UJ Roots Grow a Friendship of 50 Years by Abigail (Greshik) Perrine ’03
When a group of student athletes met in the late 60s, they had no idea they were starting a life-long friendship. Six members of a much wider group joined us via Zoom to tell us how their time at UJ brought them together—and built a connective tissue unbreakable by distance or time. Despite the 50+ years that have passed since they first met, the bond amongst this group of alumni was clear as they ribbed each other about watching Days of Our Lives in the lounge, who got sick on his first plane ride to a football game in northern Montana (bagged PB&J may have been a factor), and who was at whose weddings. “We were all small-town Class B students from North and South Dakota,” said Allen Guthmiller ’73. Each played football, basketball, track, or baseball. Rollie Greeno (who passed away in 2010) recruited most of them, and they speak fondly of the legendary coach of 37 years. According to Bill Holzworth ’72, “Rollie made us run up and down hills together for four years! He really brought us all together.” Mike Leier ’72 agreed that sports initially brought the group together. “When you go into a competition, dealing with adversity, with your brothers, you forge a bond.” Still, with everyone located in different towns, cities, and states, it was difficult to get together after their UJ years. Enter Tom Mahan ’73, who’d always pushed the group to attend UJ’s annual homecoming game. In 2010, Mahan suggested a fishing trip that would become the first of many.
