Kahiam Hunter

wbtfg · Post by **wbtfg** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 5:08 pm

Nice interview....

Kahiam Hunter remembers standing in Denver International Airport, amazed.

"I didn't really know where Montana was," Hunter laughs, "when I flew out here to come to school. I was in the Denver airport and found this big map, and I thought Montana was where Wyoming is."

Sixty-four months later Hunter leaves Montana State with three Big Sky Championship rings, and friends from his native Los Angeles still ask him if people ride horses to class at MSU. He is one of only two high school players that joined the 'Cats in the 2001 recruiting class that finished their careers at MSU, and Bobcat coach Mike Kramer maintains that Hunter was the best cornerback in the Big Sky Conference during his senior season.

Here is a look at Kahiam Hunter's Bobcat career, in his own words...

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Q: What's next for Kahiam Hunter?
KH: I'm going to finish school, hopefully next semester, but if I'm not done I might come back and help the coaches next fall. I see the long hours those guys work, and I'm not sure that's for me (laughing). But it's a possibility.

Q: You're a Technical Education major. What do you do with a degree in that field?
KH: You can take the education option or the industrial option, and I took the industrial option, which teaches you to work in business. I'm also getting a business minor. To be honest, I don't really know what I'm want to do. I want to take a year off after college before I get serious.

Q: Any chance you'll pursue playing opportunities?
KH: (Laughing) My body is (done). My roommate, Eddie (Sullivan), wants to try to do the Arena League team that's coming (to Bozeman). I think I'm more ready to give it up and establish my future.

Q: You and Nick Marudas are the last links to the Bobcat program before it won the three recent Big Sky Championships, and you played as a true freshman. What do you remember about that first year of your career?
KH: My freshman year I played nickel a lot. The first game I ever played was at Weber State. Jay Hackett got hurt and I had to play. We'd lost 17 or 18 games in a row. Everything on the field was so fast, hectic. Guys that were around then still kid me about how scared I looked. I remember Jay Hackett telling me to just calm down. There are pictures of me on the field with my eyes wide open. I still have a picture from the Grizzly game my freshman year where (UM running back) Yohance Humphrey had the ball and I tried to tackle him and I dove real low. The picture shows me on the ground on my face, and Humphrey like five yards down the field.

Q: Fast forward five years, and it's the Grizzly game your senior year. Does it surprise you how far you came, and how far the program came?
KH: It would be a better surprise if we would have pulled off those games we should have pulled off, and done what we wanted to do. The thing I really remember from the Grizzly game this year is that it was the first time my whole family got to come watch me play. I had my whole family here. Being on the field and knowing they were up there in the stands, it was great. The other thing I remember is being on the field and knowing what I was doing 100 percent. It was the first game I ever played without any doubt. Doubt is one of the things that always keeps me in check. If there's that little bit of doubt there I can keep myself from thinking I have all the answers. But there was no doubt for me this year in the Grizzly game. And it was one of the best games of my career.

Q: Any doubt about the fact that you made the right choice coming to Montana State?
KH: Nope. Things worked out pretty good for me, as long as I get that piece of paper (diploma) in a couple of months. I love this place, and Coach Kramer, he and I have butted heads, but he is one of my favorite people.

GrizinWashington · Post by **GrizinWashington** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 5:41 pm

friends from his native Los Angeles still ask him if people ride horses to class at MSU.

I've wondered that too.

bozbobcat · Post by **bozbobcat** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 11:22 pm

Nope. We don't ride our hosses anymore there fella.

Hunter sounds like a great guy who has a good head on his shoulders and he was a great player for MSU. So thanks, Kahiam.

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:37 am

GrizinWashington wrote:
friends from his native Los Angeles still ask him if people ride horses to class at MSU.
I've wondered that too.

Yeah, and we have electricity and running water and paved streets, too!

94VegasCat · Post by **94VegasCat** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:42 am

I liked the piece where he mentions that even though him and Coach Kramer and him have butted heads, the coach is still one of his favorite people. I think that it says great things about our coach and the kids he brings in. I am glad that Mr. Hunter is looking forward to getting his degree and that his family was able to see him perform. That is pretty cool!

bobcatmaniac · Post by **bobcatmaniac** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 8:00 am

What a great story. I am glad most people in the big cities still think we are in teepees, have no running water, etc. Keeps them away!

WeedKillinCat · Post by **WeedKillinCat** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 11:32 am

What we need now is the "Winter of the Century"...that'll weed em out..

grizzh8r · Post by **grizzh8r** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 12:44 pm

WeedKillinCat wrote:What we need now is the "Winter of the Century"...that'll weed em out..

bozbobcat · Post by **bozbobcat** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 12:50 pm

We didn't build the fence around Montana, so a good ol' fashioned winter would keep out these people that don't think we have indoor plumbing and we ride horses to school. This winter feels like it will be a colder winter than in recent years, especially here in Bozeman. We don't mind guys like Kahiam here, though.

bobcatmaniac · Post by **bobcatmaniac** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 9:25 pm

I didn't mean I didn't want people like Hunter. I just mean I want the state to stay the way it is, not a ton of people. I like my wide open spaces and big sky country where you can look for miles and miles and not see another person if you like.

WeedKillinCat · Post by **WeedKillinCat** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 10:26 pm

My thoughts exactly...

bozbobcat · Post by **bozbobcat** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 10:59 pm

I understood what you meant. Sorry if I caused any confusion. I agree; I want Montana to have a small population and lots of wide open space.

G.W.Bush · Post by **G.W.Bush** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 12:47 pm

Sixty-four months later Hunter leaves Montana State with three Big Sky Championship rings, and friends from his native Los Angeles still ask him if people ride horses to class at MSU. He is one of only two high school players that joined the 'Cats in the 2001 recruiting class that finished their careers at MSU, and Bobcat coach Mike Kramer maintains that Hunter was the best cornerback in the Big Sky Conference during his senior season.

This is a really alarming number. I wonder why we need to bring in so many transfers. We can't keep guys on the team for 4 or 5 years. It makes it really hard not to rely heavily on JC and transfer players every season.

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:01 pm

I like reading sucess stories like this. Congrats on a great career at MSU Hunter! We could always use more like ya.