MISSOULA — This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the home for the Montana football program.
The stadium hosted it's first game on Oct. 18, 1986, when Brent Pease — then the team's quarterback and now the its offensive coordinator — led the team to a 38-31 win over Idaho State.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Since, the venue has been home to classic after classic, with UM sporting a 249-38 record — a winning percentage of .867 — at the base of Mount Sentinel. The program looks for win No. 250 against the rival Idaho Vandals this coming Saturday in a battle for the Little Brown Stein.
Whether it's the countless classics against archrival Montana State, thrillers over North Dakota State in 2015 and 2023, Furman in 2023, the comebacks against South Dakota State in 1993 and 2009, the playoff game against McNeese State in 1994, or the famed Appalachian State matchups in 2000 and 2009, the list of games in Washington-Grizzly Stadium's catalog is vast and deep as one of the best and most scenic and unique college football environments in the country.
There are games dotted all along the way where the crowd and atmosphere prove time and time again Washington-Grizzly Stadium punches above it's weight and serves as a haven for scenic classics and thrilling finishes, regardless of who emerges victorious.
The football program is decorated and tradition-rich, but perhaps not what it is without the legendary stadium that has served as the cornerstone of Missoula and Montana for four decades as the front-facing monument for Griz football.
Watch the video above to look back at the evolution of Washington-Grizzly Stadium as its 40th birthday approaches this weekend.
