placidlakegriz
November 24th, 2005, 05:49 AM
Posted on Wed, Nov. 23, 2005
Division I-AA playoff impact
What does a playoff berth mean to the Cal Poly football team?
Brian Milne
The Tribune
If anyone knows what kind of impact playoff success can have on a football program, it's Montana head coach Bobby Hauck.
The Montana Grizzlies, who host Cal Poly on Saturday in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs, have made a record 13 consecutive playoff appearances.
And look at the results from the past year:
• Drawing a Big Sky Conference-record 23,532 fans per home game.
• Landing the third-best recruiting class in the country, according to The Sports Network.
• Making Sports Illustrated's list of "Best College Football Weekends" -- the only Division I-AA program ranked among the magazine's top
25 places to watch a game.
• Signing a statewide television package that broadcasts all seven of Montana's conference contests.
Then, there are the off-the-field gains that come with being a perennial playoff power.
The "Griz" license plates you'll find on the bumpers of every other car in the Missoula area.
The special edition Coca-Cola cans plastered with Grizzlies logos and their football schedules.
The "Go Griz" merchandise sold everywhere from the Wal-Mart Superstore on the west side of Missoula to the mom-and-pop liquor store on the east side of town.
And the lifelike paintings of Grizzlies players, which grace the windows of many of the businesses in downtown Missoula....
Division I-AA playoff impact
What does a playoff berth mean to the Cal Poly football team?
Brian Milne
The Tribune
If anyone knows what kind of impact playoff success can have on a football program, it's Montana head coach Bobby Hauck.
The Montana Grizzlies, who host Cal Poly on Saturday in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs, have made a record 13 consecutive playoff appearances.
And look at the results from the past year:
• Drawing a Big Sky Conference-record 23,532 fans per home game.
• Landing the third-best recruiting class in the country, according to The Sports Network.
• Making Sports Illustrated's list of "Best College Football Weekends" -- the only Division I-AA program ranked among the magazine's top
25 places to watch a game.
• Signing a statewide television package that broadcasts all seven of Montana's conference contests.
Then, there are the off-the-field gains that come with being a perennial playoff power.
The "Griz" license plates you'll find on the bumpers of every other car in the Missoula area.
The special edition Coca-Cola cans plastered with Grizzlies logos and their football schedules.
The "Go Griz" merchandise sold everywhere from the Wal-Mart Superstore on the west side of Missoula to the mom-and-pop liquor store on the east side of town.
And the lifelike paintings of Grizzlies players, which grace the windows of many of the businesses in downtown Missoula....