BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 72 Days Before Kickoff We Look at an Early Bobcat Team
6/20/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
TJ Session is a bright young prospective lineman from California
June 20: 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.
#72
TJ Session, OL: Vista Murietta High School produced 3,000 total yards and 35 touchdowns in 2018, and offensive lineman TJ Session was a big part of that. He earned all-league, all-area and Division I All-CIF first team honors as a senior, and joins the Bobcat program as another big-bodied young offensive lineman to build depth and productivity in that area.
72(.5) – Inches in height of H.C. Thompson, starting left guard of the 1899 Montana State football team.
Highlighting Thompson is really nothing more than a ruse, a veiled excuse to write about the 1899 Montana State football team. Under the direction of Professor William Brewer, who was actively involved in the school's athletic program for many decades, a group of Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts loosely organized into a football team in the fall of 1896. There was talk of a Thanksgiving game that didn't materialize, and some evidence that a game or scrimmage against Gallatin County High was pulled together, but no official record of a game or true team exists, or rather, there is conflicting evidence of what exactly happened in the fall of 1896. The first official record of Montana State football is the fall of 1897, when the College first played the University, and three games against two different high schools. MSAC – as it was most commonly known then – played Montana State University twice in 1898, losing both. In 1899 the College won all three of its contests, beating Montana in Bozeman and Missoula and also topping Helena High to take the mythical state championship. Here then, from the December 1899 Exponent, is an introduction to the first truly successful Montana State football team:
"J.A. Elliott is a new man at the game this year, and proved to be a good man. He held the position of center, weighs one hundred and seventy pounds, and stands 5 feet 8 ½ inches high. He is 21 years old, and says he is going to do wonders next year on the gridiron.
Our next man is Left Guard H.C. Thompson; he is a boy wonder, he stands 6 ft ½ in. in his stockings, and tips the scales 195 lbs. He is 22 years old and is a new man at the game this year. He says he might play next year.
F. Ervin proved to be a stone wall at right guard. He weighs 174 pounds and stands 5 ft. 11 in. in height. He is a new man at the game and has many more yaers yet to play; he is a youth of 22 summers. He has a bright future in the football world.
F.G. Willson occupied the position of right tackle. He weighs 159 pounds and stands 5 ft. 9 ½ in. in height. This is his third year at the game, and it has been rumored that he is 21 years old.
R.M. Flaharty (sic), left tackle, is also a new man at foot ball. He is a member of the Flaherty Trio. He weighs 178 pounds, stands 5 ft., 9 in., and is 19 years old. Dick says it is lots of fun and he is going to try it again next year.
W.A. Flaherty is an old-timer on the team. This is his third year. He holds the position of right end, and is going to hold it next year, if nothing happens. He is also a member of the Flaherty Trio.
C.D. Flaherty, left end, is in his third year and expects to try it again next fall. He stands 5ft. 8 in, weighs 148 pounds and is 20 years old. He played a hard, fast game and says they never touched him.
Next comes one of the most important positions on the team – that is quarter back. W.C. Jeffers held it down and if he returns next year will make an interesting candidate for that position. He is 18 years old, weighs 143 pounds and is 5 ft. 7 in. tall. This is his second year at the game.
J.C. Jeffers, left half back and captain, is a hard man to stop when he gets his mits (sic) on the ball. He was on last year's team and won so much fame that he was elected captain of this year's team. He is 20 years old, stands 5 ft 8 in. and weighs 160 lbs.
C.C. Parker, right half back is a new man on the foot ball field, but nevertheless he plays the game like a veteran. He is 19 years old, weighs 140 lbs. and stands 5 ft. 9 in. without any shoes on. W.J. Adams, coach, occupied the position of full back and punctured many lines, this is his first year on the team. When he entered college last September, he volunteered to coach the team and has been successful enough to bring the team to the top notch. He weighs 150 lbs., stands 5 ft. 6 in. and is 21 years old.
Schabarker is a good all around player and is on the sub. List; he was substitute on last year's team. He weighs 145 lbs., stands 5ft. 8 ½ in. and is 19 years old.
W. Morris is a hard man to run up against; he weighs 164 lbs. and is a fine man. He is 20 years old and he stands 5 ft. 10 ½ in. He is on the sub. List and will make a strong candidate next year.
L.R. King is a promising candidate for next year's team. He is substitute on the team and plays a good game when called upon. He is 17 years old, weighs 145 lbs. and stands 5 ft. 10 in."
…
'99 has been a season of unbroken victory, due very largely to the coaching and playing of Adams. The first game of the season, in Missoula, was won by a fine run of Adams, about three-fourths the length of the field, making the score 6 to 0. When the team stopped in Helen on the way home, they were in poor condition for a game, but nevertheless won a victory of 11 to 6 from the Helena Juniors. The game in Bozeman with the University was an easy victory for the college by a score of 38 to 0.
…
The football team of '99 is by far the best team the college has ever had, thought it has lost Waters, Miller, Collins, Sloan and Moore, who played in '98. Will and Charley Flaherty, Clifford and Clarence Jeffers, and Willson are the only members of the old team who played this year."
Chronology: Arjay Godston (1956), Bob Ernst (1957), Kenneth Young (1959), Ken Young (1960-61), Bob Hampton (1964), Dave Simpson (1965-66), Alan Wilson (1969), Dan Archer (1970), Pat Boyd (1971), Dan Finley (1973), Erik Sirs (1974-75), Chris Jensen (1976), Bob Balzer (1977-79), Steve Cornellier (1980-84), Greg Gammon (1985), Bill Wemple (1986), Travis Annette (1987-91), Monty Wilson (1992-96), Paul Diercks (1997-2001), Garin Brewton (2002-04), Mike Person (2006-10), Stephen Memory (2011), Charles Lee (2012-13), Colin Hammock (2015-)
#72 Notes: There are your average, run-of-the-mill days. There are good days. And then there are days like the one Mike Person enjoyed on April 30, 2011. Late that afternoon, with his father Jim, the unassuming Glendive product watched the San Francisco 49ers select him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. A few hours later, he became the first Bobcat in nearly a decade to win the Montana AAU Little Sullivan Award as the state's top amateur male athlete. For the next seven seasons Person lived his dream by playing in the NFL, and he enters 2018 back with the team that drafted him. All of this comes on the heels of one of the finest playing careers in Bobcat football history. Person started his last 40 games as a Bobcat, earning First Team All-Big Sky honors twice and becoming a consensus All-America as a senior. A team captain his senior season, Person's unrelenting intensity and passion helped spur the team to that 2010 conference championship.
#72
TJ Session, OL: Vista Murietta High School produced 3,000 total yards and 35 touchdowns in 2018, and offensive lineman TJ Session was a big part of that. He earned all-league, all-area and Division I All-CIF first team honors as a senior, and joins the Bobcat program as another big-bodied young offensive lineman to build depth and productivity in that area.
72(.5) – Inches in height of H.C. Thompson, starting left guard of the 1899 Montana State football team.
Highlighting Thompson is really nothing more than a ruse, a veiled excuse to write about the 1899 Montana State football team. Under the direction of Professor William Brewer, who was actively involved in the school's athletic program for many decades, a group of Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts loosely organized into a football team in the fall of 1896. There was talk of a Thanksgiving game that didn't materialize, and some evidence that a game or scrimmage against Gallatin County High was pulled together, but no official record of a game or true team exists, or rather, there is conflicting evidence of what exactly happened in the fall of 1896. The first official record of Montana State football is the fall of 1897, when the College first played the University, and three games against two different high schools. MSAC – as it was most commonly known then – played Montana State University twice in 1898, losing both. In 1899 the College won all three of its contests, beating Montana in Bozeman and Missoula and also topping Helena High to take the mythical state championship. Here then, from the December 1899 Exponent, is an introduction to the first truly successful Montana State football team:
"J.A. Elliott is a new man at the game this year, and proved to be a good man. He held the position of center, weighs one hundred and seventy pounds, and stands 5 feet 8 ½ inches high. He is 21 years old, and says he is going to do wonders next year on the gridiron.
Our next man is Left Guard H.C. Thompson; he is a boy wonder, he stands 6 ft ½ in. in his stockings, and tips the scales 195 lbs. He is 22 years old and is a new man at the game this year. He says he might play next year.
F. Ervin proved to be a stone wall at right guard. He weighs 174 pounds and stands 5 ft. 11 in. in height. He is a new man at the game and has many more yaers yet to play; he is a youth of 22 summers. He has a bright future in the football world.
F.G. Willson occupied the position of right tackle. He weighs 159 pounds and stands 5 ft. 9 ½ in. in height. This is his third year at the game, and it has been rumored that he is 21 years old.
R.M. Flaharty (sic), left tackle, is also a new man at foot ball. He is a member of the Flaherty Trio. He weighs 178 pounds, stands 5 ft., 9 in., and is 19 years old. Dick says it is lots of fun and he is going to try it again next year.
W.A. Flaherty is an old-timer on the team. This is his third year. He holds the position of right end, and is going to hold it next year, if nothing happens. He is also a member of the Flaherty Trio.
C.D. Flaherty, left end, is in his third year and expects to try it again next fall. He stands 5ft. 8 in, weighs 148 pounds and is 20 years old. He played a hard, fast game and says they never touched him.
Next comes one of the most important positions on the team – that is quarter back. W.C. Jeffers held it down and if he returns next year will make an interesting candidate for that position. He is 18 years old, weighs 143 pounds and is 5 ft. 7 in. tall. This is his second year at the game.
J.C. Jeffers, left half back and captain, is a hard man to stop when he gets his mits (sic) on the ball. He was on last year's team and won so much fame that he was elected captain of this year's team. He is 20 years old, stands 5 ft 8 in. and weighs 160 lbs.
C.C. Parker, right half back is a new man on the foot ball field, but nevertheless he plays the game like a veteran. He is 19 years old, weighs 140 lbs. and stands 5 ft. 9 in. without any shoes on. W.J. Adams, coach, occupied the position of full back and punctured many lines, this is his first year on the team. When he entered college last September, he volunteered to coach the team and has been successful enough to bring the team to the top notch. He weighs 150 lbs., stands 5 ft. 6 in. and is 21 years old.
Schabarker is a good all around player and is on the sub. List; he was substitute on last year's team. He weighs 145 lbs., stands 5ft. 8 ½ in. and is 19 years old.
W. Morris is a hard man to run up against; he weighs 164 lbs. and is a fine man. He is 20 years old and he stands 5 ft. 10 ½ in. He is on the sub. List and will make a strong candidate next year.
L.R. King is a promising candidate for next year's team. He is substitute on the team and plays a good game when called upon. He is 17 years old, weighs 145 lbs. and stands 5 ft. 10 in."
…
'99 has been a season of unbroken victory, due very largely to the coaching and playing of Adams. The first game of the season, in Missoula, was won by a fine run of Adams, about three-fourths the length of the field, making the score 6 to 0. When the team stopped in Helen on the way home, they were in poor condition for a game, but nevertheless won a victory of 11 to 6 from the Helena Juniors. The game in Bozeman with the University was an easy victory for the college by a score of 38 to 0.
…
The football team of '99 is by far the best team the college has ever had, thought it has lost Waters, Miller, Collins, Sloan and Moore, who played in '98. Will and Charley Flaherty, Clifford and Clarence Jeffers, and Willson are the only members of the old team who played this year."
Chronology: Arjay Godston (1956), Bob Ernst (1957), Kenneth Young (1959), Ken Young (1960-61), Bob Hampton (1964), Dave Simpson (1965-66), Alan Wilson (1969), Dan Archer (1970), Pat Boyd (1971), Dan Finley (1973), Erik Sirs (1974-75), Chris Jensen (1976), Bob Balzer (1977-79), Steve Cornellier (1980-84), Greg Gammon (1985), Bill Wemple (1986), Travis Annette (1987-91), Monty Wilson (1992-96), Paul Diercks (1997-2001), Garin Brewton (2002-04), Mike Person (2006-10), Stephen Memory (2011), Charles Lee (2012-13), Colin Hammock (2015-)
#72 Notes: There are your average, run-of-the-mill days. There are good days. And then there are days like the one Mike Person enjoyed on April 30, 2011. Late that afternoon, with his father Jim, the unassuming Glendive product watched the San Francisco 49ers select him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. A few hours later, he became the first Bobcat in nearly a decade to win the Montana AAU Little Sullivan Award as the state's top amateur male athlete. For the next seven seasons Person lived his dream by playing in the NFL, and he enters 2018 back with the team that drafted him. All of this comes on the heels of one of the finest playing careers in Bobcat football history. Person started his last 40 games as a Bobcat, earning First Team All-Big Sky honors twice and becoming a consensus All-America as a senior. A team captain his senior season, Person's unrelenting intensity and passion helped spur the team to that 2010 conference championship.
Players Mentioned
OL
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