25 Years Ago: Cats Win Second National Crown
12/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
remembers how the halfback pass that he caught from Don Ueland looked as it tumbled
toward the end zone during the second quarter of the 1976 Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls,
Tex.
"It wasn’t the prettiest pass ever, by any means," Damberger laughs. "As I remember, it was
wobbly, kind of an end-over-ender. I just stood there and waited for the ball, and when it
finally got there I was able to catch it." Sonny Holland, MSU’s all-time winningest head coach
who piloted that ‘76 championship run, has the same memory. "It wasn’t a beautiful thing,
except that it got there, and it did what it was designed to do."
The touchdown catch by Damberger, a Cut Bank native who has been an MSU assistant for
the past nine years, gave MSU a 14-0 lead going into halftime of the NCAA Division II
National Championship Game. "I remember that we were pretty confident going into the game,
and with each play became more and more confident," said MSU cornerback Ron Muri, now
a Billings businessman. "I remember that by halftime we knew that we could get this done."
Damberger’s catch near the end of the first half, and Jeff Muri’s field goal early in the third
quarter, helped seal Montana State’s second national crown.
One of the most memorable aspects of the ‘76 National Championship Game is that it was
easier for the Bobcats to qualify for the game than it was for the team to get there. "We were
at the airport waiting for the flight, when there was a problem with the charter," said
Damberger. "So we turned around and went back to the Fieldhouse to practice."
"We had a series of problems with flights, starting with the Hawaii game (a 28-7 Bobcat win in
the regular season finale), so going back to the Fieldhouse to practice was not a big thing,"
Holland said. "Those kids really didn’t let anything shake them up. They knew that if they were
on time for the kickoff nothing was a big thing."
Arnie Sgalio, Montana State’s SID at the time and now an executive with ESPN Regional
Television in Charlotte, N.C., said that attitude was a tribute to the coaching staff. "That team
had travelled a lot that year, it had logged some miles," said Sgalio, who would serve as the
Big Sky Conference Information Director for nearly two decades after leaving Bozeman. "That
was a good team, it just didn’t beat itself. But I really remember the coaches. That was a great
coaching staff. Sonny Holland of course was the head coach, and Don Christensen and Sonny
Lubick and Howard Ross and Cliff Hysell were the assistants. It was really a classy outfit.
They had a very businesslike attitude. Nothing bothered them."
The Bobcats took control of that game early. Paul Dennehy threw a five-yard touchdown pass
to Ron McCullough early in the second quarter, then Damberger’s catch later in that period
gave MSU a considerable amount of momentum. "Then they made a run at us," Holland said.
After Muri’s field goal, Akron scored 13 straight points to narrow the margin to 17-13. "But I
don’t think their guys were as prepared for a championship game as ours were," Holland said.
"They were going up to Division I, and they thought they had better personnel and better
depth, and I’m not sure they didn’t. But I don’t think they were as prepared."
Muri has no doubt which group of players turned the game in MSU’s direction. "Our offensive
line was dominant," he said. "I believe, and I think Coach Holland would agree, that it was the
best offensive line in Montana State history." Sgalio remembers an incident in the press box
that tells the tale of that game. "Akron’s SID was Ken McDonald, and he said to me at one
point, ‘I thought your running backs were slow.’ And I said, ‘Ken, we’re killing you up front.’
And that was true. Montana State was able to run the ball at will. Our running backs were
good, but the holes were huge."
Rick Vancleeve, a defensive lineman on the ‘76 National Championship squad, remembers
well MSU’s domination in the trenches. "We didn’t have nearly as much speed as them, but it
came down to them not being as physical as us. Our offensive line basically won the game, and
got to where they were overpowering their guys."
"Howard Ross coached those kids (in the offensive line)," Holland says, "and they were really
well-schooled. They knew what their assignments were, they knew exactly what they were
supposed to do, and they got to the point where they developed into a dominant offensive line.
Plus, there was great senior leadership there."
A Bobcat offensive lineman, guard Lee Washburn from Bozeman, was involved in one of the
game’s most memorable moments. "Tommy Kostrba scored a touchdown that pretty much
put it out of reach," Vancleeve recalled. "He handed the ball to Lee Washburn, and Washburn
spiked the ball and took the penalty." "The most shocked people in the stadium were me and
the coaches," Holland said. "They’d worked that out ahead of time, and knew that the game
was out of reach. It just wasn’t the kind of thing those kids would do, but looking back on it
now we can laugh about it."
Another memorable incident happened after the game, when an ABC announcer interviewed
defensive lineman Les Leininger, and All-America from Westby. The question was how his
eight-man football background helped him prepare for a moment like he’d just experienced.
"Well," Leininger replied, "they give you the ball and you run your ass off." "He was being
honest," Holland laughs.
One of the most memorable moments of the entire post-season came when the Bobcats
stepped off the airplane at Gallatin Field. "My most vivid memory is Sonny stepping off that
plane and holding up the trophy for all of our fans to see," Vancleeve said.
"The hair on the back of my neck still stands up when I think about that," Holland said. "Thatwas a special moment."
And it’s one that hasn’t been forgotten, according to Muri. "The guys from that team are stillso close," Muri said. "We get together each fall. That’s why I look forward to football seasonso much, getting to see all of those guys at Bobcat games. It was a special thing."
toward the end zone during the second quarter of the 1976 Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls,
Tex.
"It wasn’t the prettiest pass ever, by any means," Damberger laughs. "As I remember, it was
wobbly, kind of an end-over-ender. I just stood there and waited for the ball, and when it
finally got there I was able to catch it." Sonny Holland, MSU’s all-time winningest head coach
who piloted that ‘76 championship run, has the same memory. "It wasn’t a beautiful thing,
except that it got there, and it did what it was designed to do."
The touchdown catch by Damberger, a Cut Bank native who has been an MSU assistant for
the past nine years, gave MSU a 14-0 lead going into halftime of the NCAA Division II
National Championship Game. "I remember that we were pretty confident going into the game,
and with each play became more and more confident," said MSU cornerback Ron Muri, now
a Billings businessman. "I remember that by halftime we knew that we could get this done."
Damberger’s catch near the end of the first half, and Jeff Muri’s field goal early in the third
quarter, helped seal Montana State’s second national crown.
One of the most memorable aspects of the ‘76 National Championship Game is that it was
easier for the Bobcats to qualify for the game than it was for the team to get there. "We were
at the airport waiting for the flight, when there was a problem with the charter," said
Damberger. "So we turned around and went back to the Fieldhouse to practice."
"We had a series of problems with flights, starting with the Hawaii game (a 28-7 Bobcat win in
the regular season finale), so going back to the Fieldhouse to practice was not a big thing,"
Holland said. "Those kids really didn’t let anything shake them up. They knew that if they were
on time for the kickoff nothing was a big thing."
Arnie Sgalio, Montana State’s SID at the time and now an executive with ESPN Regional
Television in Charlotte, N.C., said that attitude was a tribute to the coaching staff. "That team
had travelled a lot that year, it had logged some miles," said Sgalio, who would serve as the
Big Sky Conference Information Director for nearly two decades after leaving Bozeman. "That
was a good team, it just didn’t beat itself. But I really remember the coaches. That was a great
coaching staff. Sonny Holland of course was the head coach, and Don Christensen and Sonny
Lubick and Howard Ross and Cliff Hysell were the assistants. It was really a classy outfit.
They had a very businesslike attitude. Nothing bothered them."
The Bobcats took control of that game early. Paul Dennehy threw a five-yard touchdown pass
to Ron McCullough early in the second quarter, then Damberger’s catch later in that period
gave MSU a considerable amount of momentum. "Then they made a run at us," Holland said.
After Muri’s field goal, Akron scored 13 straight points to narrow the margin to 17-13. "But I
don’t think their guys were as prepared for a championship game as ours were," Holland said.
"They were going up to Division I, and they thought they had better personnel and better
depth, and I’m not sure they didn’t. But I don’t think they were as prepared."
Muri has no doubt which group of players turned the game in MSU’s direction. "Our offensive
line was dominant," he said. "I believe, and I think Coach Holland would agree, that it was the
best offensive line in Montana State history." Sgalio remembers an incident in the press box
that tells the tale of that game. "Akron’s SID was Ken McDonald, and he said to me at one
point, ‘I thought your running backs were slow.’ And I said, ‘Ken, we’re killing you up front.’
And that was true. Montana State was able to run the ball at will. Our running backs were
good, but the holes were huge."
Rick Vancleeve, a defensive lineman on the ‘76 National Championship squad, remembers
well MSU’s domination in the trenches. "We didn’t have nearly as much speed as them, but it
came down to them not being as physical as us. Our offensive line basically won the game, and
got to where they were overpowering their guys."
"Howard Ross coached those kids (in the offensive line)," Holland says, "and they were really
well-schooled. They knew what their assignments were, they knew exactly what they were
supposed to do, and they got to the point where they developed into a dominant offensive line.
Plus, there was great senior leadership there."
A Bobcat offensive lineman, guard Lee Washburn from Bozeman, was involved in one of the
game’s most memorable moments. "Tommy Kostrba scored a touchdown that pretty much
put it out of reach," Vancleeve recalled. "He handed the ball to Lee Washburn, and Washburn
spiked the ball and took the penalty." "The most shocked people in the stadium were me and
the coaches," Holland said. "They’d worked that out ahead of time, and knew that the game
was out of reach. It just wasn’t the kind of thing those kids would do, but looking back on it
now we can laugh about it."
Another memorable incident happened after the game, when an ABC announcer interviewed
defensive lineman Les Leininger, and All-America from Westby. The question was how his
eight-man football background helped him prepare for a moment like he’d just experienced.
"Well," Leininger replied, "they give you the ball and you run your ass off." "He was being
honest," Holland laughs.
One of the most memorable moments of the entire post-season came when the Bobcats
stepped off the airplane at Gallatin Field. "My most vivid memory is Sonny stepping off that
plane and holding up the trophy for all of our fans to see," Vancleeve said.
"The hair on the back of my neck still stands up when I think about that," Holland said. "Thatwas a special moment."
And it’s one that hasn’t been forgotten, according to Muri. "The guys from that team are stillso close," Muri said. "We get together each fall. That’s why I look forward to football seasonso much, getting to see all of those guys at Bobcat games. It was a special thing."
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