HELENA, Mont. — It was a brilliant summer day with a breeze whispering through the forests that surround this capital city. Temperatures were in the high 70s, and no one seemed in much of a hurry.
For the most part, it is a beautiful little city that suffers mildly from a lack of infrastructure.
Down near the fairgrounds (and rodeos are hugely popular), not far from the new malls, is Capital High School.
An office worker is returning from lunch. It is Friday and the crew is few, but she stops to fill in a visitor.
Capital looks almost new, but it was built to be a Catholic school and then purchased by the public school district in the mid-1970s to give the city its second high school.
Did she remember Bobby Petrino?
“Oh my gosh, yes,” she said. “I wasn’t here then, but came later and worked with his mom, the sweetest woman in the world. Bobby and then Paul put Capital on the map as far as football goes. They played like vigs [vigilantes].”
The practice field has a grandstand that seats only 500, hurdles are scattered around the track, and there are truck tires down the backstretch.
On the west side of the school is a cemetery, and across the street several well manicured soccer fields. The grounds and buildings are immaculate.
A mile away sits Carroll College, where the Petrinos played college football and started their coaching careers.
It, too, is picturesque; small but with a powerful presence and a football stadium that would easily rank as the second-best in Arkansas.
The manager of a hotel said he has two sons, one a huge Minnesota Vikings fan (where he lives) and the other an Atlanta Falcons fan.
“Bobby’s first real game as an NFL head coach was at Minnesota, so my sons and I went,” he said. “I’m sure you know the Atlanta thing didn’t work out.”
Most people visited with here brought up Atlanta, but it was with a noncommittal tone of voice and every one of them added that “Bobby’s a great coach.”
Down the street a few blocks was the Bull’s Eye Casino/Cafe/Sports Book.
On this Saturday afternoon, a half-dozen men were playing the ponies, and two ladies were sharing one slot machine. They took turns playing. One liked poker, the other keno.
Their husbands sat at an elevated table in the middle of the room, watching and sending out an occasional barb that was always met with a reminder that the men had their fun that morning playing golf.
The men said they had lived their entire lives in Helena and “shoot f ire,everyone knows about Bobby and Paul,” one said.
It became obvious many of the residents are proud of the Petrinos and follow their careers closely, even today. One of the men volunteered that Arkansas hadn’t won many bowl games but now that Bobby is there that’s about to change.
The older of the two men said he was there the day Bobby led Capital to its first state football championship.
“It must have been 30 below, maybe 40, and Bobby won the game on a long run,” he said. “The truth is, though, he was a better basketball player than football. Those boys are mentally tough, but most folks around here are.
“Most around here didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in their mouth, and if they did,they don’t act like it or they might end up swallowing it. If I remember right, and I’m pretty sure I do, Paul missed one down in four years at Carroll.”
Then the wives decided it was time to order their Saturday regular: chickenfried steak, small, of course.
As the visitor headed to the door, all four called out: “Good luck. Hope you enjoy your vacation.”
This is a city more blue collar than white collar, where work ethic is expected and a friendly hello to strangers is as natural as the surrounding beauty.
Sports, Pages 25 on 07/04/2010