ALL-TIME BOBCATS TOP 25: #19 Cody Kirk
8/22/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Cody Kirk rode an incredible work ethic and strong Blue and Gold bloodlines to an all-time great career at MSU
As we move into the top 20, today's look is at Cody Kirk... his bloodlines led him to Montana State, and his work ethic led him to near the top of all Bobcat rushing record lists.
Cody Kirk, RB, 2010-13
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2011, 2nd Team All-Big Sky in 2012
A CLOSER LOOK: Cody Kirk had 144 rushing yards to his name as a Bobcat when the 2011 season began. He was a walk-on from Frenchtownwithout the bona fides of so many of his teammates.
Then, in the home opener against UC Davis, in Gold Rush gold jerseys the team had earned by winning a share of the Big Sky title in Missoula the previous November, Kirk blew the doors off the place. He gained 155 yards on the ground, and they came in all varieties. He plowed through the Aggies line, he had a run of 34 yards, he scored two touchdowns, and he caught a 52-yard pass. He was outstanding, and there was so much more to come.
Kirk gained 112 rushing yards at Eastern Washington and 134 the next week against Sacramento State. He gained 142 against NAU then 202 in a Houdini-like back-from-near-death act at Northern Colorado, then gashed Idaho State for 182 more yards, crossing the goal line four times. He gained 96 yards in the home playoff win against New Hampshire.
Through his first two varsity seasons, Cody Kirk had rushed for about 1,500 yards. Outside the Bobcat program fans were thrilled about a team that had won back-to-back league titles riding a brilliant defense and a three-pronged offense featuring rising juniors DeNarius McGhee, Tanner Bleskin, and Kirk. But inside the walls of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, those inside the Bobcat program marveled at Kirk's commitment. His work ethic. His absolutely maximize his abilities while pulling his team to great things.
Battling injuries as a junior - he missed a couple of mid-season games and played through some ailments - Kirk rushed for 841 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a senior he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the second time, rushing for 1,088 and 18 touchdowns.
His career stats are a marvel. Kirk gained 3,422 yards as a Bobcat, second-most in school history. His 666 career rushes is also second-most, and his 47 career rushing touchdowns is a school record by a wide margin. The undersized walk-on from Frenchtown, who followed family connections to Bozeman from Grizzly country, left a lasting mark on the MSU record book and a lasting impression on all fortunate enough to watch the fruits of his hard work.
FROM TEAMMATE DeNARIUS McGHEE: "Lunch pail, hard-working guy. There would be times when we would go out to throw seven-on-seven in the summers. By the time we got out there to throw Cody Kirk had already worked out and done all of his footwork as a running back, and then jumped into the seven-on-seven with us. So that tells you the kind of work ethic that Cody Kirk had.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT ASSISTANT COACH KANE IOANE: "If you walked into the weight room at whatever time early in the morning or in the summertime, in moments when no one else was supposed to be in the weight room, Cody Kirk would be in there. Or if you drove by the practice field when everyone else was home or it was supposed to be a time off, Cody Kirk would be on the field. doing his own drills, doing ladder work. He worked himself into one of the best players in the conference in his day. And again, it was his work ethic and his decision to be great. He wanted nothing less for himself and for our team. It's because of that attitude and mentality that we had that kind of success in that era, and Cody was a big part of that. It was fun watching Cody go from a guy who was very under-recruited to a guy who walked away as one of the best Bobcats of all-time."
FROM SKYLINE SPORTS MT MANAGING EDITOR AND NUANEZ NOW HOST COLTER NUANEZ: "I will never forget in 2011 when the Cats went to Northern Colorado to take on a Bears team with (I think) no Big Sky wins but a ton of talent, including two of the best linebackers in the league led by Clarence Bumpas. Northern Colorado was rolling the Cats. I was doing sideline reporting for the radio and the UNC sideline was constantly yelling at their players to keep manhandling the Cats and how soft Montana State was.
"Then Cody Kirk fumbled. And the situation looked dire. He NEVER fumbled. What happened next is one of the most incredible individual performances I've seen during my 11 years covering Montana State. MSU got the lead. Then they rode Kirk relentlessly to victory. He truly won the game by himself. He ended up with more than 200 yards and it was one of the toughest 200-yard games I've ever seen by a back in the Big Sky.
"I'll also never forget when Kirk posed for his preseason portrait sporting an Anchorman-esque mustache. His mother, who is one of my mother's best friends, was absolutely horrified and his teammates loved it.
"The Frenchtown Freight Train comes from one of the proudest Bobcat families in Montana and he represented that family as well as anyone from the Mahlum-Kirk clan ever has."
Cody Kirk, RB, 2010-13
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2011, 2nd Team All-Big Sky in 2012
A CLOSER LOOK: Cody Kirk had 144 rushing yards to his name as a Bobcat when the 2011 season began. He was a walk-on from Frenchtownwithout the bona fides of so many of his teammates.
Then, in the home opener against UC Davis, in Gold Rush gold jerseys the team had earned by winning a share of the Big Sky title in Missoula the previous November, Kirk blew the doors off the place. He gained 155 yards on the ground, and they came in all varieties. He plowed through the Aggies line, he had a run of 34 yards, he scored two touchdowns, and he caught a 52-yard pass. He was outstanding, and there was so much more to come.
Kirk gained 112 rushing yards at Eastern Washington and 134 the next week against Sacramento State. He gained 142 against NAU then 202 in a Houdini-like back-from-near-death act at Northern Colorado, then gashed Idaho State for 182 more yards, crossing the goal line four times. He gained 96 yards in the home playoff win against New Hampshire.
Through his first two varsity seasons, Cody Kirk had rushed for about 1,500 yards. Outside the Bobcat program fans were thrilled about a team that had won back-to-back league titles riding a brilliant defense and a three-pronged offense featuring rising juniors DeNarius McGhee, Tanner Bleskin, and Kirk. But inside the walls of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, those inside the Bobcat program marveled at Kirk's commitment. His work ethic. His absolutely maximize his abilities while pulling his team to great things.
Battling injuries as a junior - he missed a couple of mid-season games and played through some ailments - Kirk rushed for 841 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a senior he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the second time, rushing for 1,088 and 18 touchdowns.
His career stats are a marvel. Kirk gained 3,422 yards as a Bobcat, second-most in school history. His 666 career rushes is also second-most, and his 47 career rushing touchdowns is a school record by a wide margin. The undersized walk-on from Frenchtown, who followed family connections to Bozeman from Grizzly country, left a lasting mark on the MSU record book and a lasting impression on all fortunate enough to watch the fruits of his hard work.
FROM TEAMMATE DeNARIUS McGHEE: "Lunch pail, hard-working guy. There would be times when we would go out to throw seven-on-seven in the summers. By the time we got out there to throw Cody Kirk had already worked out and done all of his footwork as a running back, and then jumped into the seven-on-seven with us. So that tells you the kind of work ethic that Cody Kirk had.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT ASSISTANT COACH KANE IOANE: "If you walked into the weight room at whatever time early in the morning or in the summertime, in moments when no one else was supposed to be in the weight room, Cody Kirk would be in there. Or if you drove by the practice field when everyone else was home or it was supposed to be a time off, Cody Kirk would be on the field. doing his own drills, doing ladder work. He worked himself into one of the best players in the conference in his day. And again, it was his work ethic and his decision to be great. He wanted nothing less for himself and for our team. It's because of that attitude and mentality that we had that kind of success in that era, and Cody was a big part of that. It was fun watching Cody go from a guy who was very under-recruited to a guy who walked away as one of the best Bobcats of all-time."
FROM SKYLINE SPORTS MT MANAGING EDITOR AND NUANEZ NOW HOST COLTER NUANEZ: "I will never forget in 2011 when the Cats went to Northern Colorado to take on a Bears team with (I think) no Big Sky wins but a ton of talent, including two of the best linebackers in the league led by Clarence Bumpas. Northern Colorado was rolling the Cats. I was doing sideline reporting for the radio and the UNC sideline was constantly yelling at their players to keep manhandling the Cats and how soft Montana State was.
"Then Cody Kirk fumbled. And the situation looked dire. He NEVER fumbled. What happened next is one of the most incredible individual performances I've seen during my 11 years covering Montana State. MSU got the lead. Then they rode Kirk relentlessly to victory. He truly won the game by himself. He ended up with more than 200 yards and it was one of the toughest 200-yard games I've ever seen by a back in the Big Sky.
"I'll also never forget when Kirk posed for his preseason portrait sporting an Anchorman-esque mustache. His mother, who is one of my mother's best friends, was absolutely horrified and his teammates loved it.
"The Frenchtown Freight Train comes from one of the proudest Bobcat families in Montana and he represented that family as well as anyone from the Mahlum-Kirk clan ever has."
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