BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 44 Days Until the Gold Rush Game!
7/18/2018 4:46:00 PM | Football
Shaun Ross - and Arie Grey - bridged a gap between the MSU's limited 1990s success and the title teams of the 2000s
July 17: Bobcat 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.
#44
Daniel Hardy, LB: A summertime transfer, Daniel Hardy brings enormous upside to the Bobcat defense this season. A long and rangy athlete, the former prep basketball standout turned down some college hoops recruiting interest to attend the College of the Siskiyous as a football player. One year later he is a Division I player at Montana State with the possibility of contributing to a Big Sky title contender as a linebacker.
Jacob Byrne, K: The son of former Bobcat Bob Byrne, Jacob moved to kicker in the spring and impressed. He showed the accuracy befitting a former solid Class AA kicker, and the possibility of leg strength that Cat fans can dream on. He could emerge as a surprise during fall camp.
Spotlight – Shaun Ross: Coaching transitions are generally never easy in college football, and Montana State's 2000 season stands as a stark example. The Bobcats didn't win a game in Mike Kramer's first season, and among the team's regular starters only Shaun Ross and Arie Grey were seniors. But those two were fantastic seniors, and their leadership – and the work done under trying circumstances – resonated through the program's return to Big Sky glory. After moving to defensive tackle from end, Ross logged 45 tackles, 11 for loss, with three sacks. He played with a fury that would provide an example for soon-to-be-brilliant D-line talents such as Adam Cordeiro and Jon Montoya. All these years later Ross remains in Bozeman, serving for a while on the computer science faculty before taking a position in the private sector. Ross came to MSU, where his uncle Rocky Ross served as a long-time faculty member, from Stevensville.
Chronology: 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), Stephon 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 (2014-17), Jacob Byrne (2018-)
#44
Daniel Hardy, LB: A summertime transfer, Daniel Hardy brings enormous upside to the Bobcat defense this season. A long and rangy athlete, the former prep basketball standout turned down some college hoops recruiting interest to attend the College of the Siskiyous as a football player. One year later he is a Division I player at Montana State with the possibility of contributing to a Big Sky title contender as a linebacker.
Jacob Byrne, K: The son of former Bobcat Bob Byrne, Jacob moved to kicker in the spring and impressed. He showed the accuracy befitting a former solid Class AA kicker, and the possibility of leg strength that Cat fans can dream on. He could emerge as a surprise during fall camp.
Spotlight – Shaun Ross: Coaching transitions are generally never easy in college football, and Montana State's 2000 season stands as a stark example. The Bobcats didn't win a game in Mike Kramer's first season, and among the team's regular starters only Shaun Ross and Arie Grey were seniors. But those two were fantastic seniors, and their leadership – and the work done under trying circumstances – resonated through the program's return to Big Sky glory. After moving to defensive tackle from end, Ross logged 45 tackles, 11 for loss, with three sacks. He played with a fury that would provide an example for soon-to-be-brilliant D-line talents such as Adam Cordeiro and Jon Montoya. All these years later Ross remains in Bozeman, serving for a while on the computer science faculty before taking a position in the private sector. Ross came to MSU, where his uncle Rocky Ross served as a long-time faculty member, from Stevensville.
Chronology: 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), Stephon 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 (2014-17), Jacob Byrne (2018-)
Players Mentioned
WR
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LB
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