BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 29 Days Before Kickoff, and a Look at a 29-carry Night in Texas
8/2/2019 9:00:00 AM | Football
Shane Perry is a scrappy running back looking for a role in the Bobcat offense
August 2: 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.
#29
Shane Perry, RB: You never know when your chance will come. Midway through the first quarter in Montana State's home playoff game against Incarnate Word last November, Shane Perry got his chance. The redshirt freshman running back who hadn't seen much playing time during his first season on the Bobcat varsity took a handoff and burst through a hole for eight yards. Then, Perry suffered an injury that forced him onto the shelf for the rest of the year, proving that you also never know when your chance will slip away. Still, Perry enters his sophomore season with the respect of the Bobcat coaching staff and competing for a spot in MSU's running backs rotation.
29 – Carries by Cody Kirk against Southern Methodist in 2013
The Bobcats couldn't quite close the deal on that steamy night in Dallas, when SMU overcame a fourth-quarter MSU lead to snatch a 31-30 win. Cody Kirk was part and parcel of Montana State's near upset, with his 29 carries accounting for 107 yards. Kirk got the Bobcats on the board with 2:23 remaining in the first quarter to give the Cats an 8-2 lead, the closed MSU's scoring with a 12-yard run with 9:28 to play in the third quarter to push Montana State's lead to 30-19. Two SMU field goals gave the Mustangs a chance, and Darius Joseph caught a four-yard pass from Gail Gilbert with 12 seconds remaining to give SMU its 31-30 margin of victory. Kirk's 107-yard rushing performance is the most recent by a Bobcat against an FBS squad, and one of only three such achievements by a Bobcat this century (David Mayfield vs. Wyoming in 2003, Ryan Johnson vs. Washington State in 2001).
Chronology: Fred Harrar (1930), Farrell Griffin (1931), Bill Benson (1934), Don Cosner (1937), Max Stark (1940), Jess Hodgson (1941), Don Dunn (1946), John Gardiner (1947), Owen Speaker (1948), George Grossman (1949), Darwin Rosin (1953), Cecil Kent (1954-55), Doug Kimball (1982-85), Tim Friez (1986-89), Craig Cavey (1990-91), Chris Novasio (1992), Saul Heikkila (1993), Ramsey Alexander (1995), Barry Baumann (1996), Matt Winstron (1999), Marquise Myers (2001), Michael Williams (2002-04), Brian Williams (2005-06), Jimmy Ekumah (2008-09), Cole Moore (2010-11), Fe'ao Vunipola (2012-13), Brandon Davis (2014), West Wilson (2015-17), Kaleb Winterburn (2018), Shane Perry (2019-)
Other #29 Notes: As chronicled by historian and author John D. Lukacs, the story of Max Stark – who wore #29 in 1940 – was amazing. While working at Lockheed Martin in California one summer he helped assemble an airplane for Amelia Earhart, delivered newspapers to Hollywood stars, coached a state championship football team at St. Ignatius in 1948, started wrestling and tennis programs at Polson High... the patchwork of random occurrences and achievements form a beautiful quilt of a life. He taught and coached in western Montana for nearly four decades, and according to a story by Vince Devlin in the Missoulian (March 25, 2003) he book-ended his career by hitchhiking to Montana when he was 13 and spending five years in Alaska after his retirement. In between he impacted so many people in their formative years, most significantly his own 10 children. Numbered among them is legendary Bobcat track and field coach Rob Stark. Max was born in a cabin in the Bitterroot in 1916 and passed away in 2003, and in the middle of it all was a brilliant time at Montana State College in Bozeman. He starred in football and basketball, was Vice President of the Future Farmers organization (he majored in ag business), in an oddity was listed as a junior three consecutive editions of The Montanan annual (1940-41-42), played football and lived in the Pi Kappa Alpha house and walked the beautiful Bozeman campus with the Golden Ghosts, those 13 pre-war Bobcats who made the ultimate sacrifice in America's war effort, and became a lasting part of the legacy of Bobcat football and Montana State University… When Doug Kimball left the Bobcat football program, he possessed just about every kind of honor a college football player can earn. The Chester product, part of a wave of Kimball brothers to the MSU program, was a Big Sky Champion, a National Champion, an All-America, and a First Team All-Big Sky choice. Most impressively, the man called by the school's exceptional SID Bruce Parker "the brains of the secondary" in the 1984 media guide, he was an Academic All-America… Every good football program produces productive walk-ons, players that may not become stars but who contribute in ways not easily measured but which stand as uniquely important. West Wilson was one of those players, a willing and productive special teams standout from 2013-17 who was one of the most outgoing and east-to-get-along-with Bobcats of his era. He also carried with him sublime taste in pro sports teams into the work force, when after graduating from MSU he landed a job working for Major League Baseball.
#29
Shane Perry, RB: You never know when your chance will come. Midway through the first quarter in Montana State's home playoff game against Incarnate Word last November, Shane Perry got his chance. The redshirt freshman running back who hadn't seen much playing time during his first season on the Bobcat varsity took a handoff and burst through a hole for eight yards. Then, Perry suffered an injury that forced him onto the shelf for the rest of the year, proving that you also never know when your chance will slip away. Still, Perry enters his sophomore season with the respect of the Bobcat coaching staff and competing for a spot in MSU's running backs rotation.
29 – Carries by Cody Kirk against Southern Methodist in 2013
The Bobcats couldn't quite close the deal on that steamy night in Dallas, when SMU overcame a fourth-quarter MSU lead to snatch a 31-30 win. Cody Kirk was part and parcel of Montana State's near upset, with his 29 carries accounting for 107 yards. Kirk got the Bobcats on the board with 2:23 remaining in the first quarter to give the Cats an 8-2 lead, the closed MSU's scoring with a 12-yard run with 9:28 to play in the third quarter to push Montana State's lead to 30-19. Two SMU field goals gave the Mustangs a chance, and Darius Joseph caught a four-yard pass from Gail Gilbert with 12 seconds remaining to give SMU its 31-30 margin of victory. Kirk's 107-yard rushing performance is the most recent by a Bobcat against an FBS squad, and one of only three such achievements by a Bobcat this century (David Mayfield vs. Wyoming in 2003, Ryan Johnson vs. Washington State in 2001).
Chronology: Fred Harrar (1930), Farrell Griffin (1931), Bill Benson (1934), Don Cosner (1937), Max Stark (1940), Jess Hodgson (1941), Don Dunn (1946), John Gardiner (1947), Owen Speaker (1948), George Grossman (1949), Darwin Rosin (1953), Cecil Kent (1954-55), Doug Kimball (1982-85), Tim Friez (1986-89), Craig Cavey (1990-91), Chris Novasio (1992), Saul Heikkila (1993), Ramsey Alexander (1995), Barry Baumann (1996), Matt Winstron (1999), Marquise Myers (2001), Michael Williams (2002-04), Brian Williams (2005-06), Jimmy Ekumah (2008-09), Cole Moore (2010-11), Fe'ao Vunipola (2012-13), Brandon Davis (2014), West Wilson (2015-17), Kaleb Winterburn (2018), Shane Perry (2019-)
Other #29 Notes: As chronicled by historian and author John D. Lukacs, the story of Max Stark – who wore #29 in 1940 – was amazing. While working at Lockheed Martin in California one summer he helped assemble an airplane for Amelia Earhart, delivered newspapers to Hollywood stars, coached a state championship football team at St. Ignatius in 1948, started wrestling and tennis programs at Polson High... the patchwork of random occurrences and achievements form a beautiful quilt of a life. He taught and coached in western Montana for nearly four decades, and according to a story by Vince Devlin in the Missoulian (March 25, 2003) he book-ended his career by hitchhiking to Montana when he was 13 and spending five years in Alaska after his retirement. In between he impacted so many people in their formative years, most significantly his own 10 children. Numbered among them is legendary Bobcat track and field coach Rob Stark. Max was born in a cabin in the Bitterroot in 1916 and passed away in 2003, and in the middle of it all was a brilliant time at Montana State College in Bozeman. He starred in football and basketball, was Vice President of the Future Farmers organization (he majored in ag business), in an oddity was listed as a junior three consecutive editions of The Montanan annual (1940-41-42), played football and lived in the Pi Kappa Alpha house and walked the beautiful Bozeman campus with the Golden Ghosts, those 13 pre-war Bobcats who made the ultimate sacrifice in America's war effort, and became a lasting part of the legacy of Bobcat football and Montana State University… When Doug Kimball left the Bobcat football program, he possessed just about every kind of honor a college football player can earn. The Chester product, part of a wave of Kimball brothers to the MSU program, was a Big Sky Champion, a National Champion, an All-America, and a First Team All-Big Sky choice. Most impressively, the man called by the school's exceptional SID Bruce Parker "the brains of the secondary" in the 1984 media guide, he was an Academic All-America… Every good football program produces productive walk-ons, players that may not become stars but who contribute in ways not easily measured but which stand as uniquely important. West Wilson was one of those players, a willing and productive special teams standout from 2013-17 who was one of the most outgoing and east-to-get-along-with Bobcats of his era. He also carried with him sublime taste in pro sports teams into the work force, when after graduating from MSU he landed a job working for Major League Baseball.
Players Mentioned
Leon Costello Press Conference: Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center
Thursday, July 31
A Conversation with President Dr. Waded Cruzado | Montana State Athletics
Monday, May 19
Big Cats, Little Trucks - Willie Patterson
Wednesday, May 03
Matt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, May 03
