Relatives

By Mick Holien I have to admit I have never seen so many newspaper stories in the off-season about Grizzly football. Now I do subscribe to the theory that there is no such thing as bad publcity nut sometimes that’s a stretch. However I see the coverage as an indication of what expectations some media has for returning mentor Bobby Hauck. But my problem is it much has been inconsequential and so so so incomplete. Now part of the reason for that is the sports reporters, while well intentioned at being outstanding reporters, act as if history started the day they graced the fine city of Missoula. Now I can’t blame them I guess not knowing that the school Gresh Jensen has chosen o further his career is the same school that graces a statue of 12-letter or so former Griz Hal Sherbeck who arguably could be considered in the top five of all-time Griz athletes, not just football. But why the statue. Well Old coach, his license plate if you will, won more games at Fullerton than any coach in JC history. Hal cared deeply about athletics, specifically the University of Montana and even more so Griz football, A volunteer assistant for a time after retirement, he used to call me on Sundays from his Grinde Bay home on Flathead Lake inquiring about why the team didn’t perform to his standards. “what the heck is going on down there,” was familiar Sherbeck if Montana failed to live up to his expectations, Then there’s that list of so-so players, all high school stars I am sure, who were brought to campus as “invited redshirts’’ cannon fodder if you will. If you were to inquire further there is a good chance they knew if would be difficult that they would ever see extended time but were grateful to be given the opportunity to turn heads. And you could check the roster and come up with those type of names any year, not just in this transition season. Thatcher Szlay may have been the last Whitefish signee but he didn’t play decades (as in plural says Missoulian), but was a member of the 01 championship team when he was on the front sports page celebrating. It is not that rare for smaller classifications not to have a Griz player. Polson, for example, has two on the roster right now and it has been since Kirk Murphy 88-91 since there has been a Griz signee. Yes a decade longer than Whitefish. And a little background please. Liv Roberts is a superb player who had a great Wyoming career but did you know who her mom is and what about her UM football brothers Mitch Roberts and brother Ben. Cheri Brat was one of Robin Selvig’s early stars starting in 1980. She finished sixth on the all-time scoring list behind a pair of Dedens Linda Smith and Doris hasquet. A 4-year starter from Flathead Hi, she was defensive playher of the year as a junior, was first team all academic and second team all conference. Cheri also was a great hi school player all tournamentAA four years and all-conf and all-state her last 3 years. So maybe some context or maybe I’m the only one cherishing history. It’s not that hard to research. Just sayin’