Fred Moore
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
BOBCAT HISTORY LESSON: A Look at MSU's Brief Series with Western Illinois, and a Promising Bobcat who Ended Up in Illinois
9/13/2019 9:00:00 AM | Football
Frosty Peters parlayed fame on the 1924 Bobkittens in 1924 into a career at Illinois
Here's a look at the history of Montana State's series with Western Illinois along with some ties to the state of Illinois, which are thin but intriguing in the person of Frosty Peters.
All-Time Series: Montana State leads 3-0, beating the Leathernecks in 1990 and 2018 in Bozeman and 1993 in Macomb.
In Bozeman: The Cats earned a hard-fought 26-23 win a week ago. Troy Andersen rambled for 145 in his first start at quarterback for the Cats, scoring two touchdowns. Those 145 yards accounted for 61% of MSU's 239 total yards, and the Leathernecks gained more yards (317) and first downs (18 to 12) than the Cats. But Montana State finished +1 in turnovers and Tristan Bailey's powerful right leg proved the difference. His two fourth-quarter kicks turned a 23-20 WIU lead into MSU's margin of victory. Bailey finished with four field goals on the game, including the game-tying 50-yarder.
At Opponent: Montana State's season-opening 29-16 win over the Leathernecks in 1993 is the team's only visit to Macomb. Fred Moore's 182 yards fueled the Bobcats' win over No. 25 Western Illinois.
Streaks and Stuff
Montana State's three-game streak is pedestrian enough, having won twice in Bozeman and once in Macomb. A closer look at the series, however, provides some intriguing math. The Bobcats' 26-23 win a season ago was only the program's second win ever by that score. (The first was a 2010 win over Idaho State by the same score.) But the 38-16 win in 1990 and the 29-16 win in 1993 remain the only football games in Bobcat history decided exactly by those scores.
Here's a Good Story
The ties between Bobcat football and the state of Illinois are thin, but there is one intriguing strand. Frosty Peters gained national attention as a member of the Bobkittens (Montana State's freshman squad) in 1924, when he set a world record by converting 17 drop kicks in a 64-0 win against Billings Polytechnic, which would eventually become Rocky Mountain College. As described in the 1925 Montanan: "The feature of the season was the game against the Billings Polytechnic here, in which "Frosty" Peters set a new world's record for drop kicks. Playing only three-quarters of the game, Peters succeeded in booting the oval between the bards seventeen time. Though the record is often referred to as Peters' record, the fact must be emphasized that only perfect co-operation on the part of all members of the team made the record possible." The same recap called "Peters, at quarter, was the outstanding man of the frosh squad." Indeed, Peters captained the freshman team and his brilliance on the gridiron would be proven in future years. But his 17 drop kicks was something of a sham. As referenced by the Montanan, Peters was greatly aided by the willingness of his teammates to 'lay down,' halting scoring runs before they reached the end zone to provide Peters short kicks. A native of Iowa who had moved to Billings with his family – his father worked on the railroad - Peters had graduated from Billings High. He transferred to the University of Illinois in 1925, again playing on the freshman squad in a program that featured senior Red Grange. His performance quickly earned him mention as "The Second Red Grange," but Peters never quite lived up to that billing. He lettered in football for the Illini in 1926-28-29, missing the 1927 season with a knee injury, and starred on Illinois' famed track and field track and field team. He participated in the 1930 East-West Shrine Game and played for the NFL's Providence Steam Roller in the ensuing fall. He scored one touchdown in 12 games for Providence, moved to the Portsmouth for the final three games that same season, played for the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931, and played in one game for the Chicago Cardinals in 1932. He played two more seasons in the minor league AFL before hanging up his football togs, but he also dabbled in baseball during these years. Peters played some minor league ball in the 1930s, then in 1937 attended George Barr's Umpire School in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which began a career that saw him umpire professionally until 1946. He was assaulted during a game by an American Association manager. After the punishment was handed out – a $100 fine and five-day suspension – Peters resigned in protest and because of what he saw as an invitation to violence. Peters also trained airmen at the University of Michigan during World War II. Peters died in 1980 in Decatur, Illinois. (Biographical information courtesy University of Illinois Archives)
Memory
Butch Damberger, Montana State's defensive line coach in 1993: "I remember being on the field during warmups (before the 1993 game between MSU and Western Illinois), and your eyes just kind of went to one of their guys. It was like, 'Whoa, that guy's different.'" 'That guy' was Western Illinois safety Rodney Harrison, who enjoyed a successful NFL career with the Chargers and Patriots. He helped lead both teams to the Super Bowl.
All-Time Series: Montana State leads 3-0, beating the Leathernecks in 1990 and 2018 in Bozeman and 1993 in Macomb.
In Bozeman: The Cats earned a hard-fought 26-23 win a week ago. Troy Andersen rambled for 145 in his first start at quarterback for the Cats, scoring two touchdowns. Those 145 yards accounted for 61% of MSU's 239 total yards, and the Leathernecks gained more yards (317) and first downs (18 to 12) than the Cats. But Montana State finished +1 in turnovers and Tristan Bailey's powerful right leg proved the difference. His two fourth-quarter kicks turned a 23-20 WIU lead into MSU's margin of victory. Bailey finished with four field goals on the game, including the game-tying 50-yarder.
At Opponent: Montana State's season-opening 29-16 win over the Leathernecks in 1993 is the team's only visit to Macomb. Fred Moore's 182 yards fueled the Bobcats' win over No. 25 Western Illinois.
Streaks and Stuff
Montana State's three-game streak is pedestrian enough, having won twice in Bozeman and once in Macomb. A closer look at the series, however, provides some intriguing math. The Bobcats' 26-23 win a season ago was only the program's second win ever by that score. (The first was a 2010 win over Idaho State by the same score.) But the 38-16 win in 1990 and the 29-16 win in 1993 remain the only football games in Bobcat history decided exactly by those scores.
Here's a Good Story
The ties between Bobcat football and the state of Illinois are thin, but there is one intriguing strand. Frosty Peters gained national attention as a member of the Bobkittens (Montana State's freshman squad) in 1924, when he set a world record by converting 17 drop kicks in a 64-0 win against Billings Polytechnic, which would eventually become Rocky Mountain College. As described in the 1925 Montanan: "The feature of the season was the game against the Billings Polytechnic here, in which "Frosty" Peters set a new world's record for drop kicks. Playing only three-quarters of the game, Peters succeeded in booting the oval between the bards seventeen time. Though the record is often referred to as Peters' record, the fact must be emphasized that only perfect co-operation on the part of all members of the team made the record possible." The same recap called "Peters, at quarter, was the outstanding man of the frosh squad." Indeed, Peters captained the freshman team and his brilliance on the gridiron would be proven in future years. But his 17 drop kicks was something of a sham. As referenced by the Montanan, Peters was greatly aided by the willingness of his teammates to 'lay down,' halting scoring runs before they reached the end zone to provide Peters short kicks. A native of Iowa who had moved to Billings with his family – his father worked on the railroad - Peters had graduated from Billings High. He transferred to the University of Illinois in 1925, again playing on the freshman squad in a program that featured senior Red Grange. His performance quickly earned him mention as "The Second Red Grange," but Peters never quite lived up to that billing. He lettered in football for the Illini in 1926-28-29, missing the 1927 season with a knee injury, and starred on Illinois' famed track and field track and field team. He participated in the 1930 East-West Shrine Game and played for the NFL's Providence Steam Roller in the ensuing fall. He scored one touchdown in 12 games for Providence, moved to the Portsmouth for the final three games that same season, played for the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931, and played in one game for the Chicago Cardinals in 1932. He played two more seasons in the minor league AFL before hanging up his football togs, but he also dabbled in baseball during these years. Peters played some minor league ball in the 1930s, then in 1937 attended George Barr's Umpire School in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which began a career that saw him umpire professionally until 1946. He was assaulted during a game by an American Association manager. After the punishment was handed out – a $100 fine and five-day suspension – Peters resigned in protest and because of what he saw as an invitation to violence. Peters also trained airmen at the University of Michigan during World War II. Peters died in 1980 in Decatur, Illinois. (Biographical information courtesy University of Illinois Archives)
Memory
Butch Damberger, Montana State's defensive line coach in 1993: "I remember being on the field during warmups (before the 1993 game between MSU and Western Illinois), and your eyes just kind of went to one of their guys. It was like, 'Whoa, that guy's different.'" 'That guy' was Western Illinois safety Rodney Harrison, who enjoyed a successful NFL career with the Chargers and Patriots. He helped lead both teams to the Super Bowl.
Players Mentioned
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