Um Stes Attendance Mark

The University of Montana’s season-opening football game in Missoula against Hofstra was sold out, but that didn’t keep the school from squeezing in a few more appreciated fans and breaking an attendance record.

A group of firefighters from Fort Hood, Texas, showed up shortly before game time because rain had made it too slippery to fight the Ninemile fires.

“They just came in a bunch of busloads, probably not knowing the game was sold out,” said Dave Guffey, UM’s assistant athletic director for media relations.

The school had invited a few firefighters to honor for their efforts in battling fires in western Montana.

But when 165 showed up in their green pants and yellow shirts, gate officials weren’t sure what to do.

Guffey said he was in the press box when UM President George Dennison called him and said, “We need to figure out a way to get these people in there. Get it done.”

An announcement was made over the public address system just before kickoff.

“We just asked the crowd to make room for them in the student section,” Guffey said. “They did the best they could. A lot of ‘em had to stand in the back, or just filter through the stadium.”

What would the fire marshal have said?

“We thought about that,” Guffy said.