WHITEFISH — In his short time with Montana Western, assistant athletic director Dave Glass has experienced a lot of highs.
The Bulldogs announced his addition last December. In January, they announced the donation of a plot of land to build new football facilities.
“There’s not much I can say publicly at the moment, but we have seen the renderings, and everything looks great,” Glass said during a break at the Frontier Conference athletic directors at Whitefish. “They’re in the midst of acquiring some philanthropic gifts and money.
“They did have a timeline that we did have to acquire $2 million in two years, that was stated in the public release. They’re in good shape doing that right now.”
By March, Western reached the highest of highs. The Bulldogs won the NAIA women’s basketball national championship.
“That’s something we’re going to celebrate until that first tip (of the 2019-20 season),” Glass said. “Coach (Lindsay) Woolley’s been great enough to kind of recruit some great players coming in. It was something for Western and the community of Dillon, it’s something that we’re going to keep on celebrating.”
So, in that regard, it’s been an easy transition for Glass, a native of Massachusetts who had previously spent his entire professional career in the northeast. He most recently worked as an assistant manager at Green Meadow Golf Club in Hudson, New Hampshire, but his career also includes stops with NCAA institutions.
Glass was part of the athletic staff at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts for three years.
“I think the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone of being in the northeast. Coming to a small town, smaller school with less sports, less staff, kind of be more hands-on, I just saw that as professional development for myself,” Glass said, noting the travel — not only in the Frontier Conference but across Montana, in general — has been an added adjustment.
“Just coming up here, just to Whitefish from Dillon, it’s like you’re traveling for four states and you’re still in the state of Montana. You’re looking at Massachusetts, five-hour ride, I’m in the middle of Pennsylvania by then,” Glass said with a laugh.
Despite the long drives and bus rides, Glass has fallen in love with Big Sky Country. He had never previously been to Montana, originally deciding to pursue the position at Western sight unseen, but it didn’t take long to convince him to visit the Treasure State.
“To be honest with you, when I saw the posting online, I was, ‘Montana Western? Hmmm,’” Glass recalled. “And when I came out, just the sights alone, they sold me. It’s great, little town of Dillon being surrounded 360 degrees of mountains. I kind of live outside of the city, so I wake up to about 100 deer in my yard every morning. It’s a nice place to call home.”
