Head Coach Dave Arnold and the 1984 Bobcats
BOBCAT HISTORY LESSON: MSU's 1984 Playoff Run and the Epic Freeze that Never Came
12/7/2019 7:52:00 AM | Football
In 1984, when the Bobcats hosted Arkansas State to open the I-AA Playoffs, a radio hoax went a little further than expected
Montana State's 'third' season, after the non-conference and conference slates, begins today when the Cats host UAlbany from the Empire State's capital city. Here's a look at Montana State's post-season history:
All-Time Series: Montana State has never faced UAlbany. The Bobcats' only meeting against a team from the Colonial Athletic Association was the thrilling 26-25 win against New Hampshire in 2011.
In the Post-Season: MSU stands 11-9-2 in all post-season games, including a 1-1-2 record in bowl games. The Cats are 10-8 all-time in NCAA Playoff games, including 3-0 in the Division II Playoffs and 7-8 in the I-AA/FCS Playoffs.
In Bozeman: The Cats enter today's game 7-3 in post-season home games.
At Opponent: Montana State has never played a football game at UAlbany, or in the state of New York. MSU is 1-5 in road playoff games, losing five straight.
Streaks and Stuff
By winning the 1976 and 1984 National Championships, the Bobcats won their first six NCAA Playoff games. Since then, the Cats have not won two straight and have not lost more than two in a row.
Here's a Good Story
It began as a little practical joke, played by one radio man on another, but by the time it reached its conclusion a portion of eastern Arkansas was convinced it was traveling to Bozeman to meet its demise.
Montana State finished the 1984 season on an amazing roll, capping a seven-game win streak to close the regular season with a victory at Fresno State of the FBS. The Bobcats were hot, but local radio legend Dave Visscher, a broadcaster at KBOZ-AM at the time, came up with a thought. "I had this idea that because they're coming from Arkansas of course they'll be concerned about the weather," Visscher said.
One of the funniest people you'll meet, Visscher quickly put his plan in motion, and sprung it on Arkansas State's unsuspecting play-by-play man on Tuesday of game week. "I had an interview lined up with their radio guy, and I thought I'd play a little practical joke on him," Visscher said. "I had no idea how far it would go."
The premise was simple. As the guest from Arkansas was waiting on hold for the pre-arranged interview, he would hear news and weather reports of an apocalyptic cold spell that had descended upon Bozeman. Visscher "cleared it with our listeners the best I could, letting them know that everything they would hear was fake and there was no need for alarm." And when his southern guest was on the line, Visscher laid it on thick.
"When he called in I said, 'Thanks for calling in a little early, I'll put you on hold real quick then I'll be right with you,'" Visscher said. "So while he was on hold he heard what was on the radio station, a news report of this fictional, horrible, mammoth cold spell and arctic blast that was hitting the area. It was so exaggerated that I honestly thought there was no way he'd believe it."
With the help of peers at the radio station, Visscher pulled together an amazingly thorough report. One person, posing as a member of the Sherriff's Department, recounted stories of Bozeman residents who literally froze at their kitchen tables. Duane Barnhart, as a local farmer, tearfully recounted the loss of livestock, frozen solid in the upright position. "He was so good," Visscher said of Barnhart's performance, "he said he wasn't going to worry about it until spring when everything thawed."
Visscher conducted the interview without bringing up the weather, and while his counterpart referenced the cold a couple of times he never directly asked, either. "It was just a normal interview," Visscher said, but the moment it ended "he called (ASU's head) football coach and told him that people in Bozeman are freezing to death inside their homes, that livestock are dying instantly in the fields, that people have to rub Vaseline on their clothes and skin just to stay alive."
While Visscher and his companions had a laugh and went about their business, the hoax set off a wild chain of events in Arkansas. "That radio station in Arkansas was going nuts," Visscher said, a reminder that in the day and age before the internet and weather cams and instant access to information anywhere else on the planet person-to-person contact was all we had. Arkansas State's radio man "called their head coach and told him people in Bozeman were freezing to death in their homes, livestock froze upright in the fields, people were being told to rub Vaseline on their skin and clothes to stay alive. And keep in mind, you can't really confirm any of this then, you can't find information by just going to your phone or computer."
ASU began making plans to have powerful heaters flown in for their sideline, looked into special uniform supplements, explored every conceivable precautionary measure. "He goes on the air with this story," as Visscher recalls, and it made its way onto local television stations and into the local newspaper. But phone calls to a meteorologist and then to Bobcat Athletics confirmed for the Jonesboro denizens that while it was winter in Bozeman, there was definitely nothing close to what was described happening.
Eventually, according to Visscher, "The guy realized he'd been had. It was just meant to be a joke, but it didn't go over very well down there."
The game, played on December 1, 1984, kicked off on a cloudy day of 33 degrees, not unlike what's expected today. All went smoothly, especially for the Bobcats. ASU jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Montana State scored 31 straight to win easily.
And the hoax? "Everybody said (the Arkansas State radio man) was looking for me, and like a coward I ducked him all day." As a prologue to the story, Visscher said that at some point in the 1990s, a person approached him at a remote in Bozeman and told him he was from Jonesboro and remembered well the day a Montana radio personality momentarily threw a serious scare into the Arkansas State football program.
Memory
Montana State's only meeting with a Colonial Athletic Association opponent, the New Hampshire playoff game in 2011, brings to mind great memories for Bobcat fans.
Trailing 19-9 in the last minute of the first half, Bobcat quarterback DeNarius McGhee capped a wild second with a two-yard touchdown run to bring MSU within 19-16 at halftime. The 35 points the teams combined for before halftime only set up a defensive struggle for the final two quarters. McGhee's 37-yard run early in the third quarter – he ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns that day, and threw for 167 more – gave the Cats a 23-19 lead. Jason Cunningham's short field goal early in the fourth quarter set up a fateful, dramatic ending.
With Montana State leading 26-19 and 1:16 to play, New Hampshire pinned the Cats directly in front of a raucous student crowd in the Sonny Holland End Zone. Three straight runs preceded three UNH time outs, and Rory Perez trotted out to punt the ball away. But in frigid conditions, he hit a 23-yarder that gave the Wildcats possession on the 29-yard line. On the second play, Kevin Decker tossed a scoring strike to Justin Mello, and the game was apparently headed for overtime.
But the fun was only beginning. On the PAT, Steven "Big Play Beth" Bethley managed to get a hand on the kick, and it fluttered wide of the right upright. The Bobcat bench, obviously, lost it, storming the field, drawing a penalty, and when MSU recovered the on-side kick the student section followed suit. New Hamsphire's coach cited those students as a factor in MSU's win.
But that's not the whole story because 35 years earlier nearly that exact scenario, involving the same two teams, played out in the same stadium. With 7:02 to play, New Hampshire scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass, but a missed extra point left the Bobcats clinging to a 17-16 lead. The Bobcats failed on a fourth-and-one on their next possession, forced a UNH three-and-out, then after another Bobcat punt held New Hampshire on four downs to clinch the win.
One of New Hampshire's starters on that day in 1976 was Sean McDonnell, who as the head coach of his alma mater led the Wildcats back to Bozeman in 2011. McDonnell's 21st season as the program's leader was interrupted this fall for health issues, and certainly everyone associated with Bobcat Football wishes him and his family the very best.
All-Time Series: Montana State has never faced UAlbany. The Bobcats' only meeting against a team from the Colonial Athletic Association was the thrilling 26-25 win against New Hampshire in 2011.
In the Post-Season: MSU stands 11-9-2 in all post-season games, including a 1-1-2 record in bowl games. The Cats are 10-8 all-time in NCAA Playoff games, including 3-0 in the Division II Playoffs and 7-8 in the I-AA/FCS Playoffs.
In Bozeman: The Cats enter today's game 7-3 in post-season home games.
At Opponent: Montana State has never played a football game at UAlbany, or in the state of New York. MSU is 1-5 in road playoff games, losing five straight.
Streaks and Stuff
By winning the 1976 and 1984 National Championships, the Bobcats won their first six NCAA Playoff games. Since then, the Cats have not won two straight and have not lost more than two in a row.
Here's a Good Story
It began as a little practical joke, played by one radio man on another, but by the time it reached its conclusion a portion of eastern Arkansas was convinced it was traveling to Bozeman to meet its demise.
Montana State finished the 1984 season on an amazing roll, capping a seven-game win streak to close the regular season with a victory at Fresno State of the FBS. The Bobcats were hot, but local radio legend Dave Visscher, a broadcaster at KBOZ-AM at the time, came up with a thought. "I had this idea that because they're coming from Arkansas of course they'll be concerned about the weather," Visscher said.
One of the funniest people you'll meet, Visscher quickly put his plan in motion, and sprung it on Arkansas State's unsuspecting play-by-play man on Tuesday of game week. "I had an interview lined up with their radio guy, and I thought I'd play a little practical joke on him," Visscher said. "I had no idea how far it would go."
The premise was simple. As the guest from Arkansas was waiting on hold for the pre-arranged interview, he would hear news and weather reports of an apocalyptic cold spell that had descended upon Bozeman. Visscher "cleared it with our listeners the best I could, letting them know that everything they would hear was fake and there was no need for alarm." And when his southern guest was on the line, Visscher laid it on thick.
"When he called in I said, 'Thanks for calling in a little early, I'll put you on hold real quick then I'll be right with you,'" Visscher said. "So while he was on hold he heard what was on the radio station, a news report of this fictional, horrible, mammoth cold spell and arctic blast that was hitting the area. It was so exaggerated that I honestly thought there was no way he'd believe it."
With the help of peers at the radio station, Visscher pulled together an amazingly thorough report. One person, posing as a member of the Sherriff's Department, recounted stories of Bozeman residents who literally froze at their kitchen tables. Duane Barnhart, as a local farmer, tearfully recounted the loss of livestock, frozen solid in the upright position. "He was so good," Visscher said of Barnhart's performance, "he said he wasn't going to worry about it until spring when everything thawed."
Visscher conducted the interview without bringing up the weather, and while his counterpart referenced the cold a couple of times he never directly asked, either. "It was just a normal interview," Visscher said, but the moment it ended "he called (ASU's head) football coach and told him that people in Bozeman are freezing to death inside their homes, that livestock are dying instantly in the fields, that people have to rub Vaseline on their clothes and skin just to stay alive."
While Visscher and his companions had a laugh and went about their business, the hoax set off a wild chain of events in Arkansas. "That radio station in Arkansas was going nuts," Visscher said, a reminder that in the day and age before the internet and weather cams and instant access to information anywhere else on the planet person-to-person contact was all we had. Arkansas State's radio man "called their head coach and told him people in Bozeman were freezing to death in their homes, livestock froze upright in the fields, people were being told to rub Vaseline on their skin and clothes to stay alive. And keep in mind, you can't really confirm any of this then, you can't find information by just going to your phone or computer."
ASU began making plans to have powerful heaters flown in for their sideline, looked into special uniform supplements, explored every conceivable precautionary measure. "He goes on the air with this story," as Visscher recalls, and it made its way onto local television stations and into the local newspaper. But phone calls to a meteorologist and then to Bobcat Athletics confirmed for the Jonesboro denizens that while it was winter in Bozeman, there was definitely nothing close to what was described happening.
Eventually, according to Visscher, "The guy realized he'd been had. It was just meant to be a joke, but it didn't go over very well down there."
The game, played on December 1, 1984, kicked off on a cloudy day of 33 degrees, not unlike what's expected today. All went smoothly, especially for the Bobcats. ASU jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Montana State scored 31 straight to win easily.
And the hoax? "Everybody said (the Arkansas State radio man) was looking for me, and like a coward I ducked him all day." As a prologue to the story, Visscher said that at some point in the 1990s, a person approached him at a remote in Bozeman and told him he was from Jonesboro and remembered well the day a Montana radio personality momentarily threw a serious scare into the Arkansas State football program.
Memory
Montana State's only meeting with a Colonial Athletic Association opponent, the New Hampshire playoff game in 2011, brings to mind great memories for Bobcat fans.
Trailing 19-9 in the last minute of the first half, Bobcat quarterback DeNarius McGhee capped a wild second with a two-yard touchdown run to bring MSU within 19-16 at halftime. The 35 points the teams combined for before halftime only set up a defensive struggle for the final two quarters. McGhee's 37-yard run early in the third quarter – he ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns that day, and threw for 167 more – gave the Cats a 23-19 lead. Jason Cunningham's short field goal early in the fourth quarter set up a fateful, dramatic ending.
With Montana State leading 26-19 and 1:16 to play, New Hampshire pinned the Cats directly in front of a raucous student crowd in the Sonny Holland End Zone. Three straight runs preceded three UNH time outs, and Rory Perez trotted out to punt the ball away. But in frigid conditions, he hit a 23-yarder that gave the Wildcats possession on the 29-yard line. On the second play, Kevin Decker tossed a scoring strike to Justin Mello, and the game was apparently headed for overtime.
But the fun was only beginning. On the PAT, Steven "Big Play Beth" Bethley managed to get a hand on the kick, and it fluttered wide of the right upright. The Bobcat bench, obviously, lost it, storming the field, drawing a penalty, and when MSU recovered the on-side kick the student section followed suit. New Hamsphire's coach cited those students as a factor in MSU's win.
But that's not the whole story because 35 years earlier nearly that exact scenario, involving the same two teams, played out in the same stadium. With 7:02 to play, New Hampshire scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass, but a missed extra point left the Bobcats clinging to a 17-16 lead. The Bobcats failed on a fourth-and-one on their next possession, forced a UNH three-and-out, then after another Bobcat punt held New Hampshire on four downs to clinch the win.
One of New Hampshire's starters on that day in 1976 was Sean McDonnell, who as the head coach of his alma mater led the Wildcats back to Bozeman in 2011. McDonnell's 21st season as the program's leader was interrupted this fall for health issues, and certainly everyone associated with Bobcat Football wishes him and his family the very best.
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