Bobcat History Lesson: Dave Arnold
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dave Arnold has spent only one afternoon in Washington-Grizzly Stadium, and the experience was not good. Montana beat Arnold's Bobcats 59-28 in the first Cat-Griz game in this stadium's history 20 years ago, the first of 16 straight Grizzly victories in the series.
That loss was the only defeat of Arnold's four-year tenure as MSU's head coach. Now an assistant coach at Colorado State, Arnold will walk the Bobcat sideline today with his former protege, Top Cat Mike Kramer, and Arnold's son EJ, now the Bobcat tight ends coach. And while Arnold says the bad games remain much easier to remember than the good ones, he has plenty of recollections of Montana State's remarkable 34-24 win in 1984, the last Cat-Griz game played in old Dornblaser Stadium.
Arnold's best memory is being approached outside the MSU locker room by senior Joe Roberts and a couple of his teammates, who told Arnold to relax and stay calm, because even thought the 'Cats trailed 24-12, things were under control.
Were they ever. Tight end Joe Bignell scored in the second half, part of a spectacular 13-catch afternoon, and Missoula's Tom Mahlum caught the clinching touchdown. That game came on the heels of an emotional home win over Boise State and propelled the Bobcats to the Big Sky crown and the school's second national championship in nine seasons.
The venue is different, but reminders of 1984 abound today. Tom Mahlum and Joe Roberts are here for the big game. Will Johnson, a defensive back in 1984, is MSU's team chaplain, and this year's Bobcats can become the first MSU squad since 1984 to win eight games in a season. Mike Kramer was an assistant at MSU 22 years ago, and so was current MSU Associate AD and color commentator Dan Davies.
But the most poignant reminder of that chapter from this great rivalry is Dave Arnold, who engineered that remarkable comeback and MSU's unforgettable national title journey. Arnold, watching his first Cat-Griz game in person since 1986, his final season as MSU's head coach, remains a treasured part of MSU's football tradition, and remains an all-time great Bobcat.
That loss was the only defeat of Arnold's four-year tenure as MSU's head coach. Now an assistant coach at Colorado State, Arnold will walk the Bobcat sideline today with his former protege, Top Cat Mike Kramer, and Arnold's son EJ, now the Bobcat tight ends coach. And while Arnold says the bad games remain much easier to remember than the good ones, he has plenty of recollections of Montana State's remarkable 34-24 win in 1984, the last Cat-Griz game played in old Dornblaser Stadium.
Arnold's best memory is being approached outside the MSU locker room by senior Joe Roberts and a couple of his teammates, who told Arnold to relax and stay calm, because even thought the 'Cats trailed 24-12, things were under control.
Were they ever. Tight end Joe Bignell scored in the second half, part of a spectacular 13-catch afternoon, and Missoula's Tom Mahlum caught the clinching touchdown. That game came on the heels of an emotional home win over Boise State and propelled the Bobcats to the Big Sky crown and the school's second national championship in nine seasons.
The venue is different, but reminders of 1984 abound today. Tom Mahlum and Joe Roberts are here for the big game. Will Johnson, a defensive back in 1984, is MSU's team chaplain, and this year's Bobcats can become the first MSU squad since 1984 to win eight games in a season. Mike Kramer was an assistant at MSU 22 years ago, and so was current MSU Associate AD and color commentator Dan Davies.
But the most poignant reminder of that chapter from this great rivalry is Dave Arnold, who engineered that remarkable comeback and MSU's unforgettable national title journey. Arnold, watching his first Cat-Griz game in person since 1986, his final season as MSU's head coach, remains a treasured part of MSU's football tradition, and remains an all-time great Bobcat.
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