The Hall of Famers:: Gary Hughes
10/20/2021 7:01:00 PM | General
When browsing through the arm-length resume of Gary Hughes, one can't help but awe at the sheer quantity of lives touched by one man who simply got up every day and "did what needed to be done."
Hughes, a prolific community man and champion for Grizzly Athletics and all its student-athletes will receive the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award next week at a star-studded Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame Banquet, set for Oct. 29 in the Adams Center.
For a man who dedicated his life to serving the University of Montana and the Missoula community, the lifetime honors award is a "no brainer."
Consider:
From 1966 to 2000, if you bought a hot dog, read a gameday program, donated to the scholarship fund, bought advertising, or even just purchased a ticket to a Grizzly sporting event, Hughes made sure your experience was nothing but first class.
If you ran track or played basketball at a Montana High School Association state tournament in Missoula from 1970-2000, Hughes worked behind the scenes to make sure every athlete felt like a champion.
If you were inspired by Montana Special Olympics events, he made sure it was a gold medal day for everyone. If you were the beneficiary of Catholic Charities of Montana, he likely had a hand in making that possible.
If you've ever been supported by the Sentinel Kiwanis Club of Missoula and its mission to "improve the world one child and one community at a time" for the last 20-plus years, he's been right there.
Heck, if you were lucky enough to attend the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 or Salt Lake City in 2002, Hughes helped welcome you and tens of thousands of fans from around the globe, making sure venues operated like a well-oiled machine.
Through his 35-year career at the University of Montana, his 17-year career as a public relations officer at First Security Bank in Missoula, and the combined decades he's spent volunteering for various charities and events around the state of Montana, it's a fair estimate to say Hughes has touched millions of lives.
So, when the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame Committee (on which Hughes serves, naturally) voted for its next recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award, it was most definitely a no-brainer.
Nominated by former UM Alumni Director Bill Johnston, Hughes "was just so right for the category. It really was a no-brainer," said Johnston, who, fittingly, now sits in Hughes' old desk as a public relations officer for First Security Bank.
"I mean, the award was designed for people like Gary," he adds. "It just made sense."
"I had the privilege of nominating him, but many people approached me and said 'we think Gary's perfect for this award, but we need someone to nominate him, would you be interested in doing that,' and of course the answer was immediately yes.
"He spent the majority of his career working in athletics and promoting the student-athletes and the University as a whole. He's so well-known and has personal relationships with so many people, this award is only fitting."
With that, Hughes will become just the third-ever recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award next week when the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame welcomes an A-list class of 2021 at an induction banquet at the Adams Center. The very same Adams Center that Hughes managed for decades.
Originally hailing from the Mission Valley north of Missoula, Hughes follows long-time UM equipment manager Steve Hackney in 2018 and former team doctor Robert "Doc" Curry in 2019 as the only recipients of the award.
Established in 2018, "The Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award pays tribute and gives recognition to supporters of Grizzly Athletics who are not eligible for the Grizzly Hall of Fame, which includes athletes and coaches only."
But the literal definition doesn't really do Hughes' career justice. More than a supporter, Hughes was there for the highest of Grizzly sports history highs, helping execute every event. Every net-cutting ceremony with Robin Selvig and deep playoff runs with championship performances on the football field.
He was there, and he made it possible for fans to be there too.
To quantify: in the years between 1985 and 1999, Hughes installed UM's first computerized ticketing software, and with it sold over 4 million tickets to Grizzly athletic events.
It takes an army to put that many fans in seats and put on championship-caliber events. In fact, these days over 500 people have a working function at each Grizzly home football game.
Not only did Hughes pioneer a new way of selling tickets, he helped bring the community to campus to assist him in giving the fans the level of service they've come to expect.
Lions Clubs selling 50/50 tickets and gameday programs, men's and women's organizations ushering fans to their seats, anybody he could find to help lend a hand. It helped make Montana athletics a fan favorite, as well as the second love of his life. And it helped make Hughes' name known around the community as a leader in service.
"Judy and I have six children with 15 grandchildren. So, you know, we always have to think of that as the first thing in our life. But events at the University of Montana were the second," laughed Hughes.
"The greatest satisfaction I think was working with students and part-time staff, permanent staff, all the associations of all the sports, and all those coaches, all the support staff. Once that event was over, it was just really rewarding to know that what we had accomplished, many times, was a big deal."
With Hughes' dedication to the University of Montana, it surprises many to learn he's not even a graduate. In the early 60's he attended the now-defunct Modern Business College in Missoula and worked at the old Florence Hotel downtown while serving in the U.S. Army National Guard.
In 1966 he joined the Grizzly Athletics staff and became the ticket manager, game program manager, and bookkeeper for the Century Club, the precursor to today's Grizzly Scholarship Association.
Following Hughes' retirement in 2000 after a long and distinguished career at UM bringing people together for the greater good of Grizzly athletics, Johnston used his power as alumni director to present him with an honorary alumni membership.
"I always marveled how he was able to work with every constituency of campus. He was so well respected by the students, the staff, the administration, the coaches, and the student-athletes," said Johnston, who worked closely with Hughes on events and travel.
"He's just a straight-up guy. All his work was just organized down to the last detail, and he just took care of everything. He's a person that likes to under promise and over deliver. I think so many people over promise and don't deliver, and it makes the job so much more difficult. Gary always delivered.
"It was organized, it was thoughtful, and it was spot on. He also had a good sense of the community and a good sense of campus, so it was a pleasure working with someone like that."
And after retirement, Hughes was able to dive even further into the Missoula community as a public relations officer at First Security Bank. It allowed him to continue working with countless local businesses and charities to like Sentinel Kiwanis, the Missoula Sports Commission, and many others to help improve the community.
"I wanted a new group of friends and new challenges and new tasks," said Hughes.
"Everyone is busy in their life, but you just find ways to get involved. It's easy to just keep rolling with event after event, so you just keep going and do what needs to be done."
Hard work, dedication to the cause, dedication to the people who support you, and dedication to the community. Traits that define a man worthy of a lifetime honors award.
Not everyone can get back in the saddle week after week and keep going though. So, what was it that kept Hughes coming back year after year? For all the late nights and long hours, for Hughes, it turns out it's the same thing that keeps us all coming back to Grizzly athletics.
"I loved that affection from the fans. I loved to hear the roar of the crowd and celebrate the victory for the Grizzlies. Then your adrenaline goes down, and you go home and relax for a day or two, then you're back at it."
Hughes, a prolific community man and champion for Grizzly Athletics and all its student-athletes will receive the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award next week at a star-studded Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame Banquet, set for Oct. 29 in the Adams Center.
For a man who dedicated his life to serving the University of Montana and the Missoula community, the lifetime honors award is a "no brainer."
Consider:
From 1966 to 2000, if you bought a hot dog, read a gameday program, donated to the scholarship fund, bought advertising, or even just purchased a ticket to a Grizzly sporting event, Hughes made sure your experience was nothing but first class.
If you ran track or played basketball at a Montana High School Association state tournament in Missoula from 1970-2000, Hughes worked behind the scenes to make sure every athlete felt like a champion.
If you were inspired by Montana Special Olympics events, he made sure it was a gold medal day for everyone. If you were the beneficiary of Catholic Charities of Montana, he likely had a hand in making that possible.
If you've ever been supported by the Sentinel Kiwanis Club of Missoula and its mission to "improve the world one child and one community at a time" for the last 20-plus years, he's been right there.
Heck, if you were lucky enough to attend the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 or Salt Lake City in 2002, Hughes helped welcome you and tens of thousands of fans from around the globe, making sure venues operated like a well-oiled machine.
Through his 35-year career at the University of Montana, his 17-year career as a public relations officer at First Security Bank in Missoula, and the combined decades he's spent volunteering for various charities and events around the state of Montana, it's a fair estimate to say Hughes has touched millions of lives.
So, when the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame Committee (on which Hughes serves, naturally) voted for its next recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award, it was most definitely a no-brainer.
Nominated by former UM Alumni Director Bill Johnston, Hughes "was just so right for the category. It really was a no-brainer," said Johnston, who, fittingly, now sits in Hughes' old desk as a public relations officer for First Security Bank.
"I mean, the award was designed for people like Gary," he adds. "It just made sense."
"I had the privilege of nominating him, but many people approached me and said 'we think Gary's perfect for this award, but we need someone to nominate him, would you be interested in doing that,' and of course the answer was immediately yes.
"He spent the majority of his career working in athletics and promoting the student-athletes and the University as a whole. He's so well-known and has personal relationships with so many people, this award is only fitting."
With that, Hughes will become just the third-ever recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award next week when the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame welcomes an A-list class of 2021 at an induction banquet at the Adams Center. The very same Adams Center that Hughes managed for decades.
Originally hailing from the Mission Valley north of Missoula, Hughes follows long-time UM equipment manager Steve Hackney in 2018 and former team doctor Robert "Doc" Curry in 2019 as the only recipients of the award.
Established in 2018, "The Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award pays tribute and gives recognition to supporters of Grizzly Athletics who are not eligible for the Grizzly Hall of Fame, which includes athletes and coaches only."
But the literal definition doesn't really do Hughes' career justice. More than a supporter, Hughes was there for the highest of Grizzly sports history highs, helping execute every event. Every net-cutting ceremony with Robin Selvig and deep playoff runs with championship performances on the football field.
He was there, and he made it possible for fans to be there too.
To quantify: in the years between 1985 and 1999, Hughes installed UM's first computerized ticketing software, and with it sold over 4 million tickets to Grizzly athletic events.
It takes an army to put that many fans in seats and put on championship-caliber events. In fact, these days over 500 people have a working function at each Grizzly home football game.
Not only did Hughes pioneer a new way of selling tickets, he helped bring the community to campus to assist him in giving the fans the level of service they've come to expect.
Lions Clubs selling 50/50 tickets and gameday programs, men's and women's organizations ushering fans to their seats, anybody he could find to help lend a hand. It helped make Montana athletics a fan favorite, as well as the second love of his life. And it helped make Hughes' name known around the community as a leader in service.
"Judy and I have six children with 15 grandchildren. So, you know, we always have to think of that as the first thing in our life. But events at the University of Montana were the second," laughed Hughes.
"The greatest satisfaction I think was working with students and part-time staff, permanent staff, all the associations of all the sports, and all those coaches, all the support staff. Once that event was over, it was just really rewarding to know that what we had accomplished, many times, was a big deal."
With Hughes' dedication to the University of Montana, it surprises many to learn he's not even a graduate. In the early 60's he attended the now-defunct Modern Business College in Missoula and worked at the old Florence Hotel downtown while serving in the U.S. Army National Guard.
In 1966 he joined the Grizzly Athletics staff and became the ticket manager, game program manager, and bookkeeper for the Century Club, the precursor to today's Grizzly Scholarship Association.
Following Hughes' retirement in 2000 after a long and distinguished career at UM bringing people together for the greater good of Grizzly athletics, Johnston used his power as alumni director to present him with an honorary alumni membership.
"I always marveled how he was able to work with every constituency of campus. He was so well respected by the students, the staff, the administration, the coaches, and the student-athletes," said Johnston, who worked closely with Hughes on events and travel.
"He's just a straight-up guy. All his work was just organized down to the last detail, and he just took care of everything. He's a person that likes to under promise and over deliver. I think so many people over promise and don't deliver, and it makes the job so much more difficult. Gary always delivered.
"It was organized, it was thoughtful, and it was spot on. He also had a good sense of the community and a good sense of campus, so it was a pleasure working with someone like that."
And after retirement, Hughes was able to dive even further into the Missoula community as a public relations officer at First Security Bank. It allowed him to continue working with countless local businesses and charities to like Sentinel Kiwanis, the Missoula Sports Commission, and many others to help improve the community.
"I wanted a new group of friends and new challenges and new tasks," said Hughes.
"Everyone is busy in their life, but you just find ways to get involved. It's easy to just keep rolling with event after event, so you just keep going and do what needs to be done."
Hard work, dedication to the cause, dedication to the people who support you, and dedication to the community. Traits that define a man worthy of a lifetime honors award.
Not everyone can get back in the saddle week after week and keep going though. So, what was it that kept Hughes coming back year after year? For all the late nights and long hours, for Hughes, it turns out it's the same thing that keeps us all coming back to Grizzly athletics.
"I loved that affection from the fans. I loved to hear the roar of the crowd and celebrate the victory for the Grizzlies. Then your adrenaline goes down, and you go home and relax for a day or two, then you're back at it."
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