BOBCAT CALENDAR: Wally Lemm's One Season at Montana State Began Today in 1955, Part of a Long Coaching Odyssey
9/17/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
One-time Bobcat head football and basketball coach also made several NFL stops
A look at September 17 in Bobcat football history...
September 17
SPOTLIGHT: Montana State opened the 1955 season on today's date, edging Lewis & Clark of Portland 7-6. It was the Bobcat debut for new head coach Wally Lemm, promoted from the 1954 staff.
Wally Lemm's coaching career at Montana State was pretty mediocre. His 1955 Bobcat grid squad, the only one he led, finished 4-4-1. The season was neither good, nor bad. On one hand, it tied the school's second-best since World War II. On the other, it was sandwiched between the remarkable 1954 season, an 8-1 campaign that was a controversial ending in Missoula away from perfect, and the 1956 National Championship campaign. So Wally Lemm's tenure is a footnote in Montana State football history, but his 1955 season is only one short chapter in the story of his long, remarkable coaching career.
A graduate of Carroll College in Wisconsin, Lemm's career began as an assistant at Notre Dame in 1945. In 1946 he coached Waukesha High School, and from 1947-53 he coached small college football (Carroll in 1946-47, Lake Forest in 1949-53), before joining Tony Storti's staff at Montana State in 1954. After that breakthrough Bobcat season, Storti left the sideline to enter private business in Bozeman and President Roland Renne and Athletic Director Brick Breeden tabbed Lemm to lead the school's football fortunes.
The Cats came out of the gates strong, winning four of the first six games, but the team didn't score in its final three losses (Idaho State, Montana, and Whitworth). Months later, though, the coaching vagabond was gone and Storti moved back into the Bobcat head coach's chair. That began an amazing odyssey for the Chicago native, who left Montana State to become an NFL assistant with the Chicago Cardinals. In 1957 he returned to the college ranks, becoming Lake Forest's head coach, but in 1959 was again on the Cardinals sideline. He spent one season at Soldier Field, and when the Cardinals moved to St. Louis Lemm kept going south to the Houston Oilers of the new American Football League (AFL). Lemm joined Lou Rymkus' original Oilers coaching staff, and the star-studded squad that included George Blanda and Billy Cannon won the first AFL title. After a 1-3-1 start in 1961, though, Rymkus was fired and in his stead Lemm led the team to its second straight AFL crown. Lemm verbally agreed to a contract to return to the Oilers in 1962, but instead resigned in February and became the head coach of the Cardinals. Lemm replaced his former boss Pop Ivey in St. Louis, and Ivey replaced Lemm in Houston. After a 4-9-1 debut in 1062, Lemm's Cardinals were 9-5 in 1963 and 9-3-2 in 1964. St. Louis fell to 5-9 in 1965, but Lemm resigned after the season, returning to Houston for his second stint with the Oilers. His Houston squads were occasionally competitive, but had the misfortune of running into the twin buzz saws of the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders and after five seasons of 21-31-4 he retired.
A journalism major during his playing days at Carroll, Lemm commanded a torpedo boat in World War II. In addition to his one 4-4-1 season at Montana State, Lemm led the Bobcat men's basketball team to an 11-16 mark in 1954-55. He passed away in 1988 at the age of 69.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2016 - MSU 55, Western Oregon 0 - This was Montana State's most recent shutout and most recent game against a non-Division I opponent.
2011 - MSU 43, Minot St 7
2005 - at Cal Poly 38, MSU 10
1994 - at Weber St 41, MSU 13
1988 - MSU 35, at EWU 13
1983 - Idaho 23, MSU 0
1977 - MSU 24, at North Dakota State 17
1966 - MSU 50, at Portland St 7
1960 - MSU 6, at North Dakota 6
1955 - MSU 7, Lewis & Clark 6
1948 - Utah St 31, MSU 6 - Night game
1938 - at Texas Tech 35, MSU 0
September 17
SPOTLIGHT: Montana State opened the 1955 season on today's date, edging Lewis & Clark of Portland 7-6. It was the Bobcat debut for new head coach Wally Lemm, promoted from the 1954 staff.
Wally Lemm's coaching career at Montana State was pretty mediocre. His 1955 Bobcat grid squad, the only one he led, finished 4-4-1. The season was neither good, nor bad. On one hand, it tied the school's second-best since World War II. On the other, it was sandwiched between the remarkable 1954 season, an 8-1 campaign that was a controversial ending in Missoula away from perfect, and the 1956 National Championship campaign. So Wally Lemm's tenure is a footnote in Montana State football history, but his 1955 season is only one short chapter in the story of his long, remarkable coaching career.
A graduate of Carroll College in Wisconsin, Lemm's career began as an assistant at Notre Dame in 1945. In 1946 he coached Waukesha High School, and from 1947-53 he coached small college football (Carroll in 1946-47, Lake Forest in 1949-53), before joining Tony Storti's staff at Montana State in 1954. After that breakthrough Bobcat season, Storti left the sideline to enter private business in Bozeman and President Roland Renne and Athletic Director Brick Breeden tabbed Lemm to lead the school's football fortunes.
The Cats came out of the gates strong, winning four of the first six games, but the team didn't score in its final three losses (Idaho State, Montana, and Whitworth). Months later, though, the coaching vagabond was gone and Storti moved back into the Bobcat head coach's chair. That began an amazing odyssey for the Chicago native, who left Montana State to become an NFL assistant with the Chicago Cardinals. In 1957 he returned to the college ranks, becoming Lake Forest's head coach, but in 1959 was again on the Cardinals sideline. He spent one season at Soldier Field, and when the Cardinals moved to St. Louis Lemm kept going south to the Houston Oilers of the new American Football League (AFL). Lemm joined Lou Rymkus' original Oilers coaching staff, and the star-studded squad that included George Blanda and Billy Cannon won the first AFL title. After a 1-3-1 start in 1961, though, Rymkus was fired and in his stead Lemm led the team to its second straight AFL crown. Lemm verbally agreed to a contract to return to the Oilers in 1962, but instead resigned in February and became the head coach of the Cardinals. Lemm replaced his former boss Pop Ivey in St. Louis, and Ivey replaced Lemm in Houston. After a 4-9-1 debut in 1062, Lemm's Cardinals were 9-5 in 1963 and 9-3-2 in 1964. St. Louis fell to 5-9 in 1965, but Lemm resigned after the season, returning to Houston for his second stint with the Oilers. His Houston squads were occasionally competitive, but had the misfortune of running into the twin buzz saws of the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders and after five seasons of 21-31-4 he retired.
A journalism major during his playing days at Carroll, Lemm commanded a torpedo boat in World War II. In addition to his one 4-4-1 season at Montana State, Lemm led the Bobcat men's basketball team to an 11-16 mark in 1954-55. He passed away in 1988 at the age of 69.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2016 - MSU 55, Western Oregon 0 - This was Montana State's most recent shutout and most recent game against a non-Division I opponent.
2011 - MSU 43, Minot St 7
2005 - at Cal Poly 38, MSU 10
1994 - at Weber St 41, MSU 13
1988 - MSU 35, at EWU 13
1983 - Idaho 23, MSU 0
1977 - MSU 24, at North Dakota State 17
1966 - MSU 50, at Portland St 7
1960 - MSU 6, at North Dakota 6
1955 - MSU 7, Lewis & Clark 6
1948 - Utah St 31, MSU 6 - Night game
1938 - at Texas Tech 35, MSU 0
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