BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 81 Days Before Kickoff
6/11/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
Two very different men combined to turn Montana State football around in the late 20th and early 21st centuries
June 11: In addition to a quick look at players wearing the jersey number corresponding to the number of days remaining until Montana State's season opener at Texas Tech on August 31, Bobcats by the Numbers brings you another tidbit or two aligning with that number.
#81
Jabarri Johnson, WR: Jabarri Johnson posted a brilliant junior campaign for the Bobcats in 2017, finishing second on the team with 28 catches, 443 receiving yards, and four touchdown receptions. An off-season injury has cast doubt on the status for Johnson entering 2018, but he is in the process of both rehabilitating the knee and regaining a year of eligibility.
81 – The number of combined wins by head coaches Cliff Hysell (41, 1992-99) and Mike Kramer (40, 2000-06).
It's hard to explain to people who didn't live through it how Montana State fell from the ranks of National Championship contenders from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s, but by the time Cliff Hysell was hired to coach his alma mater's football program in December, 1991, the Cats hadn't posted a winning season since the 1984 national title season. The 1992 Bobcats doubled the team's win total to four, and followed with a 7-4 campaign in 1993. Hysell's teams won more than they lost four times, but after a 3-8 season health issues sent Hysell into an early retirement and Mik Kramer was summoned back to Bozeman after a successful tenure as head coach at Eastern Washington. Kramer had been a Bobcat assistant in the '80s. His first team went winless, but a 5-6 2001 season showed the team was pointed in the right direction. Then the Bobcats dramatically won the Big Sky in 2002, 2003 and 2005, and made it back to the playoffs in 2006. By the time of Kramer's dismissal the following spring it was clear that he was able to complete the work begun by Hysell in turning Montana State football around.
Chronology: Bob Surdam (1956-57), Dick Nawotczynski (1959), Bill Cords (1960-61), Dick Larson (1963-64), Randy Pederson (1966-67), Tim Dunn (1969), Mark Nelson (1971), John McCaffrey (1973-75), Jeff Muri (1976), Toby Alt (1977-80), Mike Carle (1982), Mike Carrington (1983), Rob Fulton (1984-85), Von Narcisse (1986), Jerrod Watson (1987-88), Don Starke (1990), Scott Patchett (1991), Lance Reithmeier (1992), Mike Gollaher (1993-94), Eric East (1995-98), Seth Rorem (1999, Aaron Den Hartog (2000-01), Aaron Hill (2002), Branton Sherman (2003-04), Jevon Miller (2005), Kyle Begger (2006-2010), Michael Perryman (2011), Jacob Stanton (2013-14), Alex Tennant (2015), Dalton Daum (2016), Jabarri Johnson (2017-)
Other #81 Notes: Branton Sherman is an interesting side note in Bobcat football history, a walk-on receiver in 2003-04 who appeared to have a bright future but departed after his redshirt freshman season. He is best known now as Richard Sherman's big brother… Aaron "Tiger" Hill arrived at MSU in a flash in the fall of 2002, helping boost the Bobcats to the program's first Big Sky title since1984 by catching 47 passes for 721 yards. He led the team with nine touchdown catches. But the Oregon State transfer was gone just as fast, leaving MSU after that brilliant season… Bill Cords entered college athletics as a scrappy three-year starting end for the Bobcat football team, but became a national figure two-and-a-half decades later at a school that hasn't fielded a football team since his sophomore year at Montana State. The Butte High School product started at left end all three seasons, rolling up 26 catches for 510 yards and five touchdowns for Herb Agocs' squad. After his outstanding Bobcat career Cords coached and taught in the high school ranks of his native Montana before joining Washington State's athletic department in 1971. Cords held down a number of roles at Wazzou, including freshman football head coach, assistant varsity football coach, intramural director, academic advisor, assistant AD, and associate AD, all the while working toward his master's and doctoral degrees, each of which he earned. In 1982 Cords became the AD at UTEP, and five years later took the top post at Marquette. While at Marquette he led the then-Warriors from independent status into the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, a charter membership in the Great Midwest, charter membership in Conference USA, and eventually into its current league, the Big East. During his time at MU, the school's sports programs thrived, capped by the men's basketball team's trip to the 2003 Final Four, and also completely revamped its athletic facilities.
#81
Jabarri Johnson, WR: Jabarri Johnson posted a brilliant junior campaign for the Bobcats in 2017, finishing second on the team with 28 catches, 443 receiving yards, and four touchdown receptions. An off-season injury has cast doubt on the status for Johnson entering 2018, but he is in the process of both rehabilitating the knee and regaining a year of eligibility.
81 – The number of combined wins by head coaches Cliff Hysell (41, 1992-99) and Mike Kramer (40, 2000-06).
It's hard to explain to people who didn't live through it how Montana State fell from the ranks of National Championship contenders from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s, but by the time Cliff Hysell was hired to coach his alma mater's football program in December, 1991, the Cats hadn't posted a winning season since the 1984 national title season. The 1992 Bobcats doubled the team's win total to four, and followed with a 7-4 campaign in 1993. Hysell's teams won more than they lost four times, but after a 3-8 season health issues sent Hysell into an early retirement and Mik Kramer was summoned back to Bozeman after a successful tenure as head coach at Eastern Washington. Kramer had been a Bobcat assistant in the '80s. His first team went winless, but a 5-6 2001 season showed the team was pointed in the right direction. Then the Bobcats dramatically won the Big Sky in 2002, 2003 and 2005, and made it back to the playoffs in 2006. By the time of Kramer's dismissal the following spring it was clear that he was able to complete the work begun by Hysell in turning Montana State football around.
Chronology: Bob Surdam (1956-57), Dick Nawotczynski (1959), Bill Cords (1960-61), Dick Larson (1963-64), Randy Pederson (1966-67), Tim Dunn (1969), Mark Nelson (1971), John McCaffrey (1973-75), Jeff Muri (1976), Toby Alt (1977-80), Mike Carle (1982), Mike Carrington (1983), Rob Fulton (1984-85), Von Narcisse (1986), Jerrod Watson (1987-88), Don Starke (1990), Scott Patchett (1991), Lance Reithmeier (1992), Mike Gollaher (1993-94), Eric East (1995-98), Seth Rorem (1999, Aaron Den Hartog (2000-01), Aaron Hill (2002), Branton Sherman (2003-04), Jevon Miller (2005), Kyle Begger (2006-2010), Michael Perryman (2011), Jacob Stanton (2013-14), Alex Tennant (2015), Dalton Daum (2016), Jabarri Johnson (2017-)
Other #81 Notes: Branton Sherman is an interesting side note in Bobcat football history, a walk-on receiver in 2003-04 who appeared to have a bright future but departed after his redshirt freshman season. He is best known now as Richard Sherman's big brother… Aaron "Tiger" Hill arrived at MSU in a flash in the fall of 2002, helping boost the Bobcats to the program's first Big Sky title since1984 by catching 47 passes for 721 yards. He led the team with nine touchdown catches. But the Oregon State transfer was gone just as fast, leaving MSU after that brilliant season… Bill Cords entered college athletics as a scrappy three-year starting end for the Bobcat football team, but became a national figure two-and-a-half decades later at a school that hasn't fielded a football team since his sophomore year at Montana State. The Butte High School product started at left end all three seasons, rolling up 26 catches for 510 yards and five touchdowns for Herb Agocs' squad. After his outstanding Bobcat career Cords coached and taught in the high school ranks of his native Montana before joining Washington State's athletic department in 1971. Cords held down a number of roles at Wazzou, including freshman football head coach, assistant varsity football coach, intramural director, academic advisor, assistant AD, and associate AD, all the while working toward his master's and doctoral degrees, each of which he earned. In 1982 Cords became the AD at UTEP, and five years later took the top post at Marquette. While at Marquette he led the then-Warriors from independent status into the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, a charter membership in the Great Midwest, charter membership in Conference USA, and eventually into its current league, the Big East. During his time at MU, the school's sports programs thrived, capped by the men's basketball team's trip to the 2003 Final Four, and also completely revamped its athletic facilities.
Players Mentioned
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