1964 was memorable for Bobcat Football
1964: A Bobcat Retrospective
9/27/2014 11:44:00 AM | Football
A quick look at Montana State's 1964 Big Sky Championship season
Every story has a beginning. The winding, exciting, sometimes frustrating tale of Montana State Football may not begin with the 1964 team, exactly, but it's not a bad place to start.
That group of guys from represented a school that had been a small-college power for a decade, but the fall of 1964 was something different. After a half-decade as an independent, Montana State and three other regional football schools (plus Gonzaga, which had long since abandoned the sport) formed the Big Sky Conference in the fall of 1963.
The results in that first season are a little hard to decipher. Idaho State won the league with a 3-1 mark, playing one league game more than any other squad. Idaho finished 1-0, the Cats 2-1.
But in 1964, the league was in full swing. Every conference team except Idaho – bouncing to the beat of its own drum even then – played three league games. Montana State finished on top of the heap, with a 3-0 record.
And this is the group of men we honor today, celebrating the golden anniversary of a blue-and-gold season that will live forever. The Bobcats hammered South Dakota State in the opener, then fell on the road to a bigger-time Wichita State outfit. That was the first of four losses that season, as San Jose State and the two North Dakota schools also tripped up the Bobcats.
But when the pushing and shoving came amongst the recently-aggregated Big Sky schools, there was really no contest. The Cats hosted Idaho State on October 17 for Homecoming, and bashed the Bengals 20-0 in the league opener. On November 7, Montana State travelled to Missoula and mauled the Grizzlies 30-6. A week later, the Cats whacked Weber State 24-0, and the league crown resided in Bozeman.
Halfbacks Dan Sundling and Dave Miller led the offense, which plowed ahead behind a rebuilt offensive line. Foy McClung emerged as the signal caller, and the Cats romped to their first Big Sky crown.
The Bobcats were lauded for their accomplishments with an invitation to the Camellia Bowl, known as the small-college championship of the west. The Bobcats handled Sacramento State without issue, 28-7, and the team earned a place in history.
That group of guys from represented a school that had been a small-college power for a decade, but the fall of 1964 was something different. After a half-decade as an independent, Montana State and three other regional football schools (plus Gonzaga, which had long since abandoned the sport) formed the Big Sky Conference in the fall of 1963.
The results in that first season are a little hard to decipher. Idaho State won the league with a 3-1 mark, playing one league game more than any other squad. Idaho finished 1-0, the Cats 2-1.
But in 1964, the league was in full swing. Every conference team except Idaho – bouncing to the beat of its own drum even then – played three league games. Montana State finished on top of the heap, with a 3-0 record.
And this is the group of men we honor today, celebrating the golden anniversary of a blue-and-gold season that will live forever. The Bobcats hammered South Dakota State in the opener, then fell on the road to a bigger-time Wichita State outfit. That was the first of four losses that season, as San Jose State and the two North Dakota schools also tripped up the Bobcats.
But when the pushing and shoving came amongst the recently-aggregated Big Sky schools, there was really no contest. The Cats hosted Idaho State on October 17 for Homecoming, and bashed the Bengals 20-0 in the league opener. On November 7, Montana State travelled to Missoula and mauled the Grizzlies 30-6. A week later, the Cats whacked Weber State 24-0, and the league crown resided in Bozeman.
Halfbacks Dan Sundling and Dave Miller led the offense, which plowed ahead behind a rebuilt offensive line. Foy McClung emerged as the signal caller, and the Cats romped to their first Big Sky crown.
The Bobcats were lauded for their accomplishments with an invitation to the Camellia Bowl, known as the small-college championship of the west. The Bobcats handled Sacramento State without issue, 28-7, and the team earned a place in history.
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