BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 99 Days Until Footaball!
5/29/2020 3:02:00 PM | Football
One Bobcat who wore No. 99 found a little-traveled path from Dillon to the MSU football program
May 29: Bobcats by the Numbers takes a look at current and past Bobcats whose jersey numbers correspond to the number of days remaining before Montana State opens the 2020 football season against Long Island in Bobcat Stadium's annual Gold Rush game.
#99
Trey Yates, DT: Every player that pulls on the Blue and Gold deserves to build their own legacy, to build a resume on his own successes and failures and his own personality. Not everyone arrives at Montana State with a clean slate, though, and Trey Yates is one whose name rings familiar and whose presence certainly carries some significance even before his first practice. His brother, Tucker Yates, played nose tackle for the Cats from 2015-18, and his very last regular season play at MSU was the goal line stand in Missoula in 2018. Trey Yates brings a skills portfolio similar to his brother's – he is strong and athletic, with a wrestler's agility and good savvy on the interior of the defensive line.
Bobcat Spotlight: #99 – The Bobcat football team didn't produce a winning season from the 1984 National Championship until Cliff Hysell's second season as head coach in 1993, but the program produced some outstanding defensive players during that time, for sure. Jon Wanago, Todd Graves, Jon Skelton, Corey Widmer, Jason Hakert… it's a strong list. Matt Christiansen was a scrappy linebacker who rose to a starter's role by his senior season in 1991, when his 55 tackles was good for a fifth-place tie on that squad. He was friendly and outgoing away from football, has remained a loyal Bobcat, and his daughter, Kylie, is now a member of the Bobcat track and field squad. But Christiansen was something of an oddity in the Bobcat football program. Montana State's 1946 roster featured a player who apparently didn't letter named William McMannis. From the time he left his pads and helmet behind until Christiansen arrived, a quick (non-exhaustive) glance at Bobcat football rosters found no players who called Dillon their hometown. In the couple of decades after Christiansen left only Bryant Munday, who spent a season as a redshirt offensive lineman, qualifies. That makes MSU's current run on Dillon-area stars all the more impressive. Beginning with Monte Folsom in 2014, the Bobcats have had at least one player from Dillon ever since: Monte Folsom (2014-16), Ben Folsom (2015-17), Kyle Finch (2016-present), Troy Andersen (2017-present), and RJ Fitzgerald (2017-present) have each played prominent roles for the Bobcats. Before 1930 roster data is pretty sketchy, but here are the Bobcats from Dillon gathered from information available until World War II: Frank Hatfield, (1922-24), Dewey Cashmore (1922-24), and Monk Cashmore (1927). Hatfield was team captain in 1924, earning all-state honors in 1922 and '24.
Chronology: Tom Powell (1975), Dick Lyman (1974, '76), Chris Jensen (1977), Jim Missel (1979-80), Gregg Wilks (1984), Tom Jacobs (1985-87), Matt Christiansen (1988-91), Dallen Bjerkness (1992-96), Jarrod Beekley (1997-98), Carson Souter (1999), William Kofe (2000), Aaron Ware (2001), Nick Barbero (2002-03), Aaron Papich (2004-07), Brian Bignell (2008-12), Dallas Hayes (2013), Marcus Ferriter (2015-19).
#99 Notes: Since jersey number 99 emerged on Bobcat rosters in 1975, players from either Montana or Washington have worn that jersey number all but eight seasons.
#99
Trey Yates, DT: Every player that pulls on the Blue and Gold deserves to build their own legacy, to build a resume on his own successes and failures and his own personality. Not everyone arrives at Montana State with a clean slate, though, and Trey Yates is one whose name rings familiar and whose presence certainly carries some significance even before his first practice. His brother, Tucker Yates, played nose tackle for the Cats from 2015-18, and his very last regular season play at MSU was the goal line stand in Missoula in 2018. Trey Yates brings a skills portfolio similar to his brother's – he is strong and athletic, with a wrestler's agility and good savvy on the interior of the defensive line.
Bobcat Spotlight: #99 – The Bobcat football team didn't produce a winning season from the 1984 National Championship until Cliff Hysell's second season as head coach in 1993, but the program produced some outstanding defensive players during that time, for sure. Jon Wanago, Todd Graves, Jon Skelton, Corey Widmer, Jason Hakert… it's a strong list. Matt Christiansen was a scrappy linebacker who rose to a starter's role by his senior season in 1991, when his 55 tackles was good for a fifth-place tie on that squad. He was friendly and outgoing away from football, has remained a loyal Bobcat, and his daughter, Kylie, is now a member of the Bobcat track and field squad. But Christiansen was something of an oddity in the Bobcat football program. Montana State's 1946 roster featured a player who apparently didn't letter named William McMannis. From the time he left his pads and helmet behind until Christiansen arrived, a quick (non-exhaustive) glance at Bobcat football rosters found no players who called Dillon their hometown. In the couple of decades after Christiansen left only Bryant Munday, who spent a season as a redshirt offensive lineman, qualifies. That makes MSU's current run on Dillon-area stars all the more impressive. Beginning with Monte Folsom in 2014, the Bobcats have had at least one player from Dillon ever since: Monte Folsom (2014-16), Ben Folsom (2015-17), Kyle Finch (2016-present), Troy Andersen (2017-present), and RJ Fitzgerald (2017-present) have each played prominent roles for the Bobcats. Before 1930 roster data is pretty sketchy, but here are the Bobcats from Dillon gathered from information available until World War II: Frank Hatfield, (1922-24), Dewey Cashmore (1922-24), and Monk Cashmore (1927). Hatfield was team captain in 1924, earning all-state honors in 1922 and '24.
Chronology: Tom Powell (1975), Dick Lyman (1974, '76), Chris Jensen (1977), Jim Missel (1979-80), Gregg Wilks (1984), Tom Jacobs (1985-87), Matt Christiansen (1988-91), Dallen Bjerkness (1992-96), Jarrod Beekley (1997-98), Carson Souter (1999), William Kofe (2000), Aaron Ware (2001), Nick Barbero (2002-03), Aaron Papich (2004-07), Brian Bignell (2008-12), Dallas Hayes (2013), Marcus Ferriter (2015-19).
#99 Notes: Since jersey number 99 emerged on Bobcat rosters in 1975, players from either Montana or Washington have worn that jersey number all but eight seasons.
Players Mentioned
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