Dave Guffey - UM Sports Information Director 1978-2015

10/15/20 • 51 min

Griz Greats: The Silver Anniversary of the 1995 National Champions

Dave Guffey came to the University of Montana to take the head job at “information services” in the fall of 1978. At the time, Gene Carlson was the head Griz football coach and Mike Montgomery had just taken the head basketball job. Guffey served as the head sports information director at UM for 37 years, giving him perhaps the deepest perspective when it comes to Griz football and men’s basketball of any person to work at the athletic department. Guffey staffed more than 450 Griz football games, only missing three in his 37 years on the job. And even 25 years later, his memories of Montana’s run to the 1995 Division I-AA national title are among his sharpest.

Previous Episode

Bill Johnston - Former head of the UM Alumni Association

When Bill Johnston retired as the CEO of the University of Montana alumni foundation after 36 years at UM, former Montana President Royce Engstrom stated: "It’s said that Montana is one small town with very long streets. Meeting Bill will make you believe it. "If you’ve ever traveled this state with him, you realize quickly he seems to know everyone. He either knows them, their family or has mutual friends. When you combine that with Bill’s uncanny ability to remember, recognize and recollect so many details about the people and places that intersect with UM, it’s easy to see why, to many people, he is the face of our University." Johnston's memory comes through in full force on Griz Greats as he recollects the impact that Montana's 1995 football national championship had on the University, the MIssoula community, Western Montana and the Treasure State as a whole.

Next Episode

Jason Crebo

Those who know him best describe Jason Crebo as a gentle giant. Those who watched him play for Montana remember the Helena native as one of the fiercest defensive players the school has ever produced. In 1994, Crebo took over Montana’s famed No. 37 jersey, following in the footsteps of Kraig Paulson, Tim Hauck and Todd Ericson. In 1995, Crebo broke into Montana’s starting lineup at outside linebacker and started etching one of the great careers in the school’s history. He earned first-team All-Big Sky and All-American honors for the first of what would become three straight such accolades. And he helped anchor a fearsome Griz linebacker core that helped the Griz surge to their first football national championship in school history.