BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS: 44 Days Until Kickoff
7/22/2021 4:14:00 PM | Football
A look at the no. 44 in MSU 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.
#44
Daniel Hardy, LB: When Daniel Hardy joined the Bobcat program as a sophomore after one season of junior college football, the consensus on the MSU coaching staff was that signing him then would be MSU's only real chance to nab him because an extra year of development would have had FBS and possibly Power 5 programs in the bidding. Three years later, that point of view seems prescient. Hardy has gained strength, maintained his explosive speed, and as he begins his senior season as a starting defensive end enthusiasm is high surrounding his new position.
Spotlight – Shaun Ross: Coaching transitions are generally never easy in college football, and Montana State's 2000 season stands as a stark example. The Bobcats didn't win a game in Mike Kramer's first season, and among the team's regular starters only Shaun Ross and Arie Grey were seniors. But those two were fantastic seniors, and their leadership – and the work done under trying circumstances – resonated through the program's return to Big Sky glory. After moving to defensive tackle from end, Ross logged 45 tackles, 11 for loss, with three sacks. He played with a fury that would provide an example for soon-to-be-brilliant D-line talents such as Adam Cordeiro and Jon Montoya. All these years later Ross remains in Bozeman, serving for a while on the computer science faculty before taking a position in the private sector. Ross came to MSU, where his uncle Rocky Ross served as a long-time faculty member, from Stevensville.
Chronology: Tenney Babcock (1926), James Watters (1927), Leonard Scharmota (1940), Carl Fye (1941), George Rumberger (1946-47), John Hansen (1948), Don Hammer (1949), Ed Keil (1950), Ray Moore (1953), Wayne Weiler (1954-55), Geo. Marinkovich (1956), Dennis Campbell (1957-59), Jerry Johnson (1960-61), Will Fennel (1963), Ben Vaughn (1964-66), Sandy Cooprider (1967-68), Eb Edmon (1969-70), Bruce Robinson (1971), Mike Davis (1972-74), Scott Hoard (1975-78), John Johnson (1979-80), Rodney Holland (1982), Stephon Wilson (1983), Darin Dietrich (1984-85), Eric Miller (1986), Trent Croaker (1987-89), Anthony Cordova (1990), Todd Graves (1991), Morgan Harris (1992-96), Shaun Ross (1997-00), Greg Moore (2001), Eric Laumatia (2002), Epikopo King (2003-07), Matt Harris (2008-09), Aleksei Grosulak (2010-13), Koni Dole (2014-17), Jacob Byrne (2018), Daniel Hardy (2018-)
#44
Daniel Hardy, LB: When Daniel Hardy joined the Bobcat program as a sophomore after one season of junior college football, the consensus on the MSU coaching staff was that signing him then would be MSU's only real chance to nab him because an extra year of development would have had FBS and possibly Power 5 programs in the bidding. Three years later, that point of view seems prescient. Hardy has gained strength, maintained his explosive speed, and as he begins his senior season as a starting defensive end enthusiasm is high surrounding his new position.
Spotlight – Shaun Ross: Coaching transitions are generally never easy in college football, and Montana State's 2000 season stands as a stark example. The Bobcats didn't win a game in Mike Kramer's first season, and among the team's regular starters only Shaun Ross and Arie Grey were seniors. But those two were fantastic seniors, and their leadership – and the work done under trying circumstances – resonated through the program's return to Big Sky glory. After moving to defensive tackle from end, Ross logged 45 tackles, 11 for loss, with three sacks. He played with a fury that would provide an example for soon-to-be-brilliant D-line talents such as Adam Cordeiro and Jon Montoya. All these years later Ross remains in Bozeman, serving for a while on the computer science faculty before taking a position in the private sector. Ross came to MSU, where his uncle Rocky Ross served as a long-time faculty member, from Stevensville.
Chronology: Tenney Babcock (1926), James Watters (1927), Leonard Scharmota (1940), Carl Fye (1941), George Rumberger (1946-47), John Hansen (1948), Don Hammer (1949), Ed Keil (1950), Ray Moore (1953), Wayne Weiler (1954-55), Geo. Marinkovich (1956), Dennis Campbell (1957-59), Jerry Johnson (1960-61), Will Fennel (1963), Ben Vaughn (1964-66), Sandy Cooprider (1967-68), Eb Edmon (1969-70), Bruce Robinson (1971), Mike Davis (1972-74), Scott Hoard (1975-78), John Johnson (1979-80), Rodney Holland (1982), Stephon Wilson (1983), Darin Dietrich (1984-85), Eric Miller (1986), Trent Croaker (1987-89), Anthony Cordova (1990), Todd Graves (1991), Morgan Harris (1992-96), Shaun Ross (1997-00), Greg Moore (2001), Eric Laumatia (2002), Epikopo King (2003-07), Matt Harris (2008-09), Aleksei Grosulak (2010-13), Koni Dole (2014-17), Jacob Byrne (2018), Daniel Hardy (2018-)
Players Mentioned
DE
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