.
"His motivations were always pure. I think he truly loved Griz football, and he saw what it could lead it to."
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