Montana Western, University of

Don Wheat, a native of Dillon, Mont., was a 1942 graduate of the Montana State Normal College with a degree in education, with a major in English and minors in music and social studies.

Wheat’s collegiate career began at the University of Washington where he was offered a place on the Huskies football roster after his freshman year. An appendix operation and recovery kept him home in Dillon instead. He enrolled at the Montana State Normal College (MSNC) to continue his education and athletic career.

He was a letterman in basketball and football and a two-time football all-conference selection. After graduation, he was offered a tryout with the Detroit Lions of the NFL but chose to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps. While stationed in Los Angeles, Calif., Wheat played a year of semi-pro football.

After his discharge, Wheat returned to Dillon to help in the family business and take graduate classes in education. He taught several years in Dillon before taking the position as a junior high school principal at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Three years later, he located to Fairbanks, Alaska where he retired in 1975. In retirement, Wheat gained a new sports passion, the sport of curling. He was a member of the 1976 Alaska State Championship team. 

Wheat passed away August 10, 2005.