Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame
Alison Burlingame, a native of Dillon, Mont., is a 2002 graduate of Montana Western with a Bachelor of Science in secondary education with a major in art and a minor in math.
She was a two-time first team all-conference selection and a three-time academic all-conference selection. She set several individual single season and career records, some of which still stand.
Burlingame was a member of the 1999-2000 women’s basketball team, the first in program history to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament.
Her half-court, buzzer-beating shot that historic season, propelled Western to an 82-80 win over unbeaten and top-ranked Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in the Frontier Conference tournament championship. The shot became known as “The shot heard round the Frontier!”
The win put Montana Western on the map at the NAIA national level and propelled the Bulldog women to seven consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances.
In her senior season, the Bulldogs rolled to an undefeated Frontier Conference regular season, Frontier Conference Tournament Championship and a quarterfinal appearance at the NAIA National Tournament.
Burlingame has worked road construction for the past 10 years and is currently employed by Helena Sand and Gravel. She lives in Helena, Mont. When not working, she travels the world, explores the Montana outdoors and enjoys time with friends and family.
