The senior defensive end is certainly large enough to play the big dude in the red suit, but of all the Griz, he's the one with the address closest to the North Pole.
Stadnyk, from Regina, Saskatchewan, is this year's player ambassador for the fourth annual Griz for Kids Toy Drive.
Fans, or anyone who wants to, can drop off unwrapped toys at all entrances to Washington-Grizzly Stadium. If you are unable to make the game, Missoula Federal Credit Union locations will be accepting cash donations.
The drive, which was started by former UM offensive lineman Chris Orwig in 2005, has continued each season with a different player lending his time to the effort.
Toys end up going to western Montana agencies such as Mountain Home Montana, Head Start, Early Head Start, Missoula Indian Center, Youth Homes Inc., Watson Children's Shelter, Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA and WORD.
“It's such a big thing for these agencies,” said Rita Munzenrider, director of university relations. “It helps so many people.”
Stadnyk admits a late arrival to practice this spring precipitated his participation, but the 6-foot-3, 260-pound sociology major has jumped in with both feet, doing interviews and recruiting teammates to help out.
“I'm actually really glad to be doing this,” he said.
Stadnyk, who was already drafted as a junior by the Canadian Football League, says he would put his notoriety as a professional football player to good use in his home country.
“Helping kids is something I'd like to do when I go back (to Canada). Working with the less fortunate is important to me.
“When kids come up to you after a game and ask for an autograph, it's a really great feeling.”
Stadnyk and many of his teammates will be on hand Thursday, Nov. 12, at the UC Bookstore starting at 6:30 p.m.
They'll be signing autographs, toys and Grizzly logo wear, which can then be donated as gifts. The main emphasis of the autograph-signing session is Missoula Youth Homes, Munzenrider said, but lots of folks will end up benefiting.
“Players love it,” she said. “People can pick things out from the store, bring it to the players and let them decide if they want to sign it and donate it. Sometimes the players will say, ‘I don't think they'll like that. ... Go pick something else.' So they'll go find something else. It's a lot of fun for everyone.”
Items in the store purchased for donation will be 20 percent off, Munzenrider said.
November will come in like a lamb for Griz
You're living right, Grizzly fans. And wayfaring Northern Arizona Lumberjacks fans, for that matter.
It's not going to rain Saturday when the Montana Grizzlies make their November football debut against NAU at 12:05 p.m. in the roofless Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
“It actually should be pretty nice,” said Bridget De Rosa, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Missoula.
Temperatures will climb to their projected high of 54 degrees at around 3 p.m., near game's end. That's several degrees warmer than the first Grizzly home games of November the past two years, when UM eked out a 10-9 win over Cal Poly in 2006 and a 34-31 win over Portland State last year.
If De Rosa is correct, it'll make UM a perfect 5-0 this season in fair-weather home games.
NAU jets in from balmy Flagstaff, where it could climb into the 60s on Saturday. But Jerome Souers' Lumberjacks always play their home games in the climate-controlled comfort of the Walkup Skydome.
Back down here in Missoula, there'll be light winds and lots of clouds that will probably drop lower as Saturday goes on, said De Rosa.
But no rain, snow, hail, sleet, graupel, tornadoes or tsunamis.
A system that looked as though it was going to wet western Montana later Saturday “has pretty much fallen apart,” according to Mead. There may be some sprinkles in the evening, and showers after midnight.
Mead said we're in for two rounds of precipitation next week, the first on Sunday, the second and colder one on Tuesday, when snow could reach the valleys.
Griz fans can only hope their fair-weather luck holds out for two more home games after this - Nov. 15 against Idaho State and Nov. 22 against Montana State.
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George Pauling wrote on Nov 1, 2008 9:17 PM: