Spring 2003
CONTENTS
AROUND THE OVAL
CLASS NOTES
ALUMNI NOTES
Contact Us
PAST ISSUES
Alumni Chat
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Spring 2003 CONTENTS
AROUND THE OVAL Contact Us PAST ISSUES Alumni Chat |
Family Tradition
When it comes to his choice of colleges, Tyler Thomas wants to make one thing clear—family history was not the only reason he selected UM. “I picked The University of Montana because it was close to home, it was in Montana and it was a good academic fit,” says Thomas, a UM sophomore from Dillon who plays defensive back for the Grizzly football team. “And the recreational activities are endless. I really like the fishing, hiking, and outdoors.” Tyler is somewhat of a rarity in UM football lore—a third generation Grizzly. His grandfather, father, two uncles, and a cousin all played football for the Grizzlies. Thomas admits that it might have had a little something to do with his choice. “I grew up a Grizzly fan,” Thomas says. “It wasn’t the main reason I came here. But it was pretty big.” Tyler’s father, Terry Thomas, played for the Grizzly football team from 1978 to 1980. His grandfather, Gene Carlson, played football and baseball at UM from 1950 to 1952 and was head football coach of the Grizzlies from 1976 to 1979. Uncles Bruce and Jeff Carlson also played for the Grizzlies in the late 1970s, and Tyler’s cousin, Brian Carlson, currently is a teammate on the Montana football team. Throw in his mother, Wendie Carlson Thomas, who was on the UM track team during her college years, and young Tyler couldn’t help but see his choice of colleges swayed a little bit by his family’s history. “Grizzly football has been a big part of life for us,” says Wendie Thomas. “We were hoping [Tyler] would choose to go there.” Despite their obvious Grizzly leanings, Terry Thomas says the family did not pressure Tyler to choose UM. He had other options. A two-time all-state football and basketball player at Beaverhead County High School in Dillon, Tyler was wooed by smaller colleges and Montana State University. “I considered MSU for a little bit, but I just couldn’t go there,” Tyler admits. Terry says his son knew how important UM was to his family members. But he also knew they would support him at whatever school he elected to attend. “We asked him to look at The University of Montana as one of his choices. And we encouraged him to look closely, just because we were alumni and we obviously support the Grizzlies with all our hearts and souls.” Ultimately, Terry says, the Grizzlies’ “winning tradition,” coupled with the Thomas family tradition, played a major role in Tyler’s decision to join the UM football team as a walk-on. When Terry came out of Great Falls High School in 1976, he didn’t make UM his first choice for a college career. Instead, he enrolled at Portland State University and played football at the Oregon school for one year. But the opportunity to return to Montana to play in the Big Sky Conference for his high school coach, Gene Carlson, convinced Terry to transfer to UM. “I knew people at Montana and felt comfortable coming to the Missoula area,” Terry says. “And one of the main reasons I came back was that I had played for Gene at Great Falls High.” Terry lettered for three years for the Griz, playing defensive back and punter. Shortly after graduation he married Wendie Carlson, his coach’s daughter. “I married into a family with strong Grizzly ties,” Terry says. “To have that tradition and experiences we can share is very special.” For the past seventeen years, Terry has been a teacher and the head football coach at Dillon High School, where he coached Tyler. In 2001, Tyler’s senior year, the Dillon Beavers won the State Class-A football championship. A lot of things about Grizzly football have changed since Gene Carlson strapped on the pads for Montana in the early 1950s. “At that time everybody played two ways. We saw a whole lot of playing time,” says Carlson, who lined up at fullback on offense and linebacker on defense. “And I’m a little envious of that stadium they’ve got now.” But Carlson, who now lives in Pasco, Washington, where he ended his teaching and coaching career two years ago, says he has fond memories of Grizzly football. “Some of my best memories are from then,” he says. “The friends I made and coaches I played for—I really appreciate them. It was just a very pleasant experience.” When it came time for Tyler to make his choice, Carlson says he didn’t have to get involved. “His dad had been giving him advice for four years. He didn’t need any more,” Carlson says with a chuckle. But Carlson also is quick to add that the family tradition he established back in the 1950s couldn’t help but play a role in his grandson’s decision. “It is a tradition in our family,” he says. “We all take pride in the education we got at The University of Montana. I think I probably had a little something to do with passing it on to my sons and grandsons.” Carlson says he tries to get back to Missoula for football games two or three times a year—especially now that he has grandsons on the team. “I feel great about that,” Carlson says. “A lot of families support the University. That tradition has helped build Grizzly football.” With Tyler tucked safely away on the Missoula campus, the next big decision facing the Thomas family is where younger brother Torrey will spend his collegiate years. A high school junior, Torrey earned all-state status as a fullback on his dad’s most recent Dillon football team. “He’s very interested in being able to join his brother at The University of Montana,” Terry says. “That’s one of his top choices right now,” Wendie agrees. “He’s just a junior, but he likes everything there,” she says. “But we will leave it up to him and see if he gets offers anywhere else.” If that choice happens to be UM, well, that’s just fine with the Thomases. “We’re very proud of the tradition at Montana—to be able to have us all play at that particular level,” says Terry. “And to be able to share the experiences of three generations of Grizzly football is very special to all of us.” Gary Jahrig ‘85 is a Missoula-based staff writer for Coffey Communications Inc. and a writer at University Relations. He has covered Montana Grizzly football for the Associated Press and USA Today for fifteen years.
Gary Jahrig ‘85 is a Missoula-based staff writer for Coffey Communications Inc. and a writer at University Relations. He has covered Montana Grizzly football for the Associated Press and USA Today for fifteen years.
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