Montana State Bobcats

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Montana State Bobcats
Montana State Bobcats logo.svg
University Montana State University
Conference Big Sky Conference (primary)
Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (men's and women's skiing)
NIRA (rodeo)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorLeon Costello
Location Bozeman, Montana
Varsity teams14
Football stadium Bobcat Stadium
Basketball arena Worthington Arena at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
Other venuesShroyer Gym (volleyball)
Bridger Bowl (skiing)
MascotChamp
NicknameBobcats
ColorsBlue and gold [1]
   
Website msubobcats.com
Montana state wordmark 2013.png

The Montana State Bobcats are the varsity athletic teams representing Montana State University in Bozeman in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, skiing, tennis, and track and field; women's-only golf and volleyball; and men's-only football. The Bobcats compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Big Sky Conference [2] with the exception of the men's and women's skiing teams which belong to the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association. [3] Their main rivals are the Grizzlies of the University of Montana in Missoula. Both schools are charter members of the Big Sky Conference, which began competition 61 years ago in the fall of 1963.

Contents

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Basketball Basketball
Cross CountryCross Country
Football Golf
SkiingSkiing
TennisTennis
Track & FieldTrack & Field
Volleyball
Co-ed sports
Spirit Squad

Basketball

Montana State Bobcats basketball history includes one of college basketball's legendary teams, the Golden Bobcats of the late 1920s. The school's basketball teams had acclaimed fame throughout the 1920s by playing "racehorse basketball" and becoming one of the first schools in the nation to employ what is known as the fast break. Montana State College coach Ott Romney, who graduated with a Masters from MSC prior to World War I, [4] pioneered the style of play, and by 1926 had assembled a team perfectly suited to playing an up-tempo brand of ball. Cat Thompson, John "Brick" Breeden, Frank Ward, Val Glynn and Max Worthington were at the heart of the MSC team that won the Rocky Mountain Conference title three straight seasons, and bested Utah State, BYU, Colorado, and University of Denver. The 1928–29 team reached college basketball's zenith by defeating the AAU Champion Cook's Painters in a two-of-three series and steamrolling to the Rocky Mountain Conference title. The Bobcats were retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA Tournament national champion for the 1928–29 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll and the Helms Athletic Foundation. [5] The Helms Foundation also named Cat Thompson one of the five greatest players in the first half of the 20th century in college hoops.

Football

In 1956 the Bobcats football team took a share of the NAIA championship in the Aluminum Bowl in Little Rock, Arkansas playing to a 0–0 tie on a muddy field with the Pumas of St. Joseph’s College from Rensselaer, Indiana. In 1976 the Bobcats of Montana State won a national football title in NCAA Division II at Wichita Falls, Texas beating the Zips of Akron, Ohio 24-13 in the title game. In 1984, the Bobcats returned to a national football title game played in Charleston, South Carolina, beating the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech 19-6 for their third national football title. The MSU Bobcats football is the only college team with national titles in three different classifications. The team has won 19 conference titles and has made the NCAA FCS playoffs 9 times.

Rodeo

Montana State Bobcats rodeo team has a long proud history with the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. For almost 30 years MSU hosted the College National Finals Rodeo. Bobcat Rodeo teams have won 8 national team titles, 32 individual national championships and multiple Big Sky Regional crowns. The Bobcats Rodeo team operates under the MSU Department of Student Affairs and enjoys outstanding booster support form the C.A.T. Rodeo Scholarship Association.

Skiing

Montana State Bobcats Alpine and Nordic Ski team compete in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association and the NCAA Western Region and has produced 13 national champions. The Bobcat Nordic and alpine ski program venues at Bridger Bowl and Bohart Ranch have hosted six NCAA National Championships. [6] The Big Sky Conference dropped its sponsorship of skiing and four other sports after the 1974 season. [7] [8] [9]

Spirit Squad

The Montana State Spirit Squad is broken down into the Cheer team and Dance team.

Former sports

Baseball

Montana State dropped its baseball program 53 years ago, following the 1971 season, [10] [11] and rival Montana played just one additional year. [12] The Big Sky dropped baseball after the 1974 season, along with four other sports. [7] [8] [13]

Wrestling

The Bobcat wrestling program won the first three Big Sky titles (1964, 1965, 1966); [14] the conference discontinued the sport 37 years ago, after the 1987 season. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Sky Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Big Sky Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2024, ten full member institutions are located in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Two affiliate members from California are football–only participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontier Conference</span> College athletic conference in the United States

The Frontier Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference was founded in 1934. Member institutions are located in the U.S. state of Montana, with associate members in the states of Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana State University</span> Public research university in Bozeman, Montana, U.S.

Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fields through its nine colleges. More than 16,700 students attended MSU in the fall 2019, taught by 796 full-time and 547 part-time faculty. In the Carnegie Classification, MSU is placed among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity", one of only two universities to receive this distinction with a "very high undergraduate" enrollment profile. The university had research expenditures of $257.9 million in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobcat Stadium (Montana State University)</span> Outdoor athletic stadium at Montana State University, Bozeman

Bobcat Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. It is the home of the Montana State Bobcats college football team of the Big Sky Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Breeden Fieldhouse</span> Montana, United States indoor arena

The Brick Breeden Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the western United States, located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. It is the home of the Montana State Bobcats of the Big Sky Conference; the primary venue for men's and women's basketball and indoor track and field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana–Montana State football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Montana–Montana State football rivalry is an annual college football rivalry game between the University of Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State University Bobcats. The game is most historically and commonly known as the Cat-Griz game, and sometimes as the Griz-Cat game. Since 1997, the match has been advertised as the Brawl of the Wild. The winner receives the massive Great Divide Trophy, as the universities are on opposite sides of the continental divide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana Grizzlies football</span> University of Montana college football team

The Montana Grizzlies football program represents the University of Montana in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of college football. The Grizzlies have competed in the Big Sky Conference since 1963, where it is a founding member. They play their home games on campus in Missoula at Washington–Grizzly Stadium, where they had an average attendance of 26,978 in 2023.

Bradley Richard Huse is an American college basketball coach and the former head men's basketball coach at Montana State University. On April 4, 2006, he was hired following the departure of Mick Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana State Bobcats football</span> Football program of Montana State University

The Montana State Bobcats football program competes in the Big Sky Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision for Montana State University. The program began in 1897 and has won three national championships. It is the only college football program in the nation to win national championships on three different levels of competition, NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I-AA. Through the 2022 season, the Bobcats had played in 1,049 games with an all-time record of 525–492–32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana State Bobcats men's basketball</span> Mens basketball program representing Montana State University

The Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represents Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference in NCAA Division I. The Bobcats play their home games on campus at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana. MSU has appeared in the NCAA tournament six times, most recently with three consecutive bids in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana State Bobcats women's basketball</span> College basketball team

The Montana State Bobcats women's basketball team represents Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big Sky Conference. They play their home games at Worthington Arena.

The 1976 Montana State Bobcats football team represented the Montana State University in the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Sonny Holland and won the Division II national championship. The Bobcats played their home games on campus in Bozeman at Reno H. Sales Stadium.

The 1987–88 Idaho Vandals men's basketball team represented the University of Idaho during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Vandals were led by second-year head coach Tim Floyd and played their home games on campus at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.

The 1979 Montana State Bobcats football team represented the Montana State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Sonny Lubick, the Bobcats compiled an overall record of 6–4 and a mark of 6–1 in conference play. They were named the Big Sky champion after Boise State was ruled ineligible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Montana State Bobcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2021 Montana State Bobcats football team represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Brent Vigen, the Bobcats played home games on campus at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.

The 1971 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. In their first season under head coach Sonny Holland, the Bobcats compiled a 2–7–1 record.

The 1972 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. In their second season under head coach Sonny Holland, the Bobcats compiled an 8–3 record and won the Big Sky championship.

The 1973 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1973 NCAA Division II football season. In their third season under head coach Sonny Holland, the Bobcats compiled a 7–4 record and finished second in the Big Sky.

The 1977 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. In their seventh and final season under head coach Sonny Holland, the Bobcats compiled a 6–4 record and finished third in the Big Sky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2022–23 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represented Montana State University (MSU) in the Big Sky Conference during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fourth-year head coach Danny Sprinkle, the Bobcats played their home games on campus at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana. They finished the season at 25–10, 15–3 in Big Sky play, to finish in second place. In the Big Sky tournament, MSU defeated Northern Colorado, Weber State and Northern Arizona to win the tournament championship. As a result, MSU earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 14 seed in the East regions. They lost lost in the first round to Kansas State.

References

  1. ↑ "MSU Brand Guide" . Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Member Institutions".
  3. ↑ "Home". rmisaskiing.com.
  4. ↑ "G. Ott Romney Staff Bio | Athletic Director". Brigham Young University. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  5. ↑ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 532–34. ISBN   978-0-345-51392-2.
  6. ↑ "Bobcat Skiing A Commitment to Excellence" (PDF). Montana State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Big Sky drops fives". Ellensburg Daily record. UPI. May 15, 1974. p. 11.
  8. 1 2 "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Lewiston, Idaho. May 15, 1974. p. 13.
  9. ↑ "Past Skiing Champions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Zags clinch 'ND' crown". Spokesman-Review. May 10, 1971. p. 12.
  11. ↑ "Decision likely". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 1, 1972. p. 20.
  12. ↑ "Zags need win". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 7, 1973. p. 22.
  13. ↑ "Past Baseball Champions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Idaho State wins first mat crown". Spokesman-Review. February 27, 1967. p. 8.
  15. ↑ "Past Wrestling Champions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
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