Hauck, Griz at Legends

By KATIE BROWN

The Daily Inter Lake

Bobby Hauck is quite familiar with the Flathead Valley.

When he’s not coaching the University of Montana Grizzlies football team, Hauck said he spends a great deal of time in the area.

On Saturday, Hauck will get to spend some time in his “second home” as the Griz play their Spring Game at Legends Stadium in Kalispell.

Montana plays a Spring Game each year and last played one in Kalispell in 2006.

“It’s not uncharted territory for us at all,” Hauck said of playing in the Valley.

Hauck, a Montana native, is in his third stint with the Griz, including his time there as a player.

“In our business you tend to need to move around a little bit if you’re gonna evolve in the business and as a coach, but I’ve got strong ties to this university and long term family ties to the university,” he said. “Montana’s home and I’m obviously always happy when I’m in Montana.”

Last year, the Griz played this game in front of 6,000 fans at Washington-Grizzly Stadium and while the capacity at Legends is about half that, Saturday’s scrimmage is still expected to be a sell-out.

Interest in football is high in the Valley. In the fall, many fans attend local games on Friday nights and then hop on U.S. 93 South on Saturdays to watch the Griz play.

“There’s a lot of great Grizzly fans and alums in the Flathead Valley that make the trip down to our games every Saturday in the fall, which is really a cool deal,” Hauck said. “We’re just kinda fired up to be able to take our show there and not make them drive down to watch us. Montanans love football and it shows both on Friday and on Saturdays at our games.”

For the game itself, Montana will play four quarters and everyone will have a chance to play. The roster will be split into two teams.

“We’re just gonna get out and play,” Hauck said. “The only way to get better at football is to play it and we have a really young team. So for them to get out there and play live football is a good thing.”

There are 10 players on Montana’s 2019 roster from the Flathead and outlying areas.

“Historically, in the Flathead Valley and all the schools have done a really nice job,” Hauck said. “Really have, including the guys up in Eureka. We have Garrett Graves, a freshman QB who’s from there. The guys that are coaching in the area do a really nice job and that’s not just the big schools, but the little schools, too.”

After the spring game, players start speed and strength training and will have a short break after finals week. After that, summer training kicks into full swing.

“We’ll go right through the summer and into fall camp the first week of August and get ourselves ready to go,” Hauck said.

Montana starts its season August 31 against South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota.

“I’m always excited about the football season and I expect to win them all,” Hauck said. “I don’t know that we’re gonna get to do that but we never go into a game without expecting to win it. We’ve got to make a lot of improvements if we’re gonna have the ability to have a chance to win enough games this upcoming season. So we’re just gonna go to work and we’ll see what happens.”

The Montana Spring Football game will be Saturday at Legends Field with a kickoff at 1 p.m. Monte the Mascot will be at the game until halftime and at the tailgate prior to the game at the Korner Shop at 1212 South Main in Kalispell. The tailgate begins at 11 a.m. Also on display will be the Grizzly Football semi-truck at the tailgate. Players will be on the field after the scrimmage for autographs.

Tickets to the game cost $10, with kids 10-and-under receiving free entry with an adult. Proceeds from the Spring Game go directly to the Grizzly Scholarship Association in its mission to provide scholarships to student-athletes.

Tickets are available for purchase at the following locations: All First Interstate Bank branches in the Flathead Valley; First Interstate Bank in Polson and Freedom Bank in Columbia Falls.

The GSA Spring Game will be televised across the state on SWX Montana.