BOBCAT CALENDAR 1924: Montana State Rolls Out Dominant Defense
6/1/2020 4:00:00 PM | Football
Bobcats post the program's best record between the World Wars
96 Years Ago – 1924
June 1: Each day leading to Montana State's 2020 season opener, scheduled for September 5, we will look at the season as many years ago as it is days until kickoff of the Gold Rush game.
99 YEARS AGO – It may not have been an upset of epic proportions, but it was a might big win for the Bobcats. With Montana State "outplaying the Utah team from every angle of football" in the Bobcats home opener, MSC shut out the Cougars 13-0, with the commentary out of the Great Falls Tribune. That win set a fairly shocking early-season trend, as Montana State shut out the team's first three opponents. The Cats beat Centerville, a club team from Butte, 31-0, then hammered the Colorado State Teachers (now Northern Colorado) 59-0. The season-opening magic ended with an 18-17 loss at Wyoming in the team's first road game, but on that same trip the Cats tied Denver 0-0 in front of 6,000 fans, believed to be the biggest crowd to watch a Montana State team play to that point. That marked the end of league play and the return to dominance, as Montana State whipped Intermountain Union (68-0) and Montana Tech (86-0), both on the road, to close the season.
The most disappointing element of the 1924 season was that Montana State and Montana didn't meet on the gridiron. In addition to the occasional complaints about poor sportsmanship that happened to flare up in the mid-1920s, and difficulty finding an acceptable date, which may or may not have been a legitimate claim, issues regarding eligibility also existed. The schools belonged to different conferences – Montana to the Northwest Conference, Montana State to the Rocky Mountain – and the leagues maintained different standards for eligibility of players. An agreement for standards to govern the 1924 was never reached.
MOST COMMON STARTING LINEUP: Center-Francis Wilson, Guard-Vander Dobeus, Guard-Fran Cowan, Tackle-Bill Bawden, Tackle-Arthur Olsen, End-Val Glynn, End-Adolph Hartwig, Quarterback-Herb Winner, Halfback-Tracy McGuinn/Frank Hatfield, Halfback-Tenney Babcock, Fullback-Earl Gregory.
POST-SEASON HONORS: All-America – none. All-Rocky Mountain – (1st) Val Glynn, E. (2nd) Vander Dobeus, G). All-State – (1st) Frank Hatfield, Val Glynn, Vander Dobeus, Bill Bawden, Earl Gregory. (2nd) Tracy McGuinn, Arthur Olson, Herb Winner, Francis Wilson, Adolph Hartwig, Frank Cowan.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: none
ROCKY MOUNTAIN STANDINGS: The Bobcats again played only three Rocky Mountain games, but by finishing 1-1-1 showed ability to compete against members of its new-found league home. In fact, Montana State proved that right out of the gate by topping BYU at home, 13-0.
NOTES 'N' STUFF: While Montana State's offense drew praise across the region, it was the defense that turned in a historically great performance. The Bobcats averaged 39.1 points a game, but 154 of the team's 274 points came in season-closing wins at Intermountain Union (68-0) and Montana Tech (86-0). That stratospheric scoring record is the team's highest average in the single-platoon era but it isn't completely out of line with the 1923 and 1925 teams. Montana State averaged 30.2 points the year before the 1924 scoring explosion, and followed that with a 27.0 scoring average. Defensively, though, the 1924 Bobcats allowed only 18 points all season… and they all came in a single road game, an 18-17 loss at Wyoming. Montana State held six of its seven opponents scoreless.
June 1: Each day leading to Montana State's 2020 season opener, scheduled for September 5, we will look at the season as many years ago as it is days until kickoff of the Gold Rush game.
99 YEARS AGO – It may not have been an upset of epic proportions, but it was a might big win for the Bobcats. With Montana State "outplaying the Utah team from every angle of football" in the Bobcats home opener, MSC shut out the Cougars 13-0, with the commentary out of the Great Falls Tribune. That win set a fairly shocking early-season trend, as Montana State shut out the team's first three opponents. The Cats beat Centerville, a club team from Butte, 31-0, then hammered the Colorado State Teachers (now Northern Colorado) 59-0. The season-opening magic ended with an 18-17 loss at Wyoming in the team's first road game, but on that same trip the Cats tied Denver 0-0 in front of 6,000 fans, believed to be the biggest crowd to watch a Montana State team play to that point. That marked the end of league play and the return to dominance, as Montana State whipped Intermountain Union (68-0) and Montana Tech (86-0), both on the road, to close the season.
The most disappointing element of the 1924 season was that Montana State and Montana didn't meet on the gridiron. In addition to the occasional complaints about poor sportsmanship that happened to flare up in the mid-1920s, and difficulty finding an acceptable date, which may or may not have been a legitimate claim, issues regarding eligibility also existed. The schools belonged to different conferences – Montana to the Northwest Conference, Montana State to the Rocky Mountain – and the leagues maintained different standards for eligibility of players. An agreement for standards to govern the 1924 was never reached.
MOST COMMON STARTING LINEUP: Center-Francis Wilson, Guard-Vander Dobeus, Guard-Fran Cowan, Tackle-Bill Bawden, Tackle-Arthur Olsen, End-Val Glynn, End-Adolph Hartwig, Quarterback-Herb Winner, Halfback-Tracy McGuinn/Frank Hatfield, Halfback-Tenney Babcock, Fullback-Earl Gregory.
POST-SEASON HONORS: All-America – none. All-Rocky Mountain – (1st) Val Glynn, E. (2nd) Vander Dobeus, G). All-State – (1st) Frank Hatfield, Val Glynn, Vander Dobeus, Bill Bawden, Earl Gregory. (2nd) Tracy McGuinn, Arthur Olson, Herb Winner, Francis Wilson, Adolph Hartwig, Frank Cowan.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: none
ROCKY MOUNTAIN STANDINGS: The Bobcats again played only three Rocky Mountain games, but by finishing 1-1-1 showed ability to compete against members of its new-found league home. In fact, Montana State proved that right out of the gate by topping BYU at home, 13-0.
NOTES 'N' STUFF: While Montana State's offense drew praise across the region, it was the defense that turned in a historically great performance. The Bobcats averaged 39.1 points a game, but 154 of the team's 274 points came in season-closing wins at Intermountain Union (68-0) and Montana Tech (86-0). That stratospheric scoring record is the team's highest average in the single-platoon era but it isn't completely out of line with the 1923 and 1925 teams. Montana State averaged 30.2 points the year before the 1924 scoring explosion, and followed that with a 27.0 scoring average. Defensively, though, the 1924 Bobcats allowed only 18 points all season… and they all came in a single road game, an 18-17 loss at Wyoming. Montana State held six of its seven opponents scoreless.
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