BOBCATS 125 - TOP 50: Ron Bain
7/16/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Ron Bain was good on Big Sky Championship teams as a sophomore and junior, but his senior season was other-worldly
We look at the 25 players that Bobcat fans and a blue ribbon panel of long-time MSU football observers ranked between 26th and 50th in the quest to determine the program's all-time players. In this segment of the countdown, players are listed alphabetically. You can find details here and a directory here.
Ron Bain, WR/FL, 1966-68
ALL-TIME TEAM: 2000 Billings Gazette All-Time Team
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America in 1968
A CLOSER LOOK: Dennis Erickson will look you right in the eye and tell you he was a lousy passer, and his teammates - asked separately or in front of Jim Sweeney's two-time All-Big Sky quarterback - concur enthusiastically.
That makes Ron Bain's 1968 season even more amazing. In fact, it has to rank among the most impactful seasons by any Bobcat pass-catcher. Here is a look at the top seasons in program history ranked by percentage of receiving yards by an individual to team passing yards:
59.2% - Ron Bain, 1968
54.1% - Sam McCullum, 1972
51.6% - Bryan Flaig, 1974
47.1% - Pat Bergman, 1988
44.8% - Lance McCutcheon, 2021
Bain's amazing season came in a Big Sky championship campaign, and in fact, so did McCullum's, and McCutcheon's impact on MSU's most recent season is indisputable. But statistically, Bain's 1968 season stands out. In addition to accounting for nearly 60% of all Bobcat passing yards that season, it was the first 1,000 yard receiving season in school history. In fact, through the 1974 season Montana State's entire football history featured only three seasons with more passing yards than Bain accumulated in 1968 (1,515 in 1962, 1.208 in 1971, and the 1968 season).
A star at Flathead High, where he won the Koford Award as the outstanding senior athlete, he bucked bloodlines to attend Montana State. Ron Bain and his brothers and sister combined for 52 varsity letters at Flathead High, and his father Lou and brothers Frank, Doug and Dan all attended college in Missoula.
Regardless, the Bobcats gained a star when Ron Bain headed to Bozeman. He joined the starting lineup immediately as a sophomore, leading the team with 20 catches and 251 yards while carrying 20 times for 208 yards. He exited his junior season already recognized as the school's best pass-catcher in history. In fact, in each of his first two seasons Bain set the school's single-season records for catches and receiving yards. Those seasons each ended in the Cats celebrating Big Sky Championships, the first time in school history it had won back-to-back crowns.
FROM LEGENDARY BOBCAT ATHLETIC TRAINER CHUCK KARNOP: "Ron was a big body receiver, a real strong guy, fairly aggressive but not outwardly so. He was just a so-so- athlete but was a great pattern runner, and if he got a hand on it he caught it. He always said he learned to focus on catching because he never caught a spiral from Dennis Erickson. He'd say, Dennis never threw a spiral so he had to (concentrate). (Dennis) was blessed with some guys that would go catch hte ball, and (he) was going to throw the ball to who was going to try to catch it, and Bain would really catch the ball. Bain was a very different guy, he wasn't your typical split receiver at all in terms of personality. He was almost the ultimate don't-give-a-(damn) guy, he acted like he didn't care if you threw it to him or not. The way Dennis threw you really needed a guy that would go get the ball because it was going to be up for grabs all the time.
"I would credit what Ron Bain got done to Bain being Bain, and Dennis recognizing that. There were a lot of similarities between (Bain) and (running back Paul) Schafer in terms of being independent, doing your own thing, but really doing it well."
FROM THE 1968 BOBCAT FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE: "Bain, a starter the past two seasons, is one of the best receivers ever to play at MSU… Great hands, outstanding runner after catching the ball… Had sensational spring game, hauling in seven passes for 133 yards and three TD's… Cats' leading receiver last year with 25 catches for 359 yards and three TD's… Though he hasn't carried the ball often, Bain is an excellent running back… Last season he carried 21 times for 133 yards – a 6.3 average… Though one of the strongest men on the squad, he also has good quickness… Comes from a family of fine athletes… Three Bain boys have received Koford Award from Kalispell High School, which goes to the outstanding athlete in the graduating class… Captained high school football and basketball teams."
Ron Bain, WR/FL, 1966-68
ALL-TIME TEAM: 2000 Billings Gazette All-Time Team
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America in 1968
A CLOSER LOOK: Dennis Erickson will look you right in the eye and tell you he was a lousy passer, and his teammates - asked separately or in front of Jim Sweeney's two-time All-Big Sky quarterback - concur enthusiastically.
That makes Ron Bain's 1968 season even more amazing. In fact, it has to rank among the most impactful seasons by any Bobcat pass-catcher. Here is a look at the top seasons in program history ranked by percentage of receiving yards by an individual to team passing yards:
59.2% - Ron Bain, 1968
54.1% - Sam McCullum, 1972
51.6% - Bryan Flaig, 1974
47.1% - Pat Bergman, 1988
44.8% - Lance McCutcheon, 2021
Bain's amazing season came in a Big Sky championship campaign, and in fact, so did McCullum's, and McCutcheon's impact on MSU's most recent season is indisputable. But statistically, Bain's 1968 season stands out. In addition to accounting for nearly 60% of all Bobcat passing yards that season, it was the first 1,000 yard receiving season in school history. In fact, through the 1974 season Montana State's entire football history featured only three seasons with more passing yards than Bain accumulated in 1968 (1,515 in 1962, 1.208 in 1971, and the 1968 season).
A star at Flathead High, where he won the Koford Award as the outstanding senior athlete, he bucked bloodlines to attend Montana State. Ron Bain and his brothers and sister combined for 52 varsity letters at Flathead High, and his father Lou and brothers Frank, Doug and Dan all attended college in Missoula.
Regardless, the Bobcats gained a star when Ron Bain headed to Bozeman. He joined the starting lineup immediately as a sophomore, leading the team with 20 catches and 251 yards while carrying 20 times for 208 yards. He exited his junior season already recognized as the school's best pass-catcher in history. In fact, in each of his first two seasons Bain set the school's single-season records for catches and receiving yards. Those seasons each ended in the Cats celebrating Big Sky Championships, the first time in school history it had won back-to-back crowns.
FROM LEGENDARY BOBCAT ATHLETIC TRAINER CHUCK KARNOP: "Ron was a big body receiver, a real strong guy, fairly aggressive but not outwardly so. He was just a so-so- athlete but was a great pattern runner, and if he got a hand on it he caught it. He always said he learned to focus on catching because he never caught a spiral from Dennis Erickson. He'd say, Dennis never threw a spiral so he had to (concentrate). (Dennis) was blessed with some guys that would go catch hte ball, and (he) was going to throw the ball to who was going to try to catch it, and Bain would really catch the ball. Bain was a very different guy, he wasn't your typical split receiver at all in terms of personality. He was almost the ultimate don't-give-a-(damn) guy, he acted like he didn't care if you threw it to him or not. The way Dennis threw you really needed a guy that would go get the ball because it was going to be up for grabs all the time.
"I would credit what Ron Bain got done to Bain being Bain, and Dennis recognizing that. There were a lot of similarities between (Bain) and (running back Paul) Schafer in terms of being independent, doing your own thing, but really doing it well."
FROM THE 1968 BOBCAT FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE: "Bain, a starter the past two seasons, is one of the best receivers ever to play at MSU… Great hands, outstanding runner after catching the ball… Had sensational spring game, hauling in seven passes for 133 yards and three TD's… Cats' leading receiver last year with 25 catches for 359 yards and three TD's… Though he hasn't carried the ball often, Bain is an excellent running back… Last season he carried 21 times for 133 yards – a 6.3 average… Though one of the strongest men on the squad, he also has good quickness… Comes from a family of fine athletes… Three Bain boys have received Koford Award from Kalispell High School, which goes to the outstanding athlete in the graduating class… Captained high school football and basketball teams."
Players Mentioned
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