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New
York Times illustration
by George Booth.
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UM
garners national press
Though
it's hidden away in the rugged Rocky Mountains, The University
of Montana-Missoula has become more than a blip on the national
radar screen in recent weeks.
The
deluge of national media exposure started Sept. 29 when
the Sunday edition of the New York Times did a humorous
piece on college fight songs. Since "Up With Montana"
has the unforgettable lines "And the squeal of the
pig will float on the air; From the tummy of the Grizzly
Bear," the UM fight song made the cut. The Times article
said, "At (UM), fans expect their team to devour its
enemies while still alive." The piece was accompanied
by a funny illustration of a gigantic grizzly bear scaring
the wits out of a tiny pig who had been drinking tea.
UM
also made the cut for a recent article titled "College
Life 101: Your Survival Guide," which appeared in Spin
magazine. The article started: "If you like bears in
your city parks and full access to winter sports, welcome
to Missoula (pop. 57,000), home of (UM)." The article
listed its picks for best record store (Rockin' Rudy's),
best local band (Volumen), best bar (Charlie B's) and best
place for a post-midnight snack (brain and eggs at the Oxford
Cafe).
The
University also made it into the Oct. 7 issue of Sports
Illustrated, which did an article about the top Division
I college athletic programs. UM came it at No. 75, listed
ahead of colleges such as Georgetown, Northwestern, Tulane,
Yale, Rutgers, Old Dominion and UNLV. The University was
ranked highest among Big Sky Conference schools, and only
two I-AA schools were ranked higher -- Northern Iowa at
No. 69 (for great women's rugby) and Maine at No. 70 (for
top hockey and baseball teams). The text with UM's listing
said: "I-AA FB champ; hoops made NCAAs; great school
for skiing, hiking, fishing; alums: Carroll O'Connor, Marty
Mornhinweg."
UM's
beloved mascot, Monte the bear, also has reached the national
stage by being selected as one of 12 critter finalists to
compete for the Capital One National Mascot of the Year
award. Monte started strong, with 23 percent of online voters
propelling him into the No. 1 spot as of Oct. 10, but by
Nov. 4 he had slipped into third place as higher-population
areas weighed in. If you would like to help Monte overtake
Penn State's Nittany Lion and Georgia Tech's Buzz the Yellow
Jacket, vote online at www.montanagrizzlies.com.
The polls close Dec. 20. As a finalist, Monte already has
earned $5,000 for scholarships or UM's mascot program. The
mascot of the year will earn another $10,000.
New
head basketball coach Pat Kennedy got UM some national exposure
in a feature article titled "Fish Out of Stream? City
slicker Pat Kennedy tries to turn Montana into a winner,"
which appeared in the Oct. 14 edition of "BasketballTimes.com."
At one point the article says, "In a college basketball
era defined by success in the NCAA tournament, ambitious
school presidents, athletic directors and coaches gaze upon
the shooting stars of the mid-major ranks like tiny Gonzaga,
Southern Illinois and Kent State less and less with dismissive
shrugs and more with a belly-aching hunger. Why not us?
they say."
The
capper for all this national press came on Nov. 1, when
USA Today wrote a feature story about the joys of Grizzly
football titled "The Continental Divide: Montana games
intimate yet vital." Accompanied by an extensive photo
gallery, the story describes fans who drive across mountain
passes from places like Sidney to attend games. Karl Rogge
of Miles City is quoted as saying, "I've never been
to a pro game or any of the big college games, but I can't
believe they'd be a heck of a lot better than we've got
here. Really, I can't imagine sitting at Michigan Stadium
with 110,000 people or whatever it is. I like it here with
our 19,000."
The
USA Today article might still be available online in the
college football section at www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2002-10-29-cover-montana_x.htm.
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