Walk anywhere on the University of Montana campus, and the impact Missoula industrialist Dennis Washington and his family have made through their generous philanthropy is immediately apparent.
Spaces for both athletic and academic pursuits like Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center, the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education, and the Phyllis Washington Park and Amphitheater are adorned with the family name.
Through the construction of facilities and support for both academic and athletic scholarships, it's not an overstatement to say the Washington family has touched the lives of more than a million Montana fans and UM students alike.
In a token of appreciation for decades of support, director of athletics Kent Haslam announced Friday that the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame committee has selected the Dennis, Phyllis, Kyle, and Kevin Washington family to be the 2023 recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award.
Established in 2018, the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award is one of the highest honors UM athletics can bestow and was created "to pay tribute and give recognition to supporters of UM athletics who are not eligible for the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame, which includes only athletes and coaches."
"On behalf of our family, we are proud and honored to receive this award. Our love for Grizzly Athletics and the University of Montana runs deep and has been a part of our family tradition for more than 40 years," said Kyle Washington.
Kevin Washington echoed the sentiment.
"Investing in the success of Grizzly Athletics, whether constructing facilities or funding scholarships to support the student-athletes, is something we are very proud of," he said.
"Thank you for recognizing these efforts with this wonderful honor."
Dennis Washington surveys construction of Washington-Grizzly Stadium in 1986
As this year's recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award, the Washington family will be honored at the annual Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame presented by Wipfli banquet in the Adams Center on Oct. 27 alongside the Hall of Fame class of 2023.
The class will again be recognized on the field in the stadium which bears the family name during Montana's Oct. 28 home football game against Northern Colorado.
"There is no doubt the Washington family is synonymous with the growth and success of Grizzly athletics. The investments made by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation to facilities and scholarship funding continue to have an immeasurable impact on the day-to-day lives of Grizzly student-athletes," said Haslam.
"On behalf of the entire university, I thank them for their vision and their generosity. Grizzly athletics is better off because of the Washingtons."
The plans for what would become Washington-Grizzly Stadium at the University of Montana came to fruition in August of 1985 when Dennis Washington and employees of the Washington Corporations provided a $1 million lead gift to begin construction.
Mr. Washington was brought in early in the process to be among the small group of visionaries who would examine what was possible with the new facility, and who better than the man who started his company with a small loan and a bulldozer in 1964, turned it into Washington Construction and eventually into the global Washington Companies.
Since then, the family has continued that legacy of support. In 2017, Montana opened a new, state-of-the-art training and locker room facility, now named the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center, with a $7 million lead gift from Kyle and Kevin Washington on behalf of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.
The family also continues to support athletics through scholarships for student-athletes and a lead gift for the new Grizzly Indoor Practice Facility.
Dennis Washington speaks at the grand opening of Washington-Grizzly Stadium in 1986
The Washington Family completes the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame presented by Wipfli incoming class of 2023, a stellar cohort that includes one coach and three standout student-athletes from four different sports.
Grizzly soccer's founding coach Betsy Duerksen, All-American distance runner in track and cross-country Dean Erhard, NFL All-Pro Marc Mariani, and Lady Griz Big Sky MVP Jeanne McNulty-King are set to be inducted in a star-studded ceremony on Oct. 27.
Banquet tickets and tickets to the Oct. 28 football game are available now at GrizTix.com.
