BOBCATS 125: Joe Tiller
6/21/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Joe Tiller reached greatness as a football coach, and the foundation was laid at Montana State
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.
Joe Tiller, T, 1960-63
ALL-TIME TEAM: 2000 Billings Gazette
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America in 1963
A CLOSER LOOK: Joe Tiller gained his greatest fame after leaving Montana State, but was considered one of Montana State's best tackles ever at the time of his graduation. Tiller followed a proven pipeline of talent from the Great Lakes region - he hailed from Toledo, Ohio - to the Bobcat program that produced amazing talent from the 1950s well into the 1970s. Entering Tiller's senior season first-year Bobcat coach Jim Sweeney (who had coached the program's linemen since 1960) called Tiller one of the best football players he'd ever coached, and the 1963 Bobcat media guide indicated that the the big, agile lineman made several schools' all-opponent teams, "including Utah State and Wichita State."
The 1962 media guide called Tiller indicated that as a sophomore he established himself as a defensive specialist (in a time when college football was transitioning from single-platoon football to a more specialized game), and throughout his career he was recognized as a solid tackler who offered a physical presence on both sides of the ball. He nailed down a starting spot in 1962, and as a senior the following year was recognized as one of the top players in small college football. He earned Honorable Mention All-America honors that season, serving as a team captain, as well. After a brief time in the CFL Tiller joined the Bobcat coaching staff in 1964 and remained until 1970, when he joined Sweeney at Washington State. From there his coaching career rocketed toward greatness, culminating as a beloved Hall of Fame head coach at both Wyoming and Purdue.
With the clarity of hindsight, it's easy to spot a few things in Tiller's years as a Bobcat that would lead to his status as a legend in three different college football programs. He was brilliant at building relationships - the 1962 Bobcat media guide called the rising junior "one of the most popular men on the squad" - and drew praise from all corners of the program for his football savvy and steady demeanor. Both served him well as a head coach. Most tellingly, Tiller played or coached for five different organizations (the CFL's Calgary Stampeders and MSU, Washington State, Wyoming and Purdue in the college ranks). Every one of those hired Tiller again.
Let that sink in for a moment. It's a pretty strong testimonial.
FROM TEAMMATE PHIL SCHNEIDER: "Joe was a sophomore when I was a senior, and he played right tackle. He was just a damn good football player. He had good size, and he was a big, broad, strong man. He was a damn good lineman, tough, a very efficient blocker. He played both ways and he was really tough. You saw things in Jo that were just super. He was a great guy, a great, great person, even as young as he was (on the team). He came from Toledo, Ohio, and obviously the big schools didn't recruit him, and he probably felt spurned by them. He had a good nature and was a very hard worker."
FROM TEAMMATE RICHARD HUETH: "Joe was a year older than me, and he was a heck of a player. He was a tremendous ball player, and he really took to coaching. Joe always said you have to do things first class, and that's how he was as a player and as a person. He was very meticulous and very dedicated in everything he do."
FROM MONTANA STATE COACH JIM SWEENEY IN THE TEAM'S 1963 MEDIA GUIDE: Joe Tiller "is an extremely alert player who is a full-time student of the game. (He is) eager, aggressive, and a sure tackler."
Joe Tiller, T, 1960-63
ALL-TIME TEAM: 2000 Billings Gazette
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America in 1963
A CLOSER LOOK: Joe Tiller gained his greatest fame after leaving Montana State, but was considered one of Montana State's best tackles ever at the time of his graduation. Tiller followed a proven pipeline of talent from the Great Lakes region - he hailed from Toledo, Ohio - to the Bobcat program that produced amazing talent from the 1950s well into the 1970s. Entering Tiller's senior season first-year Bobcat coach Jim Sweeney (who had coached the program's linemen since 1960) called Tiller one of the best football players he'd ever coached, and the 1963 Bobcat media guide indicated that the the big, agile lineman made several schools' all-opponent teams, "including Utah State and Wichita State."
The 1962 media guide called Tiller indicated that as a sophomore he established himself as a defensive specialist (in a time when college football was transitioning from single-platoon football to a more specialized game), and throughout his career he was recognized as a solid tackler who offered a physical presence on both sides of the ball. He nailed down a starting spot in 1962, and as a senior the following year was recognized as one of the top players in small college football. He earned Honorable Mention All-America honors that season, serving as a team captain, as well. After a brief time in the CFL Tiller joined the Bobcat coaching staff in 1964 and remained until 1970, when he joined Sweeney at Washington State. From there his coaching career rocketed toward greatness, culminating as a beloved Hall of Fame head coach at both Wyoming and Purdue.
With the clarity of hindsight, it's easy to spot a few things in Tiller's years as a Bobcat that would lead to his status as a legend in three different college football programs. He was brilliant at building relationships - the 1962 Bobcat media guide called the rising junior "one of the most popular men on the squad" - and drew praise from all corners of the program for his football savvy and steady demeanor. Both served him well as a head coach. Most tellingly, Tiller played or coached for five different organizations (the CFL's Calgary Stampeders and MSU, Washington State, Wyoming and Purdue in the college ranks). Every one of those hired Tiller again.
Let that sink in for a moment. It's a pretty strong testimonial.
FROM TEAMMATE PHIL SCHNEIDER: "Joe was a sophomore when I was a senior, and he played right tackle. He was just a damn good football player. He had good size, and he was a big, broad, strong man. He was a damn good lineman, tough, a very efficient blocker. He played both ways and he was really tough. You saw things in Jo that were just super. He was a great guy, a great, great person, even as young as he was (on the team). He came from Toledo, Ohio, and obviously the big schools didn't recruit him, and he probably felt spurned by them. He had a good nature and was a very hard worker."
FROM TEAMMATE RICHARD HUETH: "Joe was a year older than me, and he was a heck of a player. He was a tremendous ball player, and he really took to coaching. Joe always said you have to do things first class, and that's how he was as a player and as a person. He was very meticulous and very dedicated in everything he do."
FROM MONTANA STATE COACH JIM SWEENEY IN THE TEAM'S 1963 MEDIA GUIDE: Joe Tiller "is an extremely alert player who is a full-time student of the game. (He is) eager, aggressive, and a sure tackler."
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