Dell McManus: One of the good guys
I've met a lot of people in my life as I spent 20 years traveling around the world and meeting new people each week I was on the road, but this community has just lost one of my top-five all-time "good guys" when Dell McManus passed away on Tuesday.
Someone at the racetrack once asked, "Who does that guy sponsor?" and the person who answered the question responded with another question, "Who needs help?" That pretty much sums up McManus, who literally would give the shirt off his back if someone needed it. He was a sports fan of the greatest magnitude, following everything from local high school sports, to being a huge supporter of the Montana Grizzly football team, to sponsoring a race car driven by Cory Wolfe.
Whether it was a basketball game at Flathead, a wrestling match, or a Griz football game, McManus always had the ever-present bag of candy and gum that he liberally shared with anyone he made eye contact with. And speaking of eye contact, McManus never met a stranger - at most he would meet someone who was just one person removed from another person that he did know, and he could strike up a conversation with a guy pumping gas or in line at the store within seconds. He would always make extra room reservations for state tournaments, and if he found a family couldn't afford the trip, he would have the rooms for them. If he found out someone was sick he would make sure that they got Griz tickets for the next game they could attend.
Until October, McManus appeared to be the picture of health, but after his annual physical at St. Pat's in Missoula, hospital personnel called him back, discovering a shockingly low level of platelets in his blood. Just last week McManus's kids found the ticket stub from the Griz game on Oct. 9, 2010, on which Dell had written, "Maybe last game. Hope not."
He underwent high dose chemotherapy in an attempt to knock out the leukemia that had been diagnosed, and appeared to be making progress before this last downturn. Last Friday night he sat in his chair, in his living room, and told stories and admitted that he had lived a full life and had no regrets - a high achievement for anyone. His kids welcomed everyone into his home in the same generous nature that their Dad always displayed.
My only regret is that I didn't have more time to hear his stories - McManus would be like the Brittanica of local sports history. He would often forget that I had been gone for 30 years, and would talk about players and games that he expected me to remember because we both shared a love of sports. He watched kids as players progress to young adults, and then to become current coaches and teachers. He would bring bags of oranges and fruit for the basketball team or wrestlers, and would often take full teams of players to have pizza at Moose's. He started a scholarship, and left it up to the officials to decide on the young athletes who best exemplified their sport to be recipients. His appreciation for, and support of, the people who officiate sports was as great as it was for the athletes themselves.
If there is a heaven, then the North End Zone has a new fan, completely attired in Griz silver and maroon, with a bag full of candy and gum ready to hand out, and a twinkle in his eye. Thanks, Dell, for everything you did for so many!
Alice Ritzman is a former pro golfer from Kalispell. She can be reached by e-mail at ritzman@dailyinterlake.com