BOBCAT CALENDAR: Montana State Earned A Win Over Fresno State on September 19, 1981
9/19/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
MSU's win came against the program's former head coach
A look at September 19 throughout Bobcat football history...
September 19
SPOTLIGHT: Through the years Montana State has played many long-standing, traditional intersectional rivalries. The Bobcats played long-standing regular season series against North Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota that each extended more than 15 years, and also faced once and future league foes such as Idaho and Idaho State in non-league tilts.
But among Bobcat fans of a certain age none hold more cache than MSU's long-standing series against Fresno State. Initiated in 1957, the Bobcats have won 16 of the 27 contests played between the schools. The most recent was in 1986, a 55-2 Fresno State thrashing that was unabashedly revenge for the most famous meeting, a stunning 35-31 Bobcat comeback in 1984 that helped MSU secure a high seed in the I-AA Playoffs and eventually capture a National Championship.
One of the more interesting tilts, though, was MSU's final win against the Bulldogs in Bozeman. That occurred on September 19, 1981, when the Cats held on for a 30-26 victory over an FSU team coached by former Montana State mentor Jim Sweeney.
Fresno State was on the board before most of the crowd of 7,127 had found their seats, when Steve Woods ran for a 72-yard touchdown on the game's third play. The Cats responded with a Barry Sullivan run late in the first quarter, then added a Sullivan run late in the second to take a 14-10 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs tied the score early in the second half, but two field goals by Carter and Sullivan's third touchdown of the day gave the Bobcats their victory.
It doesn't take much knowledge of the pride Butte natives take in their hometown to understand the passion in Reno H. Sales Stadium that day. Sweeney, of course, was a product of the Mining City, but so too were Bobcat head coach Sonny Lubick and MSU assistants Mick Delaney, Mick Dennehy and Greg Salo. Cliff Hysell, another MSU assistant coach that day, had played for Sweeney in the Blue and Gold, Bobcat assistant John McMahon had strong ties to the city of Butte, as well, while the program's athletic trainer Chuck Karnop and equipment manager Bob Diamond were present during Sweeney's championship days at MSU.
The Bulldogs visited Bozeman again two years later under much different circumstances, with Sweeney leading his team against the Dave Arnold-coached Bobcats. By this time Hysell had joined his former head coach in Fresno and in its new stadium the FSU program was beginning a run of 12 consecutive non-losing seasons that would land the Bulldogs on the national stage. Sweeney had begun producing future NFL stars such as Henry Ellard, who caught five passes on that day in 1981. But that day was one for the Cats, not the Dogs. Sullivan, also from Butte, rushed for 104 yards and threw for 81, while Tony Boddie netted 147 on the ground. Jim Anderson, from Butte, picked off two passes, while Phil Bruneau logged two sacks.
It had to be a satisfying win for the Bobcats, but that feeling wouldn't last. After a win over Simon Fraser a week later, MSU dropped six of its final seven games. Lubick and his staff were dismissed after the season, and except for the shining 1984 national championship season the Bobcats wandered through the football wilderness for most of the rest of the 20th century.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2015 - at #14 Eastern Washington 55, MSU 50
1998 - MSU 41, Western Washington 12
1992 - MSU 43, Colorado Mesa 0
1987 - at Northern Iowa 53, MSU 7
1981 - MSU 30, Fresno State 26
1970 - North Dakota State 30, MSU 8
1964 - at Wichita State 21, MSU 6
1953 - College of Idaho 38, MSU 26
1931 - at Carroll 6, MSU 0
September 19
SPOTLIGHT: Through the years Montana State has played many long-standing, traditional intersectional rivalries. The Bobcats played long-standing regular season series against North Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota that each extended more than 15 years, and also faced once and future league foes such as Idaho and Idaho State in non-league tilts.
But among Bobcat fans of a certain age none hold more cache than MSU's long-standing series against Fresno State. Initiated in 1957, the Bobcats have won 16 of the 27 contests played between the schools. The most recent was in 1986, a 55-2 Fresno State thrashing that was unabashedly revenge for the most famous meeting, a stunning 35-31 Bobcat comeback in 1984 that helped MSU secure a high seed in the I-AA Playoffs and eventually capture a National Championship.
One of the more interesting tilts, though, was MSU's final win against the Bulldogs in Bozeman. That occurred on September 19, 1981, when the Cats held on for a 30-26 victory over an FSU team coached by former Montana State mentor Jim Sweeney.
Fresno State was on the board before most of the crowd of 7,127 had found their seats, when Steve Woods ran for a 72-yard touchdown on the game's third play. The Cats responded with a Barry Sullivan run late in the first quarter, then added a Sullivan run late in the second to take a 14-10 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs tied the score early in the second half, but two field goals by Carter and Sullivan's third touchdown of the day gave the Bobcats their victory.
It doesn't take much knowledge of the pride Butte natives take in their hometown to understand the passion in Reno H. Sales Stadium that day. Sweeney, of course, was a product of the Mining City, but so too were Bobcat head coach Sonny Lubick and MSU assistants Mick Delaney, Mick Dennehy and Greg Salo. Cliff Hysell, another MSU assistant coach that day, had played for Sweeney in the Blue and Gold, Bobcat assistant John McMahon had strong ties to the city of Butte, as well, while the program's athletic trainer Chuck Karnop and equipment manager Bob Diamond were present during Sweeney's championship days at MSU.
The Bulldogs visited Bozeman again two years later under much different circumstances, with Sweeney leading his team against the Dave Arnold-coached Bobcats. By this time Hysell had joined his former head coach in Fresno and in its new stadium the FSU program was beginning a run of 12 consecutive non-losing seasons that would land the Bulldogs on the national stage. Sweeney had begun producing future NFL stars such as Henry Ellard, who caught five passes on that day in 1981. But that day was one for the Cats, not the Dogs. Sullivan, also from Butte, rushed for 104 yards and threw for 81, while Tony Boddie netted 147 on the ground. Jim Anderson, from Butte, picked off two passes, while Phil Bruneau logged two sacks.
It had to be a satisfying win for the Bobcats, but that feeling wouldn't last. After a win over Simon Fraser a week later, MSU dropped six of its final seven games. Lubick and his staff were dismissed after the season, and except for the shining 1984 national championship season the Bobcats wandered through the football wilderness for most of the rest of the 20th century.
GAMES ON TODAY'S DATE
2015 - at #14 Eastern Washington 55, MSU 50
1998 - MSU 41, Western Washington 12
1992 - MSU 43, Colorado Mesa 0
1987 - at Northern Iowa 53, MSU 7
1981 - MSU 30, Fresno State 26
1970 - North Dakota State 30, MSU 8
1964 - at Wichita State 21, MSU 6
1953 - College of Idaho 38, MSU 26
1931 - at Carroll 6, MSU 0
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