Best All Time Montana Athletes

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catsack
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by catsack » Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:50 pm

Bobcat80 wrote:
catsack wrote:Todd Reich
Chase Reynolds
Todd Reich was a freak. I watched him win state C track by himself. Only person from Hot Springs to make it to state I believe. He won all 5 events he was in and took home the 1st place trophy. Very impressive.
Two years in a row , I think someone else made it his senior year but didn't place. Made it to Olympics once in javelin.



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WalkOn79
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by WalkOn79 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 1:57 pm

Glasgow track and field and football great, Roy Robinson. 12 State Track titles I believe.


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mboston33
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by mboston33 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 2:45 pm

Some older but great ones.

Don Hass fb MSU
Bob Bannaugh Fb MSU
Gary Gustafson Fb MSU

Doug Brown UM Track Red Lodge
Sid Rhinehart UM Missoula Hs BB
Mike Lewis BB MCHS Missoula Duke ABA



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WalkOn79
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by WalkOn79 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 6:27 pm

Harry Clark from Cascade - At one time held ALL CLASS records in the intermediate hurdles, long jump and triple jump, and class B records in the High Hurdles and 200 meters.

Also a decathlon great first for University of Houston and later for the Bobcats. BSC Champion indoor and outdoor.


"One of the greatest feelings in the world, moving someone from point A to point B against their will"

Mitch Brott - 2019 Cat / Griz

Anacomando
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by Anacomando » Thu Feb 11, 2016 8:21 pm

Many good names on this list, but if your looking for the best athlete it is Wayne Estes...no one else is in his league. This guy was leaps and bounds ahead of Jerry West!



mboston33
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by mboston33 » Thu Feb 11, 2016 8:44 pm

I have to agree about Wayne Estes. Grew up in Missoula but watched him as a kid play every chance I got. He was awesome. I wonder if Estes ever played against Mike Lewis of Missoula??



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by kevin donovan » Thu Feb 11, 2016 9:24 pm

Yes, Shane Collins may be as good as any multi sport athlete in MT history.
However, and I might be biased, being from Helena...
But, Pat Donovan may be as good a 3 sport athlete as MT has ever produced.
In football, he was arguably the best player in the state; 1st Team All-State TE and DE at 6'5" 235 lbs.(there was no Gatorade player of the year award)
He received full ride offers from Notre Dame, UCLA, Colorado, UW, WSU and almost anywhere he was interested before choosing Stanford.
In basketball he averaged 20 points and 16 rebounds a game and was named the state MVP for the state champion Helena High team. He had full ride offers for basketball to virtually every Big Sky level program in the west.
In track Donovan was the high scorer at the state AA meet: shot put-1st; discus-1st; anchored state champion 880yd relay team; javelin- 3rd; 220 yd dash-5th. His discus throw of 183 feet (not in the state meet) was in the top 10 in the nation. He received full rides to most major track&field programs in the western US.
In my mind (I'm sure I am omitting some great athletes) Collins and Donovan are the two best multi-sport MT HIGH SCHOOL athletes that then went on to significant college and pro careers.
Collins was All Pac 10 in FB and WON the NCAA shot put. He could have been an Olympic shot putter. He was the 47th pick in the NFL draft, made the NFL All Rookie Team and undoubtedly would have had an All Pro NFL career but for injuries.
Donovan was two-time consensus FB All American DE at Stanford and then a four-time Pro Bowler at OT for the Dallas Cowboys.


gobobsgobobs

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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by John K » Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:55 am

Anacomando wrote:Many good names on this list, but if your looking for the best athlete it is Wayne Estes...no one else is in his league. This guy was leaps and bounds ahead of Jerry West!
Estes was before my time, but I know he was a great, great player. Although I think saying he was "leaps and bounds ahead of Jerry West" might be overstating it a bit. West is probably one of the 10 best players in NBA history. How great do you have to be, to win the Finals MVP as a member of the losing team? West did that in 1970, the only time it's ever happened. Not to mention that he's "the logo", for whatever that's worth.



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by mboston33 » Fri Feb 12, 2016 1:46 pm

I don't thyink anyone can argue about Pat Donovan. Pretty darn good in three sports and NFL. I would vote for him #1.

There was also another athlete like him in the early 60's. He was from Butte, his name was Bob O'bilivich and played for Griz. He was a 3 sport athlete in college at dUMb. He was QB in football and damn good. Played starting point guard in basketball and started on baseball team. 1960-65 era. He then went on to play Football in CFL for a time. Now he is coaching or gen. mgr up there in CFL somewhere. He was certainly my hero growing up. Tough to vote against Pat Donovan though.



mboston33
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by mboston33 » Fri Feb 12, 2016 1:54 pm

BOB O'BILLIVICH: Also lettered on year in track I college.. Check him out on Wikipedia. I am more impressed now after reading his accomplishments. Definitely one of Montana's finest athletes. 1958-62



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by iaafan » Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:19 pm

If you're talking Mount Rushmore (4 players, right?), then three of them have to be McNally (the best), Donovan and Estes (might've been the best had he been able to fulfill his NBA career). I'm not sure who you'd have for a fourth, but those three are absolute locks. Whoever is fourth is going to be a distant fourth (the Teddy Roosevelt of the bunch).



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by JDoub » Fri Feb 12, 2016 2:59 pm

mboston33 wrote:BOB O'BILLIVICH: Also lettered on year in track I college.. Check him out on Wikipedia. I am more impressed now after reading his accomplishments. Definitely one of Montana's finest athletes. 1958-62
I've got a plaque here at home saying I won the Bobby O'Billivich award (Butte High for most varsity letters - 10) -- I remember winning it, but honestly I never knew who Bobby O'Billivich was! After reading this, I will find it in storage and dust it off so I can proudly display it :D

One article says he was the last UM athlete to earn 9 letters (3 sports), and he was pissed because it should've been 12 - they didn't allow freshmen to compete on varsity back then! gotta love Butte guys
http://mtstandard.com/sports/butte-lege ... f887a.html



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by John K » Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:33 pm

A couple of names that probably aren't very well known outside of GF...hockey players Terry Casey and Pat Dwyer. Casey probably could have had a nice career in the NHL, if not for his his life being cut short by an accident at an early age, just like Estes. From the UND Athletics website:

The University of North Dakota retired the No. 12 on Feb. 2, 1968, in honor of 1964-65 All-American center Terry Casey, who was killed in a car accident at age 23.

Casey, a three-time letterwinner from Great Falls, Mont., played for UND from 1963-68. He finished with 118 points (57 goals, 61 assists) in 88 career games.

Casey served as captain of the Fighting Sioux during the 1965-66 season.

Casey's number 12 was officially hung in the rafters at the new Ralph Engelstad Arena during the 2010-11 season.


And another hockey player from GF, Pat Dwyer, who was born in Spokane, but spent most of his childhood in GF. He played for the GF Americans Junior A team, played 6 years in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes, and is now playing professionally in Sweden.

How about Mike Grob, a golfer from Billngs who spent some time on the PGA tour, and is the all-time leading career money winner on the Canadian Tour. He's now playing on the Senior Tour.



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by Bobcat80 » Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:36 pm

WalkOn79 wrote:Harry Clark from Cascade - At one time held ALL CLASS records in the intermediate hurdles, long jump and triple jump, and class B records in the High Hurdles and 200 meters.

Also a decathlon great first for University of Houston and later for the Bobcats. BSC Champion indoor and outdoor.
I can't believe I forgot about Harry. He was my football coach my senior year of high school. He also lived with my family for a summer when he was still in high school (prior to transferring to Cascade). He was at Houston the same time Carl Lewis was there. Pretty good company to keep. Also, he was 5th in the Olympic trials in the decathlon in either 84 or 88. Missed the Olympics by 2 spots.



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by mboston33 » Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:29 pm

JDoub:

Thanks so much for the article in the Standard about Bob O'Billivich. I think I was at the game where he went through the centerfield fence. I remember Dan Sullivan too. Watching those guys growing up in Missoula, I only wanted to be like them. All my life I just wanted to be a Grizzly player. Then I got a chance to be a BOBCAT, and been one for 47 years. They were great models. By the way, we hated playing Butte in Football but loved to play their football team on basketball floor.

I have a plaque too and it is for most varsity letters in high school in Missoula Hellgate.. 14 letters in 4 years in 4 sports. Wouldn't trade Bobby O for anything. He signed by baseball bat for me. I retired that bat. I wish I still had it. Thanks again for the memories of those 2 guys.



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WalkOn79
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by WalkOn79 » Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:42 am

Bobcat80 wrote:
WalkOn79 wrote:Harry Clark from Cascade - At one time held ALL CLASS records in the intermediate hurdles, long jump and triple jump, and class B records in the High Hurdles and 200 meters.

Also a decathlon great first for University of Houston and later for the Bobcats. BSC Champion indoor and outdoor.
I can't believe I forgot about Harry. He was my football coach my senior year of high school. He also lived with my family for a summer when he was still in high school (prior to transferring to Cascade). He was at Houston the same time Carl Lewis was there. Pretty good company to keep. Also, he was 5th in the Olympic trials in the decathlon in either 84 or 88. Missed the Olympics by 2 spots.
5 State records at one time with three of them all class. Also was on teams that won four state track titles in a row. Two at Stanford in class C and two at Cascade. He didn't win those titles by himself especially as a freshman and sophomore, but contributed every year and dominated at the end.


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Mr Lisle
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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by Mr Lisle » Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:21 pm

Sonny Holland :coffee:



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by 3-7-77 » Wed Feb 17, 2016 9:38 pm

Title of this thread could be interpreted in different ways.


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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by InTheBag » Wed Feb 17, 2016 9:51 pm

Wasn't there a boxer from Montana that knocked Cassius Clay to the canvas? National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions?



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Re: Best All Time Montana Athletes

Post by Mr Lisle » Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:36 pm

At least two boxers deserve mention.

Todd Foster from Great Falls won the National Golden Gloves AND National Amateur Championship in the early 80's. He fought for the Olympic Gold Metal and came up short on a 2-3 decision. He turned pro and went 22-0 before fighting for the world championship. He was upset and lost the fight by KO. A couple of years later he again fought for the world welterweight champion vs. Hector "Macho" Gamacho and lost.

Roger Rouse from Opportunity...attended Anaconda High, had hugely successful career in the 1960's He fought Dick Tiger, who many regarded the finest boxer of the day (that included Ali) in 1967 for the welterweight title and lost on a TKO in the 13th.



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