Bill Kollar
Bobcats By the Numbers: #77
6/18/2015 12:18:00 PM | Football
Bill Kollar was a beast
Every day we look at players who donned the jersey number corresponding to the number of days until the Bobcats open the 2015 season on September 3 against Fort Lewis College. The list of MSU football players by the jersey number is based on preseason rosters. The set of available rosters is complete from 1946-81 and '83-present. Only the 1926-27, 1934, 1937 and 1941 rosters are available in the pre-WWII years. Corrections, additions, or rosters that fill out the set will be welcomed enthusiastically via e-mail at: blamberty@msubobcats.com. Complaints about featured players also welcome, but possibly with less enthusiasm.
#77
The number 77 is retired for Bill Kollar: Bill Kollar is a Bobcat icon, and rightfully so, but it's worth taking a look at why. He was a dominant presence on the interior of the defensive line at MSU in a day when defenses lined up four, often five men in the trenches to stop opposing run games. Kollar was dominant. As a junior, UPI picked him as the best player in the Big Sky, and AP named him Second Team Little All-America. The next season he was even better, earning All-America honors from essentially every organization that bothered to pick one, landing MVP honors at the 1974 Senior Bowl (for which he received a new car), and landing in the first round of two different drafts – the NFL (Cincinnati) and WFL (Chicago). He ended up as a three-time First Team All-Big Sky selection, and a two-time All-America. Kollar enjoyed a long and productive career as an NFL player, and a longer and more productive career as an NFL assistant coach, which continues today. MSU retired Kollar's jersey pretty much immediately upon the completion of his eligibility.
Notable #77s in the Bobcat Past: The number 77 wasn't worn by a lot of guys in Bobcat history, but man was it worn by some great ones – in fact, three MSU Hall of Famers have donned #77 in Blue and Gold. Ron Warzeka wore it during his legendary All-America campaign in 1956, which culminated in a National Championship, while Joe Tiller was #77 during his great career in the early '60s.
Through the years: Ron Warzeka (1956), Carmen Turley (1957), Clyde Cleveland (1958), Hans Fedge (1960), Joe Tiller (1961-63), Ken Brunsvold (1964), Mickey Matthews (1965-67), Rick Bean (1968-69), Gary Enger (1970), Bill Kollar (1971-73), Retired for Bill Kollar
#77
The number 77 is retired for Bill Kollar: Bill Kollar is a Bobcat icon, and rightfully so, but it's worth taking a look at why. He was a dominant presence on the interior of the defensive line at MSU in a day when defenses lined up four, often five men in the trenches to stop opposing run games. Kollar was dominant. As a junior, UPI picked him as the best player in the Big Sky, and AP named him Second Team Little All-America. The next season he was even better, earning All-America honors from essentially every organization that bothered to pick one, landing MVP honors at the 1974 Senior Bowl (for which he received a new car), and landing in the first round of two different drafts – the NFL (Cincinnati) and WFL (Chicago). He ended up as a three-time First Team All-Big Sky selection, and a two-time All-America. Kollar enjoyed a long and productive career as an NFL player, and a longer and more productive career as an NFL assistant coach, which continues today. MSU retired Kollar's jersey pretty much immediately upon the completion of his eligibility.
Notable #77s in the Bobcat Past: The number 77 wasn't worn by a lot of guys in Bobcat history, but man was it worn by some great ones – in fact, three MSU Hall of Famers have donned #77 in Blue and Gold. Ron Warzeka wore it during his legendary All-America campaign in 1956, which culminated in a National Championship, while Joe Tiller was #77 during his great career in the early '60s.
Through the years: Ron Warzeka (1956), Carmen Turley (1957), Clyde Cleveland (1958), Hans Fedge (1960), Joe Tiller (1961-63), Ken Brunsvold (1964), Mickey Matthews (1965-67), Rick Bean (1968-69), Gary Enger (1970), Bill Kollar (1971-73), Retired for Bill Kollar
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