The banner went up not long after Robin Selvig retired, recognition for 865 wins while coaching the Montana women’s basketball program from 1978-79 to 2015-16.
It faces 23 banners on the other side of Dahlberg Arena, 21 of them for teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Now, something a little more permanent, a more fitting way to honor Selvig’s distinguished career: Later this season, Montana’s basketball teams will begin competing on Robin Selvig Court.
“The impact Robin Selvig had on the athletic department and the university is immeasurable,” said Director of Athletics Kent Haslam. “To name the court after him is duly appropriate.
“In typical Robin fashion, when I told him he was even-keeled and didn’t show much emotion. That’s kind of how he is.”
The first game on Robin Selvig Court will be the women’s basketball contest between Montana and Weber State on Saturday, Feb. 11. The weekend celebration will begin with events the day before.
Montana’s home floor will become just the fifth at the Division I level to be named for a school’s women’s basketball coach.
The others are Tennessee (Pat Summit), North Carolina State (Kay Yow), Texas A&M (Gary Blair) and Arkansas-Little Rock (Joe Foley).
“We’ve been talking about this for a long time. We had to navigate a lot of ways to get it done,” said Haslam.
“I appreciate the support from Seth Bodnar (UM President) and Clay Christian (Montana Commissioner of Higher Education) in this and their recognition that this is a deserved honor.”
Selvig still goes to most Lady Griz games these days, positioned high up in the facility to best distance himself from the coaches who have followed him on the Montana sideline.
“It’s very nice of someone to think of this,” he said, as if someone was doing him a favor instead of making a permanent reminder of what he built over the decades.
He began coaching the Lady Griz in his 20s, in the 1970s, before the sport was even recognized by the NCAA.
Montana won an NCAA Tournament game in the facility in 1984 against Oregon State, later won NCAA games inside Dahlberg Arena against Utah, Cal State Fullerton and UNLV.
The Lady Griz went 40-2 in conference tournament games at home under Selvig, 19 times cutting down the net on its way to the NCAAs.
It’s the teams he coached and the players who gave him their best that he remembers when he looks at the banners, the memories they created together. Soon it will be the court that will be the trigger.
Robin Selvig Court inside the building where his teams went 511-61.
“It will make me think about the teams and the players every time I see it,” he said. “They were obviously a huge part of everything we accomplished.
“That’s what it will be, a reminder of all the teams and all the players. A lot of people were involved.”