It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the 1986-1987 wrestling season for head coach Scott Bliss of the Montana Grizzlies. He had recently been informed that the BIG SKY was no longer going to sponsor wrestling & that rival Montana State had announced that this would be their last season on the mat. While his wrestlers were away on a short Christmas break, athletic director Harley Lewis walked into Bliss's office and informed him that due to Title IX violations & not having the budget to field a new women's team plus wrestling that this would also be the Grizzlies last season the mat. Lewis asked Bliss to let his team know when they returned. Bliss informed Lewis that he could tell them himself.
After Lewis left the wrestling room a few days later with the unfortunate news, the team spirit as anyone could imagine was down. Bliss told his team that there was only one thing left to do. Go undefeated in duals the rest of the season and win the final BIG SKY conference title. They came extremely close in both goals. They won twelve of their last thirteen duals, losing out only to Utah State (another program we've lost). They won the BIG SKY title with a record four individual champions. It was the final year of Grizzly wrestling but it was also the best year of Grizzly wrestling.
Harley Lewis didn't care much about the BIG SKY conference title that the Grizzly wrestling team won, but years later another athletic director did. Wayne Hogan was unable to reinstate varsity wrestling at Montana, but he did invite Bliss & the 1987 championship team to be honored at a football game in 2000. He asked Bliss for the championship trophy so that it could be displayed in a case along with the other athletic accomplishments that the school has earned.
Today Montana has a successful club program in the NCWA.
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137 lbs
Robert Palmer |
Robert Palmer won a NCAA Division II title for the Grizzlies in 1966
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142 lbs
Jeff Castro |
After qualifying for the NCAA championships as a sophomore in 1986, Jeff Castro won a BIG SKY title and became the Grizzlies first and only All American in 1987 when he finished with and eighth place finish at the NCAA championships. He may have placed higher but he strained a muscle in his neck & was forced to medical forfeit both his consolation quarter final match and his seventh place match. Forced to find a new home for the 1987-1988 season, Castro finished up his career at the University of Nebraska.
Post his collegiate career, Castro worked as a chiropractor.
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158
Rob Bazant |
A Montana State champion with a 26-0 record as a senior, Bazant was a two time NCAA qualifier for the Grizzlies. He won a BIG SKY conference title as a senior in 1987. Post college, he coached at Billings West High School for a number of years.
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158 lbs
Lamont Roth |
Coming all the way from Bettendorf high school in Iowa, Lamont Roth looked to have what may have been the greatest career in Grizzly wrestling history when he won the BIG SKY conference title as a freshman in 1978. Unfortunately he would sustain a knee injury that kept him out of wrestling his sophomore season. He tried to come back as a junior, but still remained hampered by the injury. By his senior season, he was healthy enough to where he was able to qualify for a second trip to the NCAA championships.
Post college he had a successful career in the pharmaceutical business.
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167 lbs
Vince Hughes |
A graduate of Polson High School, Vince Hughes racked up 83 victories while wrestling for the Grizzlies. A two time Academic All American, he won a BIG SKY conference title in 1987. Post college Hughes became a computer programmer and coached youth hockey.
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191 lbs
Tony Costello |
Tony Costello placed fifth at the NCAA Division II tournament in 1966.
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