Not just jumping on the wagon

A couple of weeks ago I found myself trying decide if I was a bandwagon Griz fan, or just a sports fan lucky enough to be living in the right place at the right time. Two incredible games later I’ve decided I am a University of Montana Grizzly football fan, and always will be no matter where I live.

Last Friday night’s game against James Madison was one of the best football games I have seen any team play this year, at any level. The Griz dominated the game, without it being a rout. They caught the important passes, and caused game-changing turnovers. They didn’t lose momentum when they had injuries or their opponent scored. Best of all, when it was crunch time and the clock was winding down and it looked like there was a chance they could lose, the Griz stayed in control and finished what they started.

I can’t remember watching a team I was rooting for this football season play a game with such consistency from beginning to end. Sure there were mistakes and missed opportunities. That’s sports. But what got me was that they stayed focused and followed the light at the end of the tunnel all the way to Chattanooga.

As I often mention, I come from Seattle where our sports teams are known for giving away games at the end that they should’ve won. In fact, we even have a term for it. We call it “Coug-ing it.”

There was a time, long, long ago when the University of Washington Huskies were a good football team, and that “other” school, the Washington State University Cougars, had the football problem. They would play a decent game and look as though they would win, and then right at the end they’d just, sort of, give it away. Over time the term spread and soon people were talking about how the Seattle Mariners “Coug-ed it,” or the Sonics, etc. Even Cougar fans said it, despite the rivalry, which is no different than the Griz-Bobcat tradition of dislike.

But the Griz, they didn’t “Coug it” on Friday. They gave us a show. They played a game that made their fans beam with pride and boil over with excitement.

No matter how they do tomorrow night in Chattanooga, I think that every Griz fan will say that this was a good season. That the boys played their hearts out and made Montana look pretty great.

Personally, I know that no matter where I live in the years to come that I will always remember cheering with my friends as we watched a team that we were rooting for make it to the national championships.

In a way, I guess that makes me sort of a bandwagon fan. I remember how many people became Seahawks fans when they cheered them on to the Superbowl. But for me, it was more than that. In a season full of football disappointment, the Montana Grizzlies impressed me unlike any other team this year.

At the last home game a couple of weeks ago I yelled so loud that I lost my voice for days. At first I was embarrassed and didn’t want to make my interview phone calls. Then I realized that I didn’t care. I was proud to tell everyone that I had lost my voice at the game. That my friends and I had gone to the game and were there to see what could be the national champions play their last home game of the season. Those memories, and that pride, are what have made me a life-long Griz fan. The wins sure do make it sweeter though. After all, who wants to have to tell people that they lost their voice yelling for the team that blew the important game.

I’m so sold on the Griz that I actually considered going to Chattanooga with some of my friends. If only I didn’t have to work, or pay bills. Two of my friends, who have been Griz fans since before they were born, bought plane tickets the next day. I am extremely jealous. But there is always next year. And as for this year, don’t be surprised if you talk to me next week and I’ve lost my voice. I’m pretty excited to have a successful team to cheer for.

I think that being a true fan of any team is just a like a relationship. You get back what you put into it, you have to take the good with the bad and you have to make sacrifices for one another. Whether it be watching games in the freezing cold or being without a normal sounding voice for a few days, every Griz fan has invested in their relationship with UM football, and if you ask me they’ve given back to us pretty well.

So let’s all keep our fingers crossed, wear our Griz gear and yell loud enough that they can hear us in Chattanooga. It isn’t too often that your team is in a national championship. Enjoy it to the fullest, because no matter what, on Saturday Griz football is over for the season.