× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

MISSOULA — A thought occurred to me while entering Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday for my first Montana football game in two years:

Those bulked-up guys on the field are mighty impressive, but my heroes are up in the stands. I'm talking about Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, braving the evening chill on hard aluminum seats, still brimming with optimism despite their team’s recent two-game road skid.

"You get upset with them when they don't do a good job, but we're here again," said longtime season ticket holder Doug Wells of Huson. "It's just part of what you do in the fall — kind of mix it with hunting season."

Griz fans shell out a minimum of $36 to watch a program that hasn’t won an official Big Sky Conference championship in seven years. A team that — as of Saturday morning – had one win over an opponent with a winning record, that coming on Sept. 3 against Saint Francis.

When I moved to Missoula nine years ago, naysayers told me it's a college basketball town. Told me that folks were merely enamored with the helmeted Griz because they won the Big Sky every year and were a strong contender for a national championship.