the bond of a lofty purpose shared ...

The Montana Grizzlies could taste the glory of victory before they arrived in Chattanooga, Tenn., to play the Dec. 21, 2001, contest for the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. It was the second time in as many years that the Griz gridders met a tough opponent on the same field. In December 2000, the Grizzlies fell short of the national title, losing to Georgia Southern 27-25. Determined to return to Chattanooga, the Grizzlies fought their way through a tough season, losing only to Division I-A University of Hawaii 30-12. The Griz ended the 2001 season in a battle against the Furman University Paladins and came out the victor 13-6 to bring home their second national championship title. The Grizzlies first won the title in 1995 when they defeated the Thundering Herd of Marshall University 22-20. 2001 marked consecutive winning seasons for second-year head coach Joe Glenn.