Coldest Game?

[aucat]

It was below zero at ESPN Game Day in 2022. That was one fun morning!

[aucat]

It was below zero at ESPN Game Day in 2022. That was one fun morning!

[AFCAT]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

[BelgradeBobcat]

It was below zero at ESPN Game Day in 2022. That was one fun morning!

I was having so much fun that day that I didn't even care!

[DMMDCats]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

[SnowGriz]

I thought that Cat-gris game in 2003 was below zero. Was that just one of those days that was warmer by the time the game started and Corey Smith ran the opening kickoff back? I had a lot of whiskey in me that day.

No that was the coldest I've ever been at a game. Standing in the West side shade didn't help.

I was in the student section that game. Didn't seem terrible that I recall but we were in the sun. I remember some guy pissing in a pie pan and then spilling it on the people in front of him. It was really a different place back then. Isn't that the game that the goalpost in the Rocking R was harvested?

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

It was below zero at ESPN Game Day in 2022. That was one fun morning!

The funnest morning I can ever remember, it was cold for sure.
The coldest game I can remember was the 96 state chipper between Malta and Baker, goddamn that was miserable. Coldest bobcat game was either the Idaho state game in like 2015 or 16, when Bleskin started or the cat gris game when we were number one and laid a huge egg. The 2003 cat gris game was on the tit bit nipply side as well.

The snowiest was the playoff game against SDSU when Prukop was playing with his bum ankle, we went back to Billings that night and we were driving through a foot of snow all the way to Billings.

[AFCAT]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Granted Petrino was barely in and Kalafat was barely out. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino did NOT what? Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Kalafat never scored in the game. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

I hope you don’t live in Denver or anywhere downtown Denver. That place is a lost cause, grew up going there and I took my wife and two kids there two summers ago, and that place is a cess pool. Unless you like seeing human ******, drugs, and families with 3 dogs and 3 kids that haven’t slept in a house their whole lives, depressing as hell.

[AFCAT]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino did NOT what? Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Kalafat never scored in the game. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

I hope you don’t live in Denver or anywhere downtown Denver. That place is a lost cause, grew up going there and I took my wife and two kids there two summers ago, and that place is a cess pool. Unless you like seeing human ******, drugs, and families with 3 dogs and 3 kids that haven’t slept in a house their whole lives, depressing as hell.

I saw Kalafat/Starr at the Broncos game. My brother knew him from MSU and we talked for a bit before the game. The new university area near the stadium was pretty cool. Looks like they spent some serious money down there recently. There was a lot of construction going on in the downtown area, so we didn't see a lot. It was also cold, so we stayed inside restaurants and bars. I liked the downtown architecture but I've lived in and around a lot of cities and like looking at that stuff.

[TomCat88]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Granted Petrino was barely in and Kalafat was barely out. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

Very cool (cold that day) pic of the box score. Scott Miller (3 catches, 69 yards) is Matt’s dad. One of his receptions set up the short TD. Leister went to play QB at Michigan State and was a star pitcher on the Spartan baseball. He had a very famous teammate on both those teams that played WR on the football team. Can you name him?

[Griznationalist]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Granted Petrino was barely in and Kalafat was barely out. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

Very cool (cold that day) pic of the box score. Scott Miller (3 catches, 69 yards) is Matt’s dad. One of his receptions set up the short TD. Leister went to play QB at Michigan State and was a star pitcher on the Spartan baseball. He had a very famous teammate on both those teams that played WR on the football team. Can you name him?

Kirk Gibson and Leister didn’t quite connect. Gibson’s final season at Michigan State (football) was 1978. Leister’s first season (football) was 1979. I can’t imagine they played on the same baseball team, given their age difference. Is there something I’m missing?

[seataccat]

A recent one would be last years semi-final in Brookings.

The Furman playoff game in 2006(?) was pretty cold......there was wind and the north end zone open aluminum bleachers were not heated

Two others that come to mind were the 2 home playoff games in 1984 vs Arkansas State and Rhode Island.

I was at the Rhode Island game in 84, the Furman playoff game in 2006 and the gris game in 2001 but the coldest game for me was the 1987 Idaho game. Not sure what the temperature was but I froze my balls off even worse than any of those other games.

[TomCat88]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Granted Petrino was barely in and Kalafat was barely out. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

Very cool (cold that day) pic of the box score. Scott Miller (3 catches, 69 yards) is Matt’s dad. One of his receptions set up the short TD. Leister went to play QB at Michigan State and was a star pitcher on the Spartan baseball. He had a very famous teammate on both those teams that played WR on the football team. Can you name him?

Kirk Gibson and Leister didn’t quite connect. Gibson’s final season at Michigan State (football) was 1978. Leister’s first season (football) was 1979. I can’t imagine they played on the same baseball team, given their age difference. Is there something I’m missing?

Could’ve swore I had seen a TD pass from Leister to Gibson somewhere. Must’ve imagined it. And now that you’ve corrected me, I think I’ve been corrected on this before. I hope you’re not Grady!

[CatBlitz]

I thought that Cat-gris game in 2003 was below zero. Was that just one of those days that was warmer by the time the game started and Corey Smith ran the opening kickoff back? I had a lot of whiskey in me that day.

No that was the coldest I've ever been at a game. Standing in the West side shade didn't help.

I was in the student section that game. Didn't seem terrible that I recall but we were in the sun. I remember some guy pissing in a pie pan and then spilling it on the people in front of him. It was really a different place back then. Isn't that the game that the goalpost in the Rocking R was harvested?

That story encompasses the old iteration of the stadium very well lol

I don't know what happened to the goalpost from 03
My buddy rode one of the uprights out of the stadium to Specs in 05. The other upright ended up at the R bar and the crossbar ended up at the Crystal.

[DMMDCats]

I remember going to the 1978 state championship game between Capital and CMR at Vigilante stadium when I was a kid. I remember the game was super cold, but it was close so I stayed for the entire game. Capital won 13-7. I actually stood behind the East end zone in the snow for a while and remember Petrino (ugh), sneaking the ball over the goal line on 4th and 1 to win the game. Anyway, I was curious what the temp was that day so I just looked it up and found this.

“In the 1978 championship game at Vigilante Stadium, Capital and CMR squared-off in 18-below-zero temperatures. The stripes on the field were painted black to contrast the blanket of snow.”

They used concrete dust to “paint” the lines.

Dang it was cold.


Jim “Lazer” Kalafat made it in, Petrino did NOT.

Helena Homer, refs as usual.

Petrino scored both TDs for the Bruins, including the winning one. Granted Petrino was barely in and Kalafat was barely out. BTW, I actually saw Kalafat/Starr two weeks ago down in Denver.

Barely out, like Tommy at SDSU.

I was there, no more than 40 yards from the play, I had to have a better view than the officials.

Last time I saw Jim was thirty years ago at a Golden Triangle golf tournament.

Good times growing up on westside bestside of Great Falls.

[PapaG]

One that came to mind immediately for me, which no one else has mentioned yet, is the 1991 Cat-griz game. The frigid temps for that one are notable because that was before Cat-griz was the last game of the season. I don't remember the exact date, but I know it was still October, not even November yet. It's the one and only time that I left a game early because it was just too effing cold. At halftime we went out to sit in our vehicle to warm up a bit before the 2nd half, and none of the four of us wanted to go back inside the stadium when halftime was over. We ended up watching the rest of the game at the Hideaway, and I met Jan Stenerud there. I'm pretty sure the high that day was below zero, and the lows the night before and night after were somewhere in the minus 10-15 range, which were record lows for those dates. In fact I believe the nighttime lows in many areas of Montana were the coldest temps ever recorded during the month of October. It was a boring game too....gris won 16-9, in what was the 6th game of the streak and Earle the Pearl's last Cat-griz game. We finished 2-9 that season, Earle was fired and our long national Bobcat nightmare was over. At least in terms of getting rid of Earle, although the streak continued for 10 more years after that.

That game was on 11/2/91. Not long after I was working out in the Fieldhouse with a friend and we stumbled upon Earle’s firing press conference down one of the hallways in a larger room. We stood in the back of the room and watched him literally cry about not winning. He was not a good coach, but he did care about his players is what I got out of it.

[84CatGrad]

I thought that Cat-gris game in 2003 was below zero. Was that just one of those days that was warmer by the time the game started and Corey Smith ran the opening kickoff back? I had a lot of whiskey in me that day.

No that was the coldest I've ever been at a game. Standing in the West side shade didn't help.

I was in the student section that game. Didn't seem terrible that I recall but we were in the sun. I remember some guy pissing in a pie pan and then spilling it on the people in front of him. It was really a different place back then. Isn't that the game that the goalpost in the Rocking R was harvested?

That story encompasses the old iteration of the stadium very well lol

I don't know what happened to the goalpost from 03
My buddy rode one of the uprights out of the stadium to Specs in 05. The other upright ended up at the R bar and the crossbar ended up at the Crystal.

I was in the old rickety end zone seats for the '05 game, Lulay's last game. There was a frizz fan in front of me wearing a kilt (?). The field was a muddy mess. Watching the fans tear down the goalpost was hilarious. A bunch of drunk idiots slipping and sliding. Somebody would get an arm over the cross bar and everyone's pulling on his legs. When it finally came down and was carried off there was all this debris left behind - somebody's shoe, a coat, a couple of mittens, hats, you name it. Later found out I had a buddy that was in the melee and wound up getting the wind knocked out of him. Fortunately, he was feeling no pain.

[John K]

One that came to mind immediately for me, which no one else has mentioned yet, is the 1991 Cat-griz game. The frigid temps for that one are notable because that was before Cat-griz was the last game of the season. I don't remember the exact date, but I know it was still October, not even November yet. It's the one and only time that I left a game early because it was just too effing cold. At halftime we went out to sit in our vehicle to warm up a bit before the 2nd half, and none of the four of us wanted to go back inside the stadium when halftime was over. We ended up watching the rest of the game at the Hideaway, and I met Jan Stenerud there. I'm pretty sure the high that day was below zero, and the lows the night before and night after were somewhere in the minus 10-15 range, which were record lows for those dates. In fact I believe the nighttime lows in many areas of Montana were the coldest temps ever recorded during the month of October. It was a boring game too....gris won 16-9, in what was the 6th game of the streak and Earle the Pearl's last Cat-griz game. We finished 2-9 that season, Earle was fired and our long national Bobcat nightmare was over. At least in terms of getting rid of Earle, although the streak continued for 10 more years after that.

That game was on 11/2/91. Not long after I was working out in the Fieldhouse with a friend and we stumbled upon Earle’s firing press conference down one of the hallways in a larger room. We stood in the back of the room and watched him literally cry about not winning. He was not a good coach, but he did care about his players is what I got out of it.

I stand corrected. I thought for sure it was still October when that game was played. I know it wasn't Halloween, although Cat-gris was usually played on or very near Halloween back in those days, so I thought it was maybe October 29-30, or something like that. Regardless, I've been to many, many very cold games in Bozeman over the years, and I still maintain that was the coldest ever. I'm not too surprised that not many people remember it though, because even though it was Cat-gris, the stands were not very full, even in the 1st half, and I'm guessing the stadium was probably very empty in the 2nd half. As I said before, not only was it bitterly cold, but it was also sort of a boring game. I know the game wasn't a sellout, and that's the only Cat-gris non-sellout that I can remember. I'm sure that a lot of people who had tickets, didn't show up, and like our group, many of the ones who did show up, didn't come back for the 2nd half. Plus, there's probably not too many of us on this board who are even old enough to remember a game from 1991. It's hard to believe that was 32 years ago, and it's also sorta hard to believe how far Bobcat football has come since those dark days of the late 1980's and the 1990's. I think we sometimes need to have some perspective, after a season like this, which had such a disappointing ending. Back in 1991, all of us would have been ecstatic beyond words, if the Cats had been 8-4, advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs, and been ranked number 8/9 at the end of the season.

[kwcat]

I think it has to be the 2010 Cat/Griz game or the 2014 South Dakota State playoff game in Bozeman.

That 2010 game comes to mind for me as well. But, the 2014 Jacks game, I remember it being a whiteout and somehow we made it before the roads closed. But, I don't remember it being super cold. I also remember their RB running for around a million yards and rumor has it he is still running.

I think his last name was Zenner. Remember Prukop wearing the largest brace imaginable to get through that game? Haha

I was at the SDSU game in 2014 when Zenner ran all over us and Prukop played a good game even though injured with that brace. It was 2 degrees above zero when I got out of the pickup. And it was snowing. I had all my duck hunting gear on and my pacs so stayed comfortable…but it was indeed chilly.

Coldest game I can remember playing in was in high school 1968. Damn blizzard…….at times I could swear you couldn’t see the goal posts on the other end of the field….or just see the outline of the goal posts. Wind chill just drove the cold into you. I was playing at the time so on the field and keeping somewhat warm…..but those poor buggers that had to stand on the sidelines…..geez I felt for them….no heaters or heated seats.

The other really cold game that didn’t happen outside was a State Class C playoff or championship game (not sure which). It was in the 1970s sometime. I did go to the game but my memory has faded and as I recall it was somewhere around 20 below zero so they moved the game into the field house….played on the dirt….had to make some adjustments because of length of the field….width was ok but length was the issue. I can’t remember if any of the punts hit the upper structure or not….


Edit: I dug up the Box Score on the 2014 SDSU game and the official game temp was 1 degree above zero with 5 to 15 mph wind and snow.

https://msubobcats.com/sports/football/ ... score/3498