Shaun Ross was a beast for the Bobcats from 1997-2000
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats By the Numbers: #44
7/21/2015 8:43:00 AM | Football
Shaun Ross was a terrific defensive lineman during tough times at MSU
For every day of the summer we will 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.
#44
Koni Dole, LB: Inside the Bobcat football program, Koni Dole is known as the "Excuse Eliminator." Beyond, he is well-known for playing college football with a prosthetic leg after a devastating high school football injury. He has spent considerable time inspiring youngsters facing similar challenges. As a football player, Dole enters his redshirt freshman season competing for time as a reserve linebacker and special teams contributor.
Spotlight Player: Tenny Babcock was a standout halfback on during one of the successful periods during the early years of Bobcat football. He was lauded for his play in the backfield, Babcock helped lead the Cats to wins over North Dakota State, Utah State and Wyoming as a senior in 1927, when he captained the squad. The Bobcats posted a 19-12-1 record during his four seasons, a period during which the Bobcats not only played in the nationally-prestigious Rocky Mountain Conference with schools such as Colorad, BYU, Utah and Wyoming, but also travelled far and wide to play opponents such as Idaho and Purdue. Following his years at MSC Babcock coached at Klein (Mont.) High School for several years.
Also in the Spotlight: You can look at good players that play during a college program's down years in a couple of different ways. Such players may suffer from bad timing, or may have performed admirably in the face of adversity. They may have benefitted from being a stand-alone talent, or may have suffered from having too little talent around them. Shaun Ross was a tremendous player from the Bitterroot Valley, coming to MSU as an engineering student during the height of the Cliff Hysell era. His obvious talent denied him the benefit of a redshirt year, and after contributing as a freshman started most of the next three years. He played both end and tackle, and was known for playing hard and smart. The program's upper classes thinned when Hysell departed and Mike Kramer took over, but Ross remained as one of only four seniors in 2000. He earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors that year, and was continually lauded by Kramer as showing positive leadership that resonated in the program through its championship runs of the next five seasons. Ross stands as an example of a player whose contributions and accomplishments far out-weigh what shows up in the win-loss record.
Through the Years: Tenney Babcock (1926), James Watters (1927), Leonard Scharmota (1940), Carl Fye (1941), George Rumberger (1946-47), John Hansen (1948), Don Hammer (1949), Ed Keil (1950), Ray Moore (1953), Wayne Weiler (1954-55), Geo. Marinkovich (1956), Dennis Campbell (1957-59), Jerry Johnson (1960-61), Will Fennel (1963), Ben Vaughn (1964-66), Sandy Cooprider (1967-68), Eb Edmon (1969-70), Bruce Robinson (1971), Mike Davis (1972-74), Scott Hoard (1975-78), John Johnson (1979-80), Rodney Holland (1982), Stehpon Wilson (1983), Darin Dietrich (1984-85), Eric Miller (1986), Trent Croaker (1987-89), Anthony Cordova (1990), Todd Graves (1991), Morgan Harris (1992-96), Shaun Ross (1997-00), Greg Moore (2001), Eric Laumatia (2002), Epikopo King (2003-07), Matt Harris (2008-09), Aleksei Grosulak (2010-13), Koni Dole (2014-)
#44
Koni Dole, LB: Inside the Bobcat football program, Koni Dole is known as the "Excuse Eliminator." Beyond, he is well-known for playing college football with a prosthetic leg after a devastating high school football injury. He has spent considerable time inspiring youngsters facing similar challenges. As a football player, Dole enters his redshirt freshman season competing for time as a reserve linebacker and special teams contributor.
Spotlight Player: Tenny Babcock was a standout halfback on during one of the successful periods during the early years of Bobcat football. He was lauded for his play in the backfield, Babcock helped lead the Cats to wins over North Dakota State, Utah State and Wyoming as a senior in 1927, when he captained the squad. The Bobcats posted a 19-12-1 record during his four seasons, a period during which the Bobcats not only played in the nationally-prestigious Rocky Mountain Conference with schools such as Colorad, BYU, Utah and Wyoming, but also travelled far and wide to play opponents such as Idaho and Purdue. Following his years at MSC Babcock coached at Klein (Mont.) High School for several years.
Also in the Spotlight: You can look at good players that play during a college program's down years in a couple of different ways. Such players may suffer from bad timing, or may have performed admirably in the face of adversity. They may have benefitted from being a stand-alone talent, or may have suffered from having too little talent around them. Shaun Ross was a tremendous player from the Bitterroot Valley, coming to MSU as an engineering student during the height of the Cliff Hysell era. His obvious talent denied him the benefit of a redshirt year, and after contributing as a freshman started most of the next three years. He played both end and tackle, and was known for playing hard and smart. The program's upper classes thinned when Hysell departed and Mike Kramer took over, but Ross remained as one of only four seniors in 2000. He earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors that year, and was continually lauded by Kramer as showing positive leadership that resonated in the program through its championship runs of the next five seasons. Ross stands as an example of a player whose contributions and accomplishments far out-weigh what shows up in the win-loss record.
Through the Years: Tenney Babcock (1926), James Watters (1927), Leonard Scharmota (1940), Carl Fye (1941), George Rumberger (1946-47), John Hansen (1948), Don Hammer (1949), Ed Keil (1950), Ray Moore (1953), Wayne Weiler (1954-55), Geo. Marinkovich (1956), Dennis Campbell (1957-59), Jerry Johnson (1960-61), Will Fennel (1963), Ben Vaughn (1964-66), Sandy Cooprider (1967-68), Eb Edmon (1969-70), Bruce Robinson (1971), Mike Davis (1972-74), Scott Hoard (1975-78), John Johnson (1979-80), Rodney Holland (1982), Stehpon Wilson (1983), Darin Dietrich (1984-85), Eric Miller (1986), Trent Croaker (1987-89), Anthony Cordova (1990), Todd Graves (1991), Morgan Harris (1992-96), Shaun Ross (1997-00), Greg Moore (2001), Eric Laumatia (2002), Epikopo King (2003-07), Matt Harris (2008-09), Aleksei Grosulak (2010-13), Koni Dole (2014-)
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