The Griz Nation Oral History Collection is now open to the public.
Click here to listen to the interviews and read the transcripts!
In Fall 2024, a dynamic team of undergraduate and graduate history students at the University of Montana launched an exciting oral history project exploring the deep connections between UM sports, its fans, and the broader Missoula and Montana communities. As part of Professor Jody Pavilack’s Practicing Oral History course, students learned oral history methods and interviewed 36 diverse voices—from Griz superfans and community residents to standout former athletes and legendary coaches.
Highlights include conversations with iconic Lady Griz basketball coach Robin Selvig and women who played for him across five generations, as well as Hall of Fame Griz football player Brian Salonen, who went from Great Falls to Missoula and on to the Dallas Cowboys. We also had the privilege of recording the life story of Eric Hays, a star point guard who led the men’s basketball team to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen before embarking on a decades-long coaching career at Missoula high schools.
Other stories capture the quieter but equally powerful ways UM sports touch people’s lives—like Gloria Swanson, a Missoula woman who had never considered herself a sports fan until she found comfort and connection watching the Griz football team win the 1995 national championship from a hospital room during her mother’s final days. And we spoke with UM History Professor Wade Davies about his journey from Indiana to Montana, and how his love of sports helped shape his path as a scholar. These rich, personal stories reflect how people became part of Griz Nation—and what UM athletics has meant to them and their communities over time.
Here are a few news stories about the project: UM Oral History Project Highlights Spirit of Griz Nation, April 2025, and UM Students Document Griz Nation, NonStopLocal, May 9, 2025.
This is an ongoing project. If you or someone you know has good stories about the history of UM athletics and the Griz Nation community, we would love to record them! Please reach out to [email protected]. Thanks for your support! GO GRIZ!
Click here to listen to the interviews and read the transcripts!
In Fall 2024, a dynamic team of undergraduate and graduate history students at the University of Montana launched an exciting oral history project exploring the deep connections between UM sports, its fans, and the broader Missoula and Montana communities. As part of Professor Jody Pavilack’s Practicing Oral History course, students learned oral history methods and interviewed 36 diverse voices—from Griz superfans and community residents to standout former athletes and legendary coaches.
Highlights include conversations with iconic Lady Griz basketball coach Robin Selvig and women who played for him across five generations, as well as Hall of Fame Griz football player Brian Salonen, who went from Great Falls to Missoula and on to the Dallas Cowboys. We also had the privilege of recording the life story of Eric Hays, a star point guard who led the men’s basketball team to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen before embarking on a decades-long coaching career at Missoula high schools.
Other stories capture the quieter but equally powerful ways UM sports touch people’s lives—like Gloria Swanson, a Missoula woman who had never considered herself a sports fan until she found comfort and connection watching the Griz football team win the 1995 national championship from a hospital room during her mother’s final days. And we spoke with UM History Professor Wade Davies about his journey from Indiana to Montana, and how his love of sports helped shape his path as a scholar. These rich, personal stories reflect how people became part of Griz Nation—and what UM athletics has meant to them and their communities over time.
Here are a few news stories about the project: UM Oral History Project Highlights Spirit of Griz Nation, April 2025, and UM Students Document Griz Nation, NonStopLocal, May 9, 2025.
This is an ongoing project. If you or someone you know has good stories about the history of UM athletics and the Griz Nation community, we would love to record them! Please reach out to [email protected]. Thanks for your support! GO GRIZ!
