Author: Tara Jensen

The Western News
Published October 18, 2024

Libby’s CARD Clinic is facing another lawsuit, this time alleging medical malpractice, wrongful death and claims of disabling Lincoln County residents by prescribing them opioid pain killers following the misdiagnosis of health issues. 

The civil suit filed Thursday, Oct. 10 in Lincoln County District Court by a local man and the son of a man who died several years ago, alleges medical malpractice against Dr. Charles Brad Black and the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, including Executive Director Tracy McNew. The court filing also argues CARD knew or should have known both men didn’t satisfy diagnostic requirements for asbestos-related disease and should not have been giving opioid pain medications in the manner prescribed by CARD providers.  

Additional defendants are Michelle Boltz, who was a licensed nurse practitioner at the CARD Clinic, Miles Miller, who was a physician’s assistant at the clinic, as well as John Does 1-10, representing board members, directors, officers and employees of CARD. 

Black, over several years, previously served as the clinic’s lead physician, medical director and chief executive officer. McNew first served as a licensed practical nurse at the clinic before becoming its executive director. 

The plaintiffs are Thomas Steiger, the personal representative of the estate of Terry L. Steiger, and Thomas J. Matilas, a Libby resident. According to the suit, Steiger, a Troy resident, was a CARD patient at the time of his death Jan. 12, 2015. Matilas is listed as a former CARD patient. 

Representing them are Libby attorney Amy Guth and the Missoula firm of McFarland, Molloy and Duerk. 

None commented on the suit.

The suit also alleges negligence in the hiring, training and supervision of CARD employees by Black, McNew and its board of directors. 

Further, it accuses CARD and its representatives of the negligent infliction of emotional distress, fraud and negligent misrepresentations. 

It seeks punitive damages as well as damages related to wrongful death, emotional distress, past and future economic damages and other related costs. 

According to court documents, a lawsuit brought against CARD by BNSF Railway that resulted in a determination of fraud against the clinic in 2023, revealed information that is being used by the plaintiffs in the latest suit. It accuses the CARD Clinic and its employees of misdiagnosing hundreds of people with asbestosis, resulting in years of depression, substance abuse, opioid addiction and thoughts of suicide. 

Following a trial in June 2023, a jury found the clinic guilty of submitting 337 false claims. Expert witnesses testified that some individuals who received benefits were fraudulently labeled as sick and suffered from unnecessary narcotic prescriptions. 

The Clinic recently lost an appeal that sought to overturn the jury’s verdict. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling related to the lawsuit brought against it by BNSF Railway.

CARD declared bankruptcy due to a judgment of approximately $6 million, but the United States intervened in the bankruptcy proceeding and determined that the judgment should not be paid, so the bankruptcy was settled and dismissed in spring 2024. CARD also received a new grant from the Centers for Disease Control to continue its operations.

The new suit also asserts that misdiagnosis led to early death due to untreated medical conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, obesity and others with symptoms that CARD blamed on asbestos exposure. 

The suit alleges that Steiger and Matilas fell into an unfortunate category of patients who were discouraged from getting a second opinion after being diagnosed with asbestosis. 

It accused Black of not referring both men to an outside cardiologist, pulmonologist or pain management physician. It also reports that years before Steiger’s death, a CARD nurse may have recommended a cardiology evaluation, but Black never ordered a heart work-up, never made a referral, never prescribed heart medication and never pressed the point that the plaintiffs needed to see a specialist for their heart conditions. 

Attorneys for the two men argue that Black prevented them from seeking care for a disease they did have while focusing on one they didn’t have. 

The suit also described Terry Steiger’s last night before his death at the age of 48. 

It reports his son, Tom Steiger, helped his dad remove his boots and was alarmed at the swelling in his father’s ankles. Tom wanted to take his father to the hospital to have his heart checked. 

Terry replied that Black told him his heart was not the problem, that it was his asbestos-affected lungs that were killing him.  

“Dr. Black said my heart was the one thing in my body left that works,” Terry Steiger reportedly said to his son. 

The suit reports that Terry Steiger was taken to the emergency room at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby on Jan. 12, 2015, in full cardiac arrest. Emergency room notes show he arrived with a bag of opioids on his chest that were reportedly prescribed by Black. 

Steiger was given two doses of Narcan by emergency room providers. Narcan is used to treat opioid overdose, but in this instance, it was unsuccessful. 

According to the suit, Steiger’s death certificate listed the cause of death as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a chronic and treatable heart condition. It also alleges that CARD concealed the role heart disease played in the man’s death and suggested his heart failure was itself caused by asbestos-related disease. 

The suit claims Steiger received federal benefits from a disability claim because of Black prescribing opioids, not due to asbestos. 

“Terry Steiger lost his job as a heavy equipment operator, not because of any effects of asbestos-related disease, but due to the presence of opioids in his bloodstream,” the suit alleges. 

The suit also provided information about prescription opioid painkillers in the region that shone Black in an unflattering light. 

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency data showed that 245 million prescription pain pills were supplied to Montana from 2006 to 2012. The bulk of the pills were confined to Northwest Montana and Lincoln County showed the highest number of total opioid pain killers per person for the entire state in the seven-year period. 

The suit also alleged that according to expert trial testimony, Black wrote more prescriptions for the synthetic opioid fentanyl than all other Medicare Part D providers from 2013 to 2019 in Libby.  

One expert who testified at the 2023 trial, Dr. Steven Thomas, who has worked as a pain management expert, noted there were violations of prescription practices, such as rubber-stamped – electronically signed – prescriptions for opioids by Black.  

Thomas also testified that Black prescribed “too much too fast” and the opioids were not medically necessary, the suit claims. He went as far as saying 95% of the prescriptions were not medically necessary. 

The suit also claims the clinic operated in a fraudulent manner because it was an unlicensed health care facility that fit the definition and functioned as such a facility defined by Montana Code Annotated 50-5-101(20)(a). 

The filing alleges the clinic “skirted” the legal requirement of licensing, allowing it, Black, McNew and the board of directors to evade state inspections, mandatory reporting, state oversight and quality control provisions that govern licenses facilities in Montana.

by SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER

US News
Published September 25, 2024

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court determination that a Montana health clinic submitted hundreds of false asbestos claims on behalf of patients.

A jury decided last year that the clinic in a town where hundreds of people have died from asbestos exposure submitted more than 300 false asbestos claims that made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t have received.

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) in Libby, Montana, had asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse last year’s ruling. The clinic’s attorney argued its actions were deemed acceptable by federal officials and that the judge in the case issued erroneous jury instructions.

But a three-judge panel said in a decision issued late Tuesday that the clinic couldn’t blame federal officials for its failure to follow the law. The panel also said that Judge Dana Christensen’s jury instructions were appropriate.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently awarded the clinic a new five-year asbestos health screening grant, CARD said in a Wednesday statement from executive director Tracy McNew. The appeals court ruling will not affect its daily operations, she said.

“We want to reassure our patients and the community that not a single person lost Medicare benefits as a result of the trial. Our diagnoses are sound, and we stand behind the care we provide,” McNew wrote. “CARD is financially stable and is continuing its mission.”

The clinic has received more than $20 million in federal funding and certified more than 3,400 people with asbestos-related disease, according to court documents. Most of the patients for whom false claims were made did not have a diagnosis of asbestos-related disease that was confirmed by a radiologist, the 9th Circuit said.

The case resulted from a lawsuit brought against the clinic by BNSF Railway. The railroad has separately been found liable over contamination in Libby and is a defendant in hundreds of asbestos-related lawsuits, according to court filings.

The clinic was ordered to pay almost $6 million in penalties and fees following last year’s ruling. However, it won’t have to pay that money under a settlement reached in bankruptcy court with BNSF and the federal government, documents show.

BNSF representatives did not immediately respond to emailed messages seeking comment.

The Libby area was declared a Superfund site two decades ago following media reports that mine workers and their families were getting sick and dying due to asbestos dust from vermiculite that was mined by W.R. Grace & Co. The tainted vermiculite was shipped through the 3,000-person town by rail over decades.

Exposure to even a minuscule amount of asbestos can cause lung problems, according to scientists. Asbestos-related diseases can range from a thickening of a person’s lung cavity that can hamper breathing to deadly cancer.

Symptoms can take decades to develop.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PBS
Published July 23, 2024

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination must pay the government almost $6 million in penalties and damages after it submitted hundreds of false asbestos claims, a judge ruled.

The 337 false claims made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t have received. The federally funded clinic has been at the forefront of the medical response to deadly pollution from mining near Libby, Montana.

The judgement against the Center for Asbestos Related Disease clinic comes in a federal case filed by BNSF Railway in 2019 under the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to sue on the government’s behalf.

BNSF — which is itself a defendant in hundreds of asbestos-related lawsuits — alleged the center submitted claims on behalf of patients without sufficient confirmation they had asbestos-related disease.

After a seven-person jury agreed last month, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen said in a July 18 order that he was imposing a stiff penalty to prevent future misconduct.

Christensen said he was concerned in particular that the clinic’s high-profile doctor, Brad Black, had diagnosed himself with asbestos-related disease and that a nurse signed off for benefits for her own mother.

The judge also cited evidence at trial of high rates of opioid prescriptions from the clinic for people who may not have had a legitimate asbestos-related diagnosis.

The clinic demonstrated “a reckless disregard for proper medical procedure and the legal requirements of government programs,” the judge wrote.

As instructed by the law, the judge tripled the $1.1 million in damages found by the jury, to almost $3.3 million, and imposed $2.6 million in additional penalties.

The judge awarded BNSF 25 percent of the proceeds, as allowed under the False Claims Act. Federal prosecutors previously declined to intervene in the case, and there have been no criminal charges brought against the clinic.

The clinic’s attorneys appealed the jury’s verdict to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. Clinic director Tracy McNew has said the facility could be forced into bankruptcy if forced to pay a multimillion-dollar judgement.

McNew and Black did not immediately respond to messages Saturday seeking comment.

The verdict also could harm the clinic’s reputation and potentially undermine lawsuits by asbestos victims against BNSF and others that courts have held liable for contamination that’s turned Libby into one of the nation’s deadliest polluted sites. BNSF operated a railyard in town through which asbestos-tainted vermiculite was transported from the nearby W.R. Grace Co. mine.

Railway spokesperson Lena Kent said the clinic’s actions wasted taxpayer money while diverting resources from people in legitimate need.

“The focus of this trial was on CARD’s treatment of the hundreds of people who were not sick,” Kent said. “It’s a sad chapter in this saga that this trial was necessary to restore the focus on those who are truly impacted and who should continue to have access to the benefits and care they deserve.”

The Libby area was declared a Superfund site two decades ago following media reports that mine workers and their families were getting sick and dying due to hazardous asbestos dust.

Health officials have said at least 400 people have been killed and thousands sickened from asbestos exposure in the Libby area.

The clinic has certified more than 3,400 people with asbestos-related diseases and received more than $20 million in federal funding, according to court documents.

Hampering the clinic’s defense in the false claims case was a ruling that barred testimony from former U.S. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana. Baucus helped craft a provision in the Affordable Care Act that made Libby asbestos victims eligible for government benefits. He’s said the clinic was acting in line with that law.

Asbestos-related diseases can range from a thickening of a person’s lung cavity that can hamper breathing to deadly cancer.

Exposure to even a minuscule amount of asbestos can cause lung problems, according to scientists. Symptoms can take decades to develop.

Asbestos.com
Published July 11, 2024

The Center for Asbestos Related Disease, located in a small Montana mining town and current asbestos Superfund site, is now entangled in fraudulent asbestos health claims costing the government more than a million dollars.

A federal jury ruled in late June that the CARD clinic in Libby, Montana, submitted 337 false asbestos claims that made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they should not have received.

BNSF Railway filed a lawsuit against the clinic under the federal False Claims Act in 2019, alleging CARD failed to get outside confirmation that more than 300 patients had an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or asbestos-related lung cancer. 

The railroad company, owned by Warren Buffett, is a defendant in several lawsuits over its role in asbestos contamination that has affected thousands of residents. In 2020, the Montana Supreme Court found BNSF liable for shipping asbestos-contaminated vermiculite through Libby. 

Libby was declared a Superfund site two decades ago. Cleanup continues at the site of the former vermiculite mine.

BNSF Can Recover Compensation

A seven-person jury determined CARD officials made false medical claims on behalf of patients. The railway could be eligible for 15% to 25% of any amount recovered by the government, according to The Associated Press.

Attorneys for CARD argued the diagnoses were allowable under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. 

“CARD was doing exactly what the law said,” clinic attorney Tim Bechtold said during closing arguments that followed 11 days of testimony, according to the AP.

In May, the Montana House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing CARD as a Center of Excellence. The designation means CARD can obtain additional funding to meet the clinic’s local obligations in Lincoln County, Montana. 

Officials at CARD provide asbestos screenings, resources and advocacy for people in Libby, and they see about 35 new patients monthly. Screenings include a physical, chest X-ray, a CT scan, spirometry breathing test and complete blood work. A trained CARD medical provider reviews all test results for signs of asbestos-related diseases.

Dr. Brad Black, the clinic’s doctor, has certified more than 3,400 people with asbestos-related diseases, according to court documents reported by the AP. Black claims other doctors can miss signs of asbestos-related illness specific to Libby residents. 

“That’s not the practice of medicine; that’s the practice of roulette,” BNSF attorney Adam Duerk said. “When you see it, when you’re certain it’s there, that’s when you diagnose, not before.”

History of Libby Asbestos Mining

Libby was once a prosperous vermiculite mining town. Mining there began in 1919. Vermiculite, which was known commercially as Zonolite, was used to insulate homes and buildings. However, the mineral formed alongside asbestos veins, making it easy for asbestos to contaminate the vermiculite deposit. 

When W.R. Grace & Company took over the mining operation in 1963, it knew about the asbestos contamination and the health problems it caused but didn’t warn anyone. Grace distributed its leftover vermiculite for use in playgrounds, backyards, gardens, roads, driveways and other popular locations in town, increasing the risk of asbestos exposure among the residents.

During decades of mining, Libby mine workers and residents were exposed to the toxic dust. Mining ended in 1990, and since then, about 2,400 people in the area have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease. 

A 2021 study in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology found nearly 700 residents have died of an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or asbestos-related lung cancer. At least 1 in 10 people in Libby currently have an asbestos-related illness, according to CARD.

Libby gained national attention in 1999 after a series of newspaper articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intervened, and a cleanup started in 2000. Libby later became an asbestos Superfund site. Today, the EPA considers Libby safe. The amount of asbestos in downtown Libby is nearly 100,000 times lower than when the mine was operating. 

Libby Asbestos Lawsuits

Thousands of Libby residents and former mine workers have filed lawsuits against Montana state agencies for failure to warn them of the dangerous asbestos. Several major group payouts have compensated affected Libby residents.

The first lawsuits were filed in the mid-1990s against W.R. Grace & Company. The company paid out millions in claims, but then filed for bankruptcy. Its bankruptcy trust fund limited settlements to smaller amounts. 

A district court judge in 2011 approved a $43 million settlement spread across 1,300 plaintiffs. Another settlement in 2017 involved $25 million and 1,000 plaintiffs. In February 2022, a jury in Great Falls, Montana, awarded laborer Ralph Hutt $6.5 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages in a lawsuit related to vermiculite mining.

406 Sports
Published June 3, 2024

All-American safety Colt Anderson of Butte, All-Big Sky receiver and longtime radio analyst Scott Gurnsey of Tumwater, Washington, and All-American offensive lineman Dylan McFarland of Kalispell will represent Griz football. Lady Griz All-Big Sky guard Kelly (Pilcher) Beattie of Missoula will also be inducted at a banquet this fall.

UM’s longest serving president, George Dennison, will posthumously receive the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award for his decades of support for Grizzly Athletics and its student-athletes.

“Once again, the Hall of Fame committee has done a great job selecting five Grizzly greats who are deserving of this honor,” UM athletic director Kent Haslam said. “Each of them made a lasting impact on not only Grizzly Athletics, but also the University of Montana. It is our honor to recognize their accomplishments.”

The Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 to pay tribute and give lasting recognition to those student-athletes, coaches, and teams who have made exceptional contributions and brought recognition, honor, and distinction to the University of Montana in the field of Intercollegiate Athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate in their lives the values imparted by their experience. Induction into the Hall of Fame represents the highest athletic honor the university can bestow.

Established in 2018, the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award pays tribute and gives recognition to supporters of Grizzly Athletics who are not eligible for the Grizzly Hall of Fame, which includes athletes and coaches only.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in the Adams Center on the University of Montana campus on Oct. 4, with the class of 2024 celebrated on the field during the Grizzlies’ football game against Weber State on Oct. 5. 

With the class of 2024 included, the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame is now comprised of 79 former UM athletes, coaches, and teams. Athletes and coaches become eligible for nomination 10 years after their careers at the University of Montana end. Dennison will become the sixth all-time recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award.

GRIZZLY SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024

Colt Anderson

Football: 2006-2008

Butte

Another star in a long Grizzly tradition of walk-ons turned NFL-caliber athletes, Colt Anderson of Butte, America, was a two-time All-American safety and a three-time letterman at UM from 2006-2008.

He was a defensive leader on great Griz teams that went 37-5 during his career, and advanced to the 2008 national championship. He twice earned All-America honors in 2007 and 2008 and was named to six different All-America teams. He was a three-time first team All-Big Sky selection (2006, 2007, 2008), and earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors once in 2008.

In 2008 Anderson was named the winner of the Steve Carlson Team MVP Award and was a two-time winner of UM’s Tony Barbour Award given to the player who best exemplifies Griz football (2006 and 2008). He was also a two-time winner of the Golden Helmet Award for the team’s hardest hitter (2007 and 2008).

His career total of 313 tackles remains a top-10 mark in program history, and his 2008 total of 129 tackles was tied for the third-most in program history after that season and remains a top-10 total to this day.

Also a star in the classroom, Anderson was a 2008 Academic All-Big Sky selection.

After graduation, he represented Montana in the “Texas vs the Nation” all-star game before signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2009. He would go on to spend 9 years playing in the NFL with the Vikings, Eagles, Colts, and Bills.

Now an NFL coach, Anderson currently works as the special teams coordinator for the Tennessee Titans after three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he helped them to the 2021 AFC Championship.

He also remains active in the Butte community with the “Colt Anderson Dream Big Foundation,” dedicated to “creating positive change for our children by providing resources, innovative opportunities, and experiences that will empower them to find their passion to dream big and succeed.”

Quoting Anderson: “I’m very excited and honored to be inducted into the Griz Hall of Fame. It just means a lot. I grew up in Butte, Montana, and was a big University of Montana fan. I watched Griz football greats like Dave Dickenson and Tim Hauck, and to be mentioned in the same sentence as guys like that is truly an honor and I’m very excited. I can’t put it into words, but I’m extremely honored.”

Kelly (Pilcher) Beattie

Lady Griz Basketball: 1990-1994

Missoula

Missoula native and Big Sky High School alum Kelly (Pilcher) Beattie helped lead the Lady Griz to a 97-21 overall record and a 44-6 record in the Big Sky during her four-year varsity career, with just two losses inside Dahlberg Arena in that time.

Montana was extraordinarily successful during that run, advancing to the NCAA tourney three times during her career in her freshman, sophomore, and senior seasons. She helped lead the Lady Griz to some of the program’s most memorable moments, including an 85-74 win over Wisconsin in 1992 and a 77-67 win over UNLV in 1994 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

She was a two-time first team All-Big Sky pick and a two-time all-tournament selection as well. She was voted team co-MVP (with Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer Ann (Lake) Rausch) as a senior in 1994 and was named UM’s outstanding defensive player in 1993. She also earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors three times in her career.

To this day she is ranked seventh in school history in career assists with 475 and is tied for 10th in career steals with 177. Her senior year total of 215 assists remains the second highest single season total in program history as well. Her 68 steals in 1994 tie her for 10th most in a season.

(Pilcher) Beattie had 15 assists against Boise State in 1994, a mark still tied for the school record. She also led the team in minutes played with 942 in that season.

Quoting Beattie: “When I got the call from Kent (Haslam) I was so surprised. I’m like, ‘are you kidding me?’ And he said ‘nope, nobody put me up to this.’ I was just lucky enough to have played on the most amazing teams with the most amazing teammates. For me, the team is what was so great. I’m honored and super humbled because I was just lucky to play with the people I did and to be coached by Rob. We just had some great years during that time.”

Scott Gurnsey

Football: 1991-1994

Tumwater, Washington

While not a Montana native, you’d be hard pressed to find someone with as much passion for the Montana Grizzlies than Scott Gurnsey.

One of the most prolific receivers in program history, Gurnsey was a first-team All-Big Sky pick in 1993 as the conference’s top wide-out. He caught 67 passes for 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 regular-season games that year, which still stands as the eighth-best season of any UM receiver. For his work, he earned UM’s Terry Dillon award for outstanding back or receiver that year.

In 1994 he was the co-recipient of the Steve Carlson Team MVP Award alongside Dave Dickenson and Shalon Baker. Known for big plays in big games, in two seasons against Montana State (1993, ’94) Gurnsey totaled 363 yards receiving, both still ranked among the top-25 games in UM history. He posted 176 receiving yards against Boise State in 1993, highlighted by a 70-yard touchdown catch – both marks that also rank among the tops in program history.

To this day he remains fifth on UM’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,574, eighth in career receptions with 167, and seventeenth in career TD catches with 17 (not including playoffs). His career average of 15.41 yards per catch is also a top-13 mark in program history.

A four-time letterman between 1991-94, Gurnsey also served as UM’s punter and averaged more than 40 yards per kick. He still holds the school record for most punts in a season with 77 in 1992.

After graduation he served as UM’s radio color analyst and pre/post-game show host for 27 years until his retirement in 2023, helping paint the picture for a generation of fans over the airwaves for some of the greatest moments in program history.

Quoting Gurnsey: “The biggest thing I can say is that it’s surreal, hard to believe, and I’m completely honored. When you open the media guide and see all the people that have been inducted before me, it’s just mind blowing and it’s hard to feel worthy to be honest. It’s a tremendous honor and could not have been done without the help of a lot of different coaches, different teammates, and different family. It’s just super special and one of the highlights of my life.”

Dylan McFarland

Football: 2000-2003

Kalispell

Dylan McFarland helped pave the way for some of Montana’s greatest rushers of all-time as a three-year starter at left tackle and helped lead the Griz to the 2001 national championship and four Big Sky Conference championships.

He was a two-time All-American in 2002-2003 and was named to six different All-America teams. He was also a two-time first team All-Big Sky selection.

In 2003 he was the winner of the Steve Carlson team MVP award, and to this day remains the only offensive lineman to ever earn the honor. He was also a two-time winner of the Paul Weskamp Award for outstanding offensive lineman in 2002 and 2003, one of only eight to win the award more than once in a career.

A team captain as a senior in 2003, he was a four-year letterman on teams that compiled a record of 35-8 in three years as a starter and advanced to two national title games.

McFarland was selected in the 7th round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and remained in the league for two seasons. He also spent time in NFL Europa with the Hamburg Sea Devils.

In the classroom he was a four-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and a 2003 semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the “Academic Heisman.” He was also a two-time member of the FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star team.

A native of Kalispell, McFarland remains an active member of the Missoula community. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Montana and serves as an attorney at McFarland, Molloy, and Duerkis. He is an active GSA member, and helps underprivileged Missoula area youth attend Griz football games through his work with the GrizKidz program.

Quoting McFarland: “I was just incredibly honored to get that call from Kent (Haslam), and was excited to talk to my dad and all the guys I played with that made this possible. There have been so many great teams and great friends along the way, and I’m excited to thank them and honor them for the opportunities I got in my career at the banquet. It’s something that I never thought would happen when I set foot on the University of Montana campus all those years ago, and I’m incredibly grateful and humbled to be included with so many legends throughout UM history. It’s amazing.”

George M Dennison

University of Montana President: 1990-2010

George Dennison (1935-2017) was the longest-serving president in the history of his alma mater, The University of Montana. Between 1990-2010, the Montana native presided over a time of explosive growth for the university and Grizzly Athletics, a period that saw UM win its first national championship in 1995, and its second in 2001.

During his tenure Montana won a total of 40 Big Sky Championships, including 15 in football and 13 in women’s basketball. He also helped start the women’s soccer program, which won three conference titles in his time and has since gone on to be one of the most successful teams in Grizzly Athletics.

Grizzly football advanced to the 1-AA/FCS national title game seven times in that period and qualified for the playoffs in 17 consecutive years while posting a 17-4 record over rival Montana State and never suffering a losing season.

Men’s basketball won a combined 10 regular season and tournament Big Sky championships in that time and saw the Griz post a win over Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament, to this day the last Big Sky team to win a game in the “Big Dance.”

Dennison also helped Montana build its athletic facilities to become some of the best in the FCS. During his tenure UM expanded Washington-Grizzly Stadium capacity from 12,500 to its current 25,217. He also helped administer the remodeling of the Adams Center.

In the 2006-2007 school year, UM won the Sterling Savings and Loan Presidents Cup, recognizing the most well-rounded athletic department in the conference – a first for Montana.

During his tenure, Dennison oversaw a nearly 50 percent growth in enrollment at UM and increased the campus endowment from $17.3 million to $120 million.

Quoting Rob Dennison (son): “This is a tremendous honor for our family. We’re very proud of our father, his accomplishments, and what he did for the university. We were fortunate to be a part of seeing Grizzly Athletics grow while it was happening. Montana is where he grew up, went to high school, and where he went to college for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He got his PhD at Washington, but made his way back to Montana, his roots. He was a firm believer in a well-rounded education and keeping your mind and your body in as good a shape as you possibly could. He really believed in what the university did to help its student-athletes.”

Montana Sports
Published June 3, 2024

MISSOULA — The University of Montana athletic department announced the 2024 incoming class of the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame on Monday, as well as this year’s recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award.

Montana football’s historic tradition will be celebrated this year with three former Grizzly gridders set to be inducted alongside a Lady Griz basketball great.

All-American safety Colt Anderson of Butte, All-Big Sky receiver and longtime radio analyst Scott Gurnsey of Tumwater, Washington, and All-American offensive lineman Dylan McFarland of Kalispell will represent Griz football, while Lady Griz All-Big Sky guard Kelly (Pilcher) Beattie of Missoula will also be inducted to the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame at a banquet this fall.

UM’s longest serving President George Dennison will posthumously receive the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award for his decades of support for Grizzly Athletics and its student-athletes.

“Once again, the Hall of Fame committee has done a great job selecting five Grizzly greats who are deserving of this honor. Each of them made a lasting impact on not only Grizzly Athletics, but also the University of Montana. It is our honor to recognize their accomplishments,” said director of athletics Kent Haslam.

The Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 to pay tribute and give lasting recognition to those student-athletes, coaches, and teams who have made exceptional contributions and brought recognition, honor, and distinction to the University of Montana in the field of Intercollegiate Athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate in their lives the values imparted by their experience. Induction into the Hall of Fame represents the highest athletic honor the university can bestow.

Established in 2018, the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award pays tribute and gives recognition to supporters of Grizzly Athletics who are not eligible for the Grizzly Hall of Fame, which includes athletes and coaches only.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in the Adams Center on the University of Montana campus in Missoula on Friday, Oct. 4, with the class of 2024 celebrated on the field during the Grizzlies’ football game against Weber State on Oct. 5. Ticket information for the banquet will be announced in the near future.

With the class of 2024 included, the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame is now comprised of 79 former UM athletes, coaches, and teams. Athletes and coaches become eligible for nomination 10 years after their careers at the University of Montana end. Dennison will become the sixth all-time recipient of the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award.

Last year, Grizzly soccer’s founding coach Betsy Duerksen, All-American distance runner in track and cross-country Dean Erhard, NFL All-Pro Marc Mariani, and Lady Griz Big Sky MVP Jeanne McNulty-King were inducted in the class of 2023. The Dennis, Phyllis, Kyle, and Kevin Washington family received the Grizzly Lifetime Honors Award for their decades of philanthropic support to the University of Montana.