BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 39 Days Until Kickoff, the Cats Stand 5-0 When Scoring Exactly That Many Points
7/23/2019 4:21:00 PM | Football
Cole Oster joins the Bobcat squad as an athletic linebacker
July 23: 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.
#39
Cole Oster, LB: Cole Oster was recruited to MSU as an athletic linebacker from Castle Rock, Colorado, but arrives as a promising running back. He played safety and running back in high school, positions that demand the kind of agility and athleticism that helped prompt the change in plans. He was a two-time all-conference choice in high school, and looks right at home early in fall camp.
39 – Montana State has scored 39 points exactly five times in its football history
The Bobcats own a 5-0 record when scoring exactly 39 points. The first was a 39-18 win over North Dakota State at Gatton Field on November 16, 1946, and the most recent was a 39-32 win at NAU on September 30, 2006. In between the Cats won at Idaho State 39-20 on October 2, 1954, topped Colorado College 39-14 on October 8, 1955, and beat St. Ambrose 39-18 on November 1, 1958.
Chronology: Frank Grady (1926), Richard Ostergren (1937), Bruce Aikins (1940), Alex Haburchak (1941), Jack Blankenhorn (1946), Milt Clawson (1947-48), Les Wheeler (1949), Dick Shaw (1950), Jim Argeris (1953-55), Jesse Jones (1983-86), Nevin Odden (1986-90), Corey Widmer (1991), Jim Lessig (1992), Rob Hankins (1993), Eric Melone (1994-95), Matthew Peot (1998-99), Brandon Eggart (2000-04), Eric Fisher (2005-09), Josh Dirks (2010-12), Noah James (2014), Dylan Stenseth (2015-16), Shawn Borges (2017), Cole Oster (2019-)
Other #39 Notes: There are many candidates for Greatest Nickname in Bobcat Football History. Rip Wilson and Pop Gregory from the '20s, The Calgary Comet Harvey Wylie was a dominant force in the '50s, and of course Iron Tumbleweed Don Hass is an all-timer. But a strong contender played in the mid-1950s, earning All-America honors in 1954. Jim Argeris, the Grinning Greek, was among the terrific Bobcats from Wyoming in the years after World War II. After playing a year of junior college ball in his native state Argeris earned All-Rocky Mountain honors three times, including first team as a center in 1955. The Cats won the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1954, and in Argeris' three seasons as a starter posted a 12-6 league record and returned to the league's peak. Argeris captained his final two Bobcat teams, was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2009, and also wrestled at Montana State. His son Tawn was a brilliant wrestler at Wyoming three decades later… In a span of 15 years three of Montana State's better punters donned #39. Eric Melone averaged 39.7 yards a punt in 1995, Matthew Peot led the nation in punting in 1999, earning First Team All-America honors, and Eric Fisher was tremendous in that role for three seasons. He averaged a bit over 42 yards per punt in that time, and capped his entire memorable time at MSU by reeling in Homecoming King honors as a senior. Fisher is currently a coach at Bozeman High School.
