Wreathed in smoke, dripping power and speed, they roar into Washington-Grizzly Stadium on fall afternoons. Soaring on the single voice of 25,000 strong, they have become the spectacle of spectacles in Big Sky Country.
They are the 800-pound bear in the middle of the room. Without a doubt, it is their house and they know it.
So are the Reeves boys - BC, Don, Billy and Casey. Then there's Matt McConaughey, Travis Goforth, Bob Christensen, Duane Parker and Dave Arnold.
They are UM's helmet crew, in charge of blowing up and taking down the big Griz inflatable through which players run at the beginning of each home game.
Theirs is a small job to be sure, maybe 20 minutes of work.
But it's a chore they enjoy and take seriously, and it's certainly not without its challenges.
When the UM marching band takes the field, the men jump into action. First they unroll the fabric and prepare it to be inflated. As soon as the national anthem is over, two blowers are attached and the helmet takes shape.
After the Grizzly captains meet at midfield, they return to their comrades in the team's entrance on the west side of the stadium.
Then, with anticipation building to a fever pitch, white smoke is blown into the face of the helmet and out they pour, Griz after Griz, growling for the battle ahead.
“I love it,” said Hatcher, the helmet crew's leader. “It's great. You can't deny the roar of the crowd when the kids come out - it's electric.”
The helmet, as well as the maroon tunnel that preceded it, were the brainchild of businessman Doug Zimmerman, owner of Grizzly Liquor in downtown Missoula.
Zimmerman, along with business partner Bob Gillette, purchased the tunnel in 1997. The team used it for four seasons before Zimmerman replaced it with the helmet in 2001.
The tunnel, which is now in the northwest corner of the stadium for Griz mascot Monte's entrance, and the helmet were purchased from Inflatable Images of Brunswick, Ohio.
Thanks to the hard work of Zimmerman and Gillette, the university didn't have to foot the bill for either one.
“We paid for the tunnel with advertising, and after that was paid for, we used the money to buy the helmet - with all the rest of the profits going to the university,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman gives a nod to Metalworks of Montana, Whalen Tire, Silver Slipper Lounge, Noon's stores, Classic 50s in Great Falls, Fatt Boys in Kalispell, the Iron Horse Brew Pub and Diamond Jim's Casino for stepping up to make the purchases possible.
“Without them, it wouldn't have been feasible for us to do it,” he said. “The university was great about the tunnel. Once you get rid of politics, and as long as it didn't cost them a dime, they were more than willing to do it.”
Zimmerman said he got the idea for the inflatables after visiting an Arizona Cardinals NFL game in Phoenix.
“It makes it more fun for everyone,” he said.
And it isn't the first time Zimmerman has been personally responsible for making things a little more colorful for Griz Nation.
It was Zimmerman, a Missoula native and longtime Griz fan, who first painted the end zones and center of the field when Washington-Grizzly still featured a natural grass surface.
“It took us about a year for (UM) to allow us to paint,” he said. “They were afraid it would kill the grass, but schools have been painting fields for years.”
Zimmerman was given the go-ahead in 1994, and he and a hand-picked crew took care of the paint work until UM put artificial turf down in 2001.
For someone who has been in the bar, liquor and gaming business his entire professional career, promotion was something Zimmerman understood.
“You've got a good football team, and all you've got is green grass down there. It was about dressing the place up.”
Nowadays, Zimmerman has handed over helmet duties to Hatcher and his crew. But he still manages the tunnel, and doesn't plan to quit anytime soon.
“The most fun part is the atmosphere,” he said. “It really is great. I like to take my grandkids down there before the game, or a friend's kids, just so they can experience that.”
BC Reeves, another veteran Griz fan, said his work on the helmet crew is very rewarding.
“It's a real rush,” he said. “The stadium is something else. When you're down on the field - it's an eye-opening experience.”
Hatcher agrees.
“The enthusiasm carries over,” he said. “You can feel the excitement of the players, and it's really hard not to get involved in that.”
But the helmet crew has a job to do, and it's never more critical than immediately after the team runs onto the field.
With the band and other pregame personnel exiting right behind them, they must deflate the helmet and get it stored before kickoff.
“I had one official tell me he could flag the Griz for delay of game if we didn't get it down in time,” Hatcher said. “It's a little stressful, but it's never really been a problem. Everybody knows what to do, and everybody does their job.”
Meanwhile, as the helmet is being put away, the game is in full swing.
“I haven't seen a kickoff in eight or nine years,” Hatcher said. “That's the only bad part about it. I usually have to miss the first three or four minutes.”
Which is exactly why Zimmerman now takes care of the inflatable tunnel.
“I don't do the helmet because I don't like missing the first part of the game,” he said with a laugh. “I got it started, but I turned them loose on it so I can watch the kickoff from the field before I go to my seat - without missing a play.”
Reporter John Smithers can be reached at 523-5257 or at jsmithers@missoulian.com.
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