Bobcat History Lesson: A Rainy Day in Ogden
9/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
There are fixtures in each of our lives that we take for granted, things we encounter or interact with regularly, that are so much part of the scenery that we don’t stop to even consider.
In college athletics, one such fixture is conference affiliation, and as Montana State prepares to battle Weber State in Ogden, Utah, in today’s Big Sky Conference opener, it’s worth remembering another trip to Ogden nearly a half-century ago.
In the early 1960s, several schools in the Rocky Mountains sought a home for their athletic programs. The sports teams of these institutions had traveled different paths, yet Montana State, Montana, Idaho State and Idaho stood as similar, like-minded schools, and the marriage seemed natural. Weber State, newly-minted as a four-year institution, joined the mix, as did Gonzaga in sports other than football. In 1963, this group became the Big Sky Conference, a name born from the prose of famed Montana author Bud Guthrie and promoted tirelessly by Jack Hollowell, a former advertising director for the Treasure State, and Spokane sportswriter Harry Missildine.
On a rainy, overcast afternoon in Wildcat Stadium, nearly 7,000 fans paid less than three dollars each to watch Montana State and Weber State play each schools’ first-ever Big Sky Conference game. Preseason publicity called Weber’s entry into the Big Sky Conference a “move into the big time”,
Montana State proved quickly that Weber State’s four-game winning streak was in peril, scoring a quick touchdown to grab a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Will Fennal scored one of two Montana State touchdowns in the second quarter, and the Bobcats were off and racing to what would be a 26-8 win.
Fennal finished with 76 rushing yards on the afternoon, while Bob Given rang up 69 for the Bobcats. Ken Christison and Ray Foley operated Montana State’s efficient passing game, which was rarely needed. The Bobcats threw the ball only six times on the day.
The win marked a successful entry into Big Sky play for the ‘Cats, and marked the first time since leaving the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1956 that the Bobcats played a conference game. MSU finished second in the Big Sky’s inaugural season, then won the league in 1964, ’66, ’67, and ’68. And nearly a half-century later, the Bobcats and Weber State remain proud representatives of the Big Sky.
In college athletics, one such fixture is conference affiliation, and as Montana State prepares to battle Weber State in Ogden, Utah, in today’s Big Sky Conference opener, it’s worth remembering another trip to Ogden nearly a half-century ago.
In the early 1960s, several schools in the Rocky Mountains sought a home for their athletic programs. The sports teams of these institutions had traveled different paths, yet Montana State, Montana, Idaho State and Idaho stood as similar, like-minded schools, and the marriage seemed natural. Weber State, newly-minted as a four-year institution, joined the mix, as did Gonzaga in sports other than football. In 1963, this group became the Big Sky Conference, a name born from the prose of famed Montana author Bud Guthrie and promoted tirelessly by Jack Hollowell, a former advertising director for the Treasure State, and Spokane sportswriter Harry Missildine.
On a rainy, overcast afternoon in Wildcat Stadium, nearly 7,000 fans paid less than three dollars each to watch Montana State and Weber State play each schools’ first-ever Big Sky Conference game. Preseason publicity called Weber’s entry into the Big Sky Conference a “move into the big time”,
Montana State proved quickly that Weber State’s four-game winning streak was in peril, scoring a quick touchdown to grab a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Will Fennal scored one of two Montana State touchdowns in the second quarter, and the Bobcats were off and racing to what would be a 26-8 win.
Fennal finished with 76 rushing yards on the afternoon, while Bob Given rang up 69 for the Bobcats. Ken Christison and Ray Foley operated Montana State’s efficient passing game, which was rarely needed. The Bobcats threw the ball only six times on the day.
The win marked a successful entry into Big Sky play for the ‘Cats, and marked the first time since leaving the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1956 that the Bobcats played a conference game. MSU finished second in the Big Sky’s inaugural season, then won the league in 1964, ’66, ’67, and ’68. And nearly a half-century later, the Bobcats and Weber State remain proud representatives of the Big Sky.
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