George Marinkovich
BOBCATS 125: George Marinkovich
5/2/2022 2:52:00 PM | Football
Montana State's leading ground gainer on the 1956 National Championship team was a military veteran who had played at Rutgers
Leading to the 2022 season, the 125th anniversary of Montana State's first football season, we will look at 125 of the greatest Bobcats. You can find details here.
George Marinkovich, Halfback, 1956-57
ALL-TIME TEAM: None
HONORS: 1957 Honorable Mention All-America, 1956 Honorable Mention All-Rocky Mountain Conference
A CLOSER LOOK: George Marinkovich brought plenty of experience to the Bobcat lineup in 1956, when he claimed starting halfback honors and helped fuel the team's run to the NAIA National Championship. The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, product earned all-state honors in football and basketball, then played football at Rutgers in 1948 and 1949 before spending 1950 with the semi-pro Bethlehem Bulldogs. Marinkovich spent time in the U.S. Navy, and when his time was up he headed west with former Bethlehem classmate Herb Agocs, who coached in the Navy and accepted a job on Tony Storti's coaching staff at Montana State. Marinkovich made an immediate impact, leading the 1956 Rocky Mountain championship twm with 609 rushing yards (and 28 more in the Aluminum Bowl. He was also the team's leading punter and caught three passes. As a senior in 1957, Marinkovich rushed for 246 yards, caught six passes.and again led the team in punting. After graduating Marinkovich helped maintain Montana State's Pennsylvania-Ohio recruiting pipeline as a Bobcat assistant coach from 1958-66. He was Western Montana College's head football coach in 1968, and worked for many years in the Montana University system. He spent many years in Dillon before returning to Pennsylvania in recent years.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT PHIL SCHNEIDER: "He was my freshman coach in 1958 and I absolutely loved him. He was a good football tactician. He expected a lot and he got a lot out of us. He was so soft-spoken, and he'd do a scouting report He was a hell of a coach, and to this day I still speak with him. He's 93."
George Marinkovich, Halfback, 1956-57
ALL-TIME TEAM: None
HONORS: 1957 Honorable Mention All-America, 1956 Honorable Mention All-Rocky Mountain Conference
A CLOSER LOOK: George Marinkovich brought plenty of experience to the Bobcat lineup in 1956, when he claimed starting halfback honors and helped fuel the team's run to the NAIA National Championship. The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, product earned all-state honors in football and basketball, then played football at Rutgers in 1948 and 1949 before spending 1950 with the semi-pro Bethlehem Bulldogs. Marinkovich spent time in the U.S. Navy, and when his time was up he headed west with former Bethlehem classmate Herb Agocs, who coached in the Navy and accepted a job on Tony Storti's coaching staff at Montana State. Marinkovich made an immediate impact, leading the 1956 Rocky Mountain championship twm with 609 rushing yards (and 28 more in the Aluminum Bowl. He was also the team's leading punter and caught three passes. As a senior in 1957, Marinkovich rushed for 246 yards, caught six passes.and again led the team in punting. After graduating Marinkovich helped maintain Montana State's Pennsylvania-Ohio recruiting pipeline as a Bobcat assistant coach from 1958-66. He was Western Montana College's head football coach in 1968, and worked for many years in the Montana University system. He spent many years in Dillon before returning to Pennsylvania in recent years.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT PHIL SCHNEIDER: "He was my freshman coach in 1958 and I absolutely loved him. He was a good football tactician. He expected a lot and he got a lot out of us. He was so soft-spoken, and he'd do a scouting report He was a hell of a coach, and to this day I still speak with him. He's 93."
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