BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 47 Days Before Kickoff We Look at a Great Montanan's Rushing TD Total
7/15/2019 2:56:00 PM | Football
Cody Kirk logged a brilliant Bobcat career, and Callahan O'Reilly hopes to do the same
July 15: 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.
#47
Callahan O'Reilly, LB: Callahan O'Reilly transitioned from quarterback to linebacker in the spring of 2018, 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. O'Reilly enters the 2019 season in competition for starting honors at an inside linebacker position.
47 – Rushing touchdowns by all-time Bobcat great Cody Kirk in his career
It's hard to imagine a better career for a more deserving kid than Cody Kirk, whose work ethic is still spoken of in hushed tones around the Bobcat football program. An undersized back to came to MSU with high hopes but surrounded by modest expectations was raised a Bobcat in enemy territory, and logged a sterling career at Frenchtown High. Kirk gained 3,422 yards in his career, second in school history, but the 47 rushing touchdowns is eye-popping. It's a school record by 18, and one of the 15 best marks in Big Sky history.
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: 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…. 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 of 2018, 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. O'Reilly enters the 2019 season in competition for starting honors at an inside linebacker position.
47 – Rushing touchdowns by all-time Bobcat great Cody Kirk in his career
It's hard to imagine a better career for a more deserving kid than Cody Kirk, whose work ethic is still spoken of in hushed tones around the Bobcat football program. An undersized back to came to MSU with high hopes but surrounded by modest expectations was raised a Bobcat in enemy territory, and logged a sterling career at Frenchtown High. Kirk gained 3,422 yards in his career, second in school history, but the 47 rushing touchdowns is eye-popping. It's a school record by 18, and one of the 15 best marks in Big Sky history.
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: 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…. 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
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