BOBCATS 125 - TOP 50: Stuart Dodds, and Vince Dodds
7/26/2022 3:20:00 PM | Football
Stuart Dodds was a stalwart safety and one of MSU's all-time best punters
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.
Stuart Dodds, S, 1976-79
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky safety in 1979, 1st Team All-Big Sky punter in 1979
A CLOSER LOOK: Stuart Dodds was one of the youngest players who contributed to Montana State's 1976 National Championship, and his impact was significant. He played as a reserve safety, but took over the team's punting chores and led the Cats with 28 punts and a 39.1 yards-per-punt average. He continued as the team's punter in 1977, again averaging over 39 yards per punt, and played more scrimmage downs. He intercepted one pass.
As a junior in 1978, Dodds figured more prominently in the MSU defensive plan and came away with four interceptions. He picked off four passes, returning one 67 yards or a touchdown in the season-closing win at Fresno State.
Dodds took over a leadership role in Montana State's defense in 1979, and helped the Bobcats to the Big Sky Championship. He logged a team-high six interceptions and also led the Big Sky in punting with 45.6 yards per kick (which remains the third-best season in Bobcat history). He earned 1st Team All-Big Sky and Honorable Mention All-America honors following his senior year, and in the spring of 1980 he was chosen in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.
FROM LEGENDARY MSU ATHLETIC TRAINER CHUCK KARNOP: "Stuart was tremendously athletic, very religious, and really controlled and directed in his demeanor. Very polite. You could picture him stepping out of the choir to play football, stepping off of the riser and putting on a uniform. That's the kind of person he was. But a very good football player, really impactful."
BONUS CHOICE - Vince Dodds, S, 1974-76
ALL-TIME TEAM: None
HONORS: 1st Team All-Big Sky in 1976
A CLOSER LOOK: Vince Dodds may have followed older brother Steve and preceded younger brother Stuart to Montana State, and like his brothers he played safety, but the middle Dodds brother carved out his own legacy.
As the only returning starting defensive back in 1976, Dodds helped a very young secondary coalesce and turn in an effort worthy of a National Championship team. The Cats held opponents to 44% passing, and intercepted 25 passes in 10 regular season games. Dodds had two of them. In the team's 17-16 home playoff win against New Hampshire - MSU's first playoff game in history - Dodds intercepted one pass and broke up another. He also picked off a pass one week later, in the semifinal game at North Dakota State. With the Bison driving five minutes into the fourth quarter, down 10-3, Dodds picked off a pass at the MSU 9-yard line. NDSU never moved inside the Bobcat 40 again, and Montana State advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship game.
Dodds earned 1st Team All-Big Sky honors at safety for his terrific senior season.
FROM LEGENDARY MSU ATHLETIC TRAINER CHUCK KARNOP: "He was kind of in between (his brothers Steve and Stuart). He played more reckless than the other two, more of a chance taker, more of a rah-rah type of guy. If you take Stuart, he was so directed. You take Steve, he was so solid and so steady. Vince, he played differently."
FROM TEAMMATE RICK VANCLEEVE: "One of the things I remember about Vince is that he did a prayer before every game (in 1976). The Fresno State game, somehow, we got discombobulated on our schedule and we didn't do a prayer. And that's the only game we lost all season. So you can bet, every single game after that, whether we had to leave the (field) early during pregame or whatever, we always got that prayer in."
Stuart Dodds, S, 1976-79
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky safety in 1979, 1st Team All-Big Sky punter in 1979
A CLOSER LOOK: Stuart Dodds was one of the youngest players who contributed to Montana State's 1976 National Championship, and his impact was significant. He played as a reserve safety, but took over the team's punting chores and led the Cats with 28 punts and a 39.1 yards-per-punt average. He continued as the team's punter in 1977, again averaging over 39 yards per punt, and played more scrimmage downs. He intercepted one pass.
As a junior in 1978, Dodds figured more prominently in the MSU defensive plan and came away with four interceptions. He picked off four passes, returning one 67 yards or a touchdown in the season-closing win at Fresno State.
Dodds took over a leadership role in Montana State's defense in 1979, and helped the Bobcats to the Big Sky Championship. He logged a team-high six interceptions and also led the Big Sky in punting with 45.6 yards per kick (which remains the third-best season in Bobcat history). He earned 1st Team All-Big Sky and Honorable Mention All-America honors following his senior year, and in the spring of 1980 he was chosen in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.
FROM LEGENDARY MSU ATHLETIC TRAINER CHUCK KARNOP: "Stuart was tremendously athletic, very religious, and really controlled and directed in his demeanor. Very polite. You could picture him stepping out of the choir to play football, stepping off of the riser and putting on a uniform. That's the kind of person he was. But a very good football player, really impactful."
BONUS CHOICE - Vince Dodds, S, 1974-76
ALL-TIME TEAM: None
HONORS: 1st Team All-Big Sky in 1976
A CLOSER LOOK: Vince Dodds may have followed older brother Steve and preceded younger brother Stuart to Montana State, and like his brothers he played safety, but the middle Dodds brother carved out his own legacy.
As the only returning starting defensive back in 1976, Dodds helped a very young secondary coalesce and turn in an effort worthy of a National Championship team. The Cats held opponents to 44% passing, and intercepted 25 passes in 10 regular season games. Dodds had two of them. In the team's 17-16 home playoff win against New Hampshire - MSU's first playoff game in history - Dodds intercepted one pass and broke up another. He also picked off a pass one week later, in the semifinal game at North Dakota State. With the Bison driving five minutes into the fourth quarter, down 10-3, Dodds picked off a pass at the MSU 9-yard line. NDSU never moved inside the Bobcat 40 again, and Montana State advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship game.
Dodds earned 1st Team All-Big Sky honors at safety for his terrific senior season.
FROM LEGENDARY MSU ATHLETIC TRAINER CHUCK KARNOP: "He was kind of in between (his brothers Steve and Stuart). He played more reckless than the other two, more of a chance taker, more of a rah-rah type of guy. If you take Stuart, he was so directed. You take Steve, he was so solid and so steady. Vince, he played differently."
FROM TEAMMATE RICK VANCLEEVE: "One of the things I remember about Vince is that he did a prayer before every game (in 1976). The Fresno State game, somehow, we got discombobulated on our schedule and we didn't do a prayer. And that's the only game we lost all season. So you can bet, every single game after that, whether we had to leave the (field) early during pregame or whatever, we always got that prayer in."
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