By CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN
Linda Miles Cardinal first dealt with Grizzly Athletes when she helped the Carroll College women’s basketball team to a 15-point win over the UM women at Dahlberg Arena in 1976. In 1988 Linda Cardinal was hired by Don Read as the football office manager and administrative aide. Six head coaches, 26 football seasons, 264 Grizzly football wins later and now Linda Cardinal is retiring from the football position to pursue other opportunities. Linda arranged for recruiting visits and was particularly gifted working with new football assistants who got lost or confused and those, to quote Don Read “who got too big for their britches.”
Grizzly football fans are hoping for a winning streak for the Griz after Paul McCartney’s concert just like the program had when the Rolling Stones appeared at Washington Grizzly stadium. After Jagger and company appeared at the Stadium the Griz went on a run winning 20 of their next 21 games.
It is highly unlikely that President Barack Obama will take time to come out to Nationals ballpark next Monday, his 53rd birthday. That night at National’s Park two teams that have served as the home for the ritual “first pitch” are playing the National host the Baltimore Orioles in what is actually a make up for a rained out game from June. The Orioles were the host to one of the most memorable opening day presidential “first Pitch.” George H. Bush was a very talented baseball player and helped Yale reach the first NCAA World Series title game. In 1989 Bush was in his first year in office when the schedule was announced that the Baltimore Orioles faced the Texas Rangers–recently purchased by future President George W. Bush.
While Oregon State’s entire schedule is still undetermined, two games for the Beavers have been disclosed. On November 24, the OSU Beavers will meet the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the MGM Grand Pavilion in Las Vegas. The Beavers will also play at the MGM Grand Pavilion on the 26th likely facing Auburn and their new coach Bruce Pearl. It was on November 26, 2006 that Wayne Tinkle picked his first win over a Division I opponent when the Griz beat Minnesota at Disney World.
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Chris Walterskirchen has been an observer of Montana sports for nearly half a century. A Kalispell native, Chris has worked in various capacities for professional and college sports organization of at various times: ranging from announcing and statistical work to the concessions and even a stint as a costumed mascot.
Chris has academic degrees in communications and elementary education. His style of sports trivia involves more than just who won and who lost, but also focuses on the obscure or human side of sports. In this blog you will learn things like the Grizzly football team has won 210 games over the 19 seasons since they have had Monte as their mascot or that UNLV is the only school that both the Griz and Lady Griz have both faced in the NCAA basketball tournament
When not following sports Chris enjoys taking care of animals of all kinds (a peacock rescue?) and reading to pre-schoolers.