BOBCATS 125: Bob Schmitz
7/11/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
A rugged offensive guard and linebacker, Bob Schmitz parlayed a great Bobcat career into four decades in the NFL
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.
Bob Schmitz, OL/LB, 1958-60
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: None (MSU didn't play in a conference at that time)
A CLOSER LOOK: The longer you study Montana State's football history, the worse you feel for the players who occupied the program's era as a small-college independent (1957-62). There are several obvious stars (Sonny Holland, Charlie Jackson, Bob Biastoch, Rocco Perciavalle), but without all-conference honors as a guide it's difficult to get a read on many players from those teams. And those teams were good, compiling a 38-15-2 record without a losing season.
Bob Schmitz is a player who falls into that category. After battling an injury as Sonny Holland's backup center in 1958, the former fullback snagged a job as starting guard in 1959 and never looked back. Considered the program's fastest lineman, he was lauded for his blocking on offense and his speed in getting to gaps as a linebacker. He intercepted a pass as a senior, and after that 1960 season was tabbed for the small-college all-stars in the annual All-American Bowl in Tucson. That made him only the second Bobcat hi history to play in a college all-star game, after Holland.
Schmitz was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 1960 reserve draft, and by Pittsburgh in the 1961 NFL Draft. As the 187th choice (14th round), Schmitz signed with the Steelers fine six-year career. His moment of fame came on November 10, 1963, when he tackled legendary Cleveland running back Jim Brown in the Pitt Stadium end zone to hand his team a 9-7 rivalry win. He was named NFL Player of the Week for that performance, and was quoted as saying that was "probably the best thing that ever happened to me."
After a playing career that ended with the Minnesota Vikings at the tail end of 1966 he joined the NFL's Blesto Scouting Combine in 1971, staying for five years before returning to the Steelers as a scout. He then worked for the Jets in that capacity, before retiring in 2004. Called "a great man" and "a gentleman" by NFL executives, former teammate Dick Hoak called him "a pretty good player but an excellent scout."
Schmitz initially enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, but opted to transfer to Montana State, likely before classes began, in the fall of 1957. He passed away at his Glendale, Arizona home in 2004, only eight days after retiring.
FROM FORMER TEAMMATE PHIL SCHNEIDER: "Bob Schmitz turned out to be a damn good friend of mine after we were finished playing. He was probably (MSU"s) fastest lineman. He had good size, probably 6-2, 230, and he was a hell of an offensive guard and made it with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a linebacker. He tackled Jim Brown in the end zone for a safety at one time. After he ended his career he went pretty much straight into the scouting business and worked for Blesto. He got Bobo Cegelski involved in that a few years later. Bob Schmitz had gone to Wisconsin before he transferred back, and he was a hell of a nice man."
Bob Schmitz, OL/LB, 1958-60
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: None (MSU didn't play in a conference at that time)
A CLOSER LOOK: The longer you study Montana State's football history, the worse you feel for the players who occupied the program's era as a small-college independent (1957-62). There are several obvious stars (Sonny Holland, Charlie Jackson, Bob Biastoch, Rocco Perciavalle), but without all-conference honors as a guide it's difficult to get a read on many players from those teams. And those teams were good, compiling a 38-15-2 record without a losing season.
Bob Schmitz is a player who falls into that category. After battling an injury as Sonny Holland's backup center in 1958, the former fullback snagged a job as starting guard in 1959 and never looked back. Considered the program's fastest lineman, he was lauded for his blocking on offense and his speed in getting to gaps as a linebacker. He intercepted a pass as a senior, and after that 1960 season was tabbed for the small-college all-stars in the annual All-American Bowl in Tucson. That made him only the second Bobcat hi history to play in a college all-star game, after Holland.
Schmitz was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 1960 reserve draft, and by Pittsburgh in the 1961 NFL Draft. As the 187th choice (14th round), Schmitz signed with the Steelers fine six-year career. His moment of fame came on November 10, 1963, when he tackled legendary Cleveland running back Jim Brown in the Pitt Stadium end zone to hand his team a 9-7 rivalry win. He was named NFL Player of the Week for that performance, and was quoted as saying that was "probably the best thing that ever happened to me."
After a playing career that ended with the Minnesota Vikings at the tail end of 1966 he joined the NFL's Blesto Scouting Combine in 1971, staying for five years before returning to the Steelers as a scout. He then worked for the Jets in that capacity, before retiring in 2004. Called "a great man" and "a gentleman" by NFL executives, former teammate Dick Hoak called him "a pretty good player but an excellent scout."
Schmitz initially enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, but opted to transfer to Montana State, likely before classes began, in the fall of 1957. He passed away at his Glendale, Arizona home in 2004, only eight days after retiring.
FROM FORMER TEAMMATE PHIL SCHNEIDER: "Bob Schmitz turned out to be a damn good friend of mine after we were finished playing. He was probably (MSU"s) fastest lineman. He had good size, probably 6-2, 230, and he was a hell of an offensive guard and made it with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a linebacker. He tackled Jim Brown in the end zone for a safety at one time. After he ended his career he went pretty much straight into the scouting business and worked for Blesto. He got Bobo Cegelski involved in that a few years later. Bob Schmitz had gone to Wisconsin before he transferred back, and he was a hell of a nice man."
Leon Costello Press Conference: Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center
Thursday, July 31
A Conversation with President Dr. Waded Cruzado | Montana State Athletics
Monday, May 19
Big Cats, Little Trucks - Willie Patterson
Wednesday, May 03
Matt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, May 03
