Photo by: Kelly Gorham
BOBCATS 125: Zach Minter
5/28/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Zach Minter dominated Big Sky offensive linemen for three seasons
Leading to the 2022 season, the 125th anniversary of Montana State's first football team, we will look at 125 of the greatest Bobcats. You can find details here and a directory here.
Zach Minter, DT, 2009-12
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: 2nd Team All-America in 2011, 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2011 and 2012... Honorable Mention All-Big Sky in 2010
A CLOSER LOOK: It's hard to describe Zach Minter's presence in the middle of the Montana State defensive line to those who didn't see him play. His short-area quickness was stunning. His ability to slide through the slightest crack in an opposing offensive front was on display every week. He was fast, and athletic, and agile, for any size, but at 6-1 and nearly 300 pounds the combination was nearly breathtaking. And what's more, he turned it into production. A three-year starter who didn't use a redshirt season, he showed flashes of what he would become as a rotational player during the 2009 season, when the MSU defensive line dominated. His 11 total tackles included three for a loss, and two of those were sacks. In 2010, 10 of Minter's 28 tackles came behind the line of scrimmage. That included five sacks, and he intercepted two passes. He logged 10 more tackles-for-loss, including 7.5 sacks, as a junior, and added 8.5 more TFLs and another interception as a senior. Minter earned First Team All-Big Sky honors as a junior and senior, and was Second Team All-America as a junior. He earned Big Sky Player of the Week twice in 2011.
Minter's style and productivity as a Bobcat defensive tackle remain singular, but he is most fondly remembered for his ebullience and humor. He was hilarious, always willing to share a smile or crack wise. He was named "Media Pizza Lunch MVP" for his habit of watching film every week during the weekly media gathering and never turning down the opportunity to share his time and perspective, or a slice of pizza. Minter spent three solid seasons in the CFL and played in two games for the Chicago Bears in 2013. One of the lasting images of Minter as a Bobcat is him rambling down the field and into the end zone on a 2010 pick-six.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT DEFENSIVE LINE COACH BO BECK: "He's the best, he really is. Back in the day when we were recruiting Zach I couldn't believe we had a shot at him. His dad was an athlete, played at Colorado State, and his sister was a big-time athlete, a volleyball player. Me and Rob (Ash, MSU's head coach) went down and saw him, sat in his living room with his parents, and about two hours after we left Zach called when we were in the car and told me he was going to take a trip to NAU. I lost it on him and Rob couldn't believe it, but Zach called the next day and told me, 'I hope we're still good, I want to come to MSU and I'm not going to visit NAU.' Out of all the guys I caoched I think he wast he most athletic. For not being very tall he played big. The pick against Eastern Washington was a play we put in because they ran that angle route with Taiwan Jones. I told him, 'When we do this taht ball's going to hit you right in the chest and you'd better catch it.' And he did! You can't have a better guy than Zach, I have such good memories with him. He was a fun guy to watch, a fun guy to coach, a big personality but never a problem. I enjoyed every minute with him."
Zach Minter, DT, 2009-12
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: 2nd Team All-America in 2011, 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2011 and 2012... Honorable Mention All-Big Sky in 2010
A CLOSER LOOK: It's hard to describe Zach Minter's presence in the middle of the Montana State defensive line to those who didn't see him play. His short-area quickness was stunning. His ability to slide through the slightest crack in an opposing offensive front was on display every week. He was fast, and athletic, and agile, for any size, but at 6-1 and nearly 300 pounds the combination was nearly breathtaking. And what's more, he turned it into production. A three-year starter who didn't use a redshirt season, he showed flashes of what he would become as a rotational player during the 2009 season, when the MSU defensive line dominated. His 11 total tackles included three for a loss, and two of those were sacks. In 2010, 10 of Minter's 28 tackles came behind the line of scrimmage. That included five sacks, and he intercepted two passes.
Minter's style and productivity as a Bobcat defensive tackle remain singular, but he is most fondly remembered for his ebullience and humor. He was hilarious, always willing to share a smile or crack wise. He was named "Media Pizza Lunch MVP" for his habit of watching film every week during the weekly media gathering and never turning down the opportunity to share his time and perspective, or a slice of pizza. Minter spent three solid seasons in the CFL and played in two games for the Chicago Bears in 2013. One of the lasting images of Minter as a Bobcat is him rambling down the field and into the end zone on a 2010 pick-six.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT DEFENSIVE LINE COACH BO BECK: "He's the best, he really is. Back in the day when we were recruiting Zach I couldn't believe we had a shot at him. His dad was an athlete, played at Colorado State, and his sister was a big-time athlete, a volleyball player. Me and Rob (Ash, MSU's head coach) went down and saw him, sat in his living room with his parents, and about two hours after we left Zach called when we were in the car and told me he was going to take a trip to NAU. I lost it on him and Rob couldn't believe it, but Zach called the next day and told me, 'I hope we're still good, I want to come to MSU and I'm not going to visit NAU.' Out of all the guys I caoched I think he wast he most athletic. For not being very tall he played big. The pick against Eastern Washington was a play we put in because they ran that angle route with Taiwan Jones. I told him, 'When we do this taht ball's going to hit you right in the chest and you'd better catch it.' And he did! You can't have a better guy than Zach, I have such good memories with him. He was a fun guy to watch, a fun guy to coach, a big personality but never a problem. I enjoyed every minute with him."
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