BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 70 Days Until Kickoff
6/26/2021 2:00:00 PM | Football
A look at the No. 70 in Bobcat football history...
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 2021 football season at Wyoming on September 4.
#70
Holden Sampson, OL: If you're of a certain age, seeing 'Sampson' penned in as an inside offensive linemen for the Bobcats probably brings back good memories. Holden Sampson's cousin Shaun Sampson played for the Cats from 2009-12, earning Fourth Team All-America honors in 2012 as a senior center. He snared First Team All-Big Sky honors that same season. Holden Sampson is also a smart player, with the ability to man either guard spot and possibly center at some point. Continued physical development could boost him into playing time as a redshirt freshman this season.
Spotlight – Jon Borchardt: In an era when Montana State's football team steamrolled teams with a bruising ground game, Jon Borchardt was one of the program's primary steamrollers. He was a fast and physical player who dominated opponents physically early in his career, and often. He enjoyed a long NFL career after leaving Bozeman. But former MSU athletic trainer Chuck Karnop remembers Borchardt for something quite different. An aspiring medical professional before the NFL draft changed his career path, Karnop describes long, quiet conversations about the human body and its anatomical functions. Borchardt was a tremendous student, carrying a GPA better than 3.35 through his course of study in microbiology, but at the end of the day football was his calling card. He was a two-time First Team All-Big Sky selection, earning First Team All-America honors after his senior season.
Chronology: Gene Beekman (1956), Arjay Godston (1957), John Bietenduefel (1959-60), Purnal Whitehead (1966-68), Alan Bone (1969), Kelly Adams (1971), Gary Egerton (1972-73), Jeff Conley (1974), Jon Borchardt (1975-78), Jeff Bedey (1979-80), Mark Baker (1982), Steve Vestman (1983-4), Shawn Stump (1985-89), Travis Savage (1991), Tony Vico (1992), Tom Brinan (1994-95), Greg Kapitzke (1996-97), Jesse Miller (1999), Justin Garrett (2000-01), Chris Haynes (2003), Dominic Sonsini (2005-07), Anthony Patterson (2008), Killian Fitzpatrick (2010), John Weidenaar (2011), Joel Horn (2012-15), Alex Neale (2016-18), Holden Sampson (2020-).
Bonus Note for #70: If Purnal Whitehead never really knew where he was playing when he was a three-year starting lineman for the Bobcats in the late 1960s, you couldn't blame him. The Kalispell product started on the defensive line as a sophomore in 1966, then moved across the line of scrimmage to start at defensive tackle in 1967. As a senior in 1968 Whitehead was back on defense, starting at left tackle. Whitehead, whose son Kurt was a standout at Wyoming for Bobcat legend Joe Tiller, started for three straight Big Sky title teams at MSU.
#70
Holden Sampson, OL: If you're of a certain age, seeing 'Sampson' penned in as an inside offensive linemen for the Bobcats probably brings back good memories. Holden Sampson's cousin Shaun Sampson played for the Cats from 2009-12, earning Fourth Team All-America honors in 2012 as a senior center. He snared First Team All-Big Sky honors that same season. Holden Sampson is also a smart player, with the ability to man either guard spot and possibly center at some point. Continued physical development could boost him into playing time as a redshirt freshman this season.
Spotlight – Jon Borchardt: In an era when Montana State's football team steamrolled teams with a bruising ground game, Jon Borchardt was one of the program's primary steamrollers. He was a fast and physical player who dominated opponents physically early in his career, and often. He enjoyed a long NFL career after leaving Bozeman. But former MSU athletic trainer Chuck Karnop remembers Borchardt for something quite different. An aspiring medical professional before the NFL draft changed his career path, Karnop describes long, quiet conversations about the human body and its anatomical functions. Borchardt was a tremendous student, carrying a GPA better than 3.35 through his course of study in microbiology, but at the end of the day football was his calling card. He was a two-time First Team All-Big Sky selection, earning First Team All-America honors after his senior season.
Chronology: Gene Beekman (1956), Arjay Godston (1957), John Bietenduefel (1959-60), Purnal Whitehead (1966-68), Alan Bone (1969), Kelly Adams (1971), Gary Egerton (1972-73), Jeff Conley (1974), Jon Borchardt (1975-78), Jeff Bedey (1979-80), Mark Baker (1982), Steve Vestman (1983-4), Shawn Stump (1985-89), Travis Savage (1991), Tony Vico (1992), Tom Brinan (1994-95), Greg Kapitzke (1996-97), Jesse Miller (1999), Justin Garrett (2000-01), Chris Haynes (2003), Dominic Sonsini (2005-07), Anthony Patterson (2008), Killian Fitzpatrick (2010), John Weidenaar (2011), Joel Horn (2012-15), Alex Neale (2016-18), Holden Sampson (2020-).
Bonus Note for #70: If Purnal Whitehead never really knew where he was playing when he was a three-year starting lineman for the Bobcats in the late 1960s, you couldn't blame him. The Kalispell product started on the defensive line as a sophomore in 1966, then moved across the line of scrimmage to start at defensive tackle in 1967. As a senior in 1968 Whitehead was back on defense, starting at left tackle. Whitehead, whose son Kurt was a standout at Wyoming for Bobcat legend Joe Tiller, started for three straight Big Sky title teams at MSU.
Players Mentioned
OL
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