BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 47 Days Remain Until the Gold Rush, and Enough Great Bobcats Wore #47 that they Can't All be Covered
7/14/2018 12:26:00 PM | Football
Callahan O'Reilly is the latest in a long line of promising in-state prospects in #47
July 14: Bobcats by the Numbers takes a look at current and past Bobcats whose jersey numbers correspond to the number of days remaining before Montana State opens the 2018 football season against Western Illinois in Bobcat Stadium's annual Gold Rush game on August 30.
#47
Callahan O'Reilly, LB: Callahan O'Reilly transitioned from quarterback to linebacker in the spring, and in so doing – whether it was part of the plan or not – took a jersey number rich in history for Montanans in the Blue and Gold. Joe Roberts, Scott Kimball, Kevin Lundstrom and Taylor Dees all donned #47, but Bobcat fans have to hope that the strongest comp ends up being another Bozeman High athlete who moved down 11th Street and ended up becoming a dominant force in the Big Sky Conference, Dane Fletcher. Like Fletcher – now a highly-successful Bozeman businessman who runs The Pitt – O'Reilly's Bobcat blood runs deep, and includes a cousin and teammate Grant Collins. O'Reilly impressed during the spring, and enters the fall in competition for playing time during his redshirt freshman season.
Spotlight – Kevin Lundstrom: Another player who rode strong Blue and Gold bloodlines into the Bobcat program, Kevin Lundstrom will always be a favorite at BBTN. The nephew of former Bobcat Ken Lang, Lundy was part of a mid-1990s renaissance of MSU football that featured defensive units that were packed to the hilt with talent. He came to MSU as a walk-on from Malta and became a three-year starter. He earned First Team All-Big Sky honors as a senior, but his brightest moment may have come two years earlier. Against #17 Idaho State in 2006, logged 12 tackles, including nine solos and one for a loss, to pace Montana State to a 17-13 win. Two of those solo tackles came with Idaho State at the Bobcat goal line on the game's closing sequence, and to cap the story that day marked Lundstrom's 21st birthday. Kevin Lundstrom earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors for that effort, and remains one of the most passionate and loyal Bobcats of them all.
Chronology: Joe Wellington (1927), Jack Burke (1940), Bob Findlater (1941), Len Larson (1946-47), Max Berg (1948), Jack McDonald (1949), Al Miller (1950), Herb Roberts (1953-56), Scott Anderson (1980), Joe Roberts (1981-84), Todd Brown (1985-86), Scott Kimball (1987-89), Tyler Herbst (1990-91), Ben Racicot (1992), Chris Ogle (1993-94), Kevin Lundstrom (1995-98), Ryan Elliott (1999), Brian Olson (2000), Phil Davey (2001), Brandon Flaig (2002), Jonathan Molock (2003-04), Dane Fletcher (2005-09), Taylor Dees (2011-14), Keegan Bray (2015-16), Callahan O'Reilly (2018-)
Other #47 Notes: Speaking of big-time games by Bobcats wearing #47, the afternoon turned in by Dane Fletcher against #23 Northern Arizona on November 8, 2008, in Flagstaff will forever rank as among the most sensational and most heartbreaking in Bobcat history. Fletcher recorded six tackles, one sack and three other tackles-for-loss, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and blocked two kicks, as MSU beat the Lumberjacks 25-23. Impressively and unfortunately, that work came in about three quarters of play because Fletcher suffered a season-ending knee injury.
#47
Callahan O'Reilly, LB: Callahan O'Reilly transitioned from quarterback to linebacker in the spring, and in so doing – whether it was part of the plan or not – took a jersey number rich in history for Montanans in the Blue and Gold. Joe Roberts, Scott Kimball, Kevin Lundstrom and Taylor Dees all donned #47, but Bobcat fans have to hope that the strongest comp ends up being another Bozeman High athlete who moved down 11th Street and ended up becoming a dominant force in the Big Sky Conference, Dane Fletcher. Like Fletcher – now a highly-successful Bozeman businessman who runs The Pitt – O'Reilly's Bobcat blood runs deep, and includes a cousin and teammate Grant Collins. O'Reilly impressed during the spring, and enters the fall in competition for playing time during his redshirt freshman season.
Spotlight – Kevin Lundstrom: Another player who rode strong Blue and Gold bloodlines into the Bobcat program, Kevin Lundstrom will always be a favorite at BBTN. The nephew of former Bobcat Ken Lang, Lundy was part of a mid-1990s renaissance of MSU football that featured defensive units that were packed to the hilt with talent. He came to MSU as a walk-on from Malta and became a three-year starter. He earned First Team All-Big Sky honors as a senior, but his brightest moment may have come two years earlier. Against #17 Idaho State in 2006, logged 12 tackles, including nine solos and one for a loss, to pace Montana State to a 17-13 win. Two of those solo tackles came with Idaho State at the Bobcat goal line on the game's closing sequence, and to cap the story that day marked Lundstrom's 21st birthday. Kevin Lundstrom earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors for that effort, and remains one of the most passionate and loyal Bobcats of them all.
Chronology: Joe Wellington (1927), Jack Burke (1940), Bob Findlater (1941), Len Larson (1946-47), Max Berg (1948), Jack McDonald (1949), Al Miller (1950), Herb Roberts (1953-56), Scott Anderson (1980), Joe Roberts (1981-84), Todd Brown (1985-86), Scott Kimball (1987-89), Tyler Herbst (1990-91), Ben Racicot (1992), Chris Ogle (1993-94), Kevin Lundstrom (1995-98), Ryan Elliott (1999), Brian Olson (2000), Phil Davey (2001), Brandon Flaig (2002), Jonathan Molock (2003-04), Dane Fletcher (2005-09), Taylor Dees (2011-14), Keegan Bray (2015-16), Callahan O'Reilly (2018-)
Other #47 Notes: Speaking of big-time games by Bobcats wearing #47, the afternoon turned in by Dane Fletcher against #23 Northern Arizona on November 8, 2008, in Flagstaff will forever rank as among the most sensational and most heartbreaking in Bobcat history. Fletcher recorded six tackles, one sack and three other tackles-for-loss, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and blocked two kicks, as MSU beat the Lumberjacks 25-23. Impressively and unfortunately, that work came in about three quarters of play because Fletcher suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Players Mentioned
LB
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