Did you attend MSU?

[coachouert]

Saw something similar posted by CDAGRIZ and thought it was kind of cool to read through people's stories on how they became a fan and since it's the off-season, figured why not try something here. Vote and comment if you're so inclined.

Grew up in Great Falls a big fan of Dave Dickenson (he was my Heisey basketball coach) and probably paid more attention to UM than MSU until high school but eventually grew out of that and attended MSU. Graduated in 2005 with an education degree and have worked at MSU since. Pretty proud of the way MSU has grown since getting here.

[Andy]

Yes

[coloradocat]

Two degrees in the early 2000s. Didn't follow the Bobcats at all until I stepped on campus. When I was younger I remember listening to a couple of Dave D's games on the radio but that's as interested as I ever got in college football in Montana. Reading the Billings Gazette back in the day you'd hardly know MSU had a team.

I take sole responsibility/credit for turning my dad from a passive fan of the teams in Montana to a 100% Bobcat fan. He graduated from MSU in the 70s but was always happy to see Missoula be successful until I finally completely broke him of that habit a little over a decade ago. We've had season tickets since the late Ash years.

[Camo_Cat]

Saw something similar posted by CDAGRIZ and thought it was kind of cool to read through people's stories on how they became a fan and since it's the off-season, figured why not try something here. Vote and comment if you're so inclined.

Grew up in Great Falls a big fan of Dave Dickenson (he was my Heisey basketball coach) and probably paid more attention to UM than MSU until high school but eventually grew out of that and attended MSU. Graduated in 2005 with an education degree and have worked at MSU since. Pretty proud of the way MSU has grown since getting here.

coach - is there a way to change the poll so we can make 2 selections? I am an alum of MSU and want to choose that selection, but I also really, really want to pick the "FTG" option too!!!

[coachouert]

Saw something similar posted by CDAGRIZ and thought it was kind of cool to read through people's stories on how they became a fan and since it's the off-season, figured why not try something here. Vote and comment if you're so inclined.

Grew up in Great Falls a big fan of Dave Dickenson (he was my Heisey basketball coach) and probably paid more attention to UM than MSU until high school but eventually grew out of that and attended MSU. Graduated in 2005 with an education degree and have worked at MSU since. Pretty proud of the way MSU has grown since getting here.

coach - is there a way to change the poll so we can make 2 selections? I am an alum of MSU and want to choose that selection, but I also really, really want to pick the "FTG" option too!!!

Ask and you shall receive.

[Camo_Cat]

Saw something similar posted by CDAGRIZ and thought it was kind of cool to read through people's stories on how they became a fan and since it's the off-season, figured why not try something here. Vote and comment if you're so inclined.

Grew up in Great Falls a big fan of Dave Dickenson (he was my Heisey basketball coach) and probably paid more attention to UM than MSU until high school but eventually grew out of that and attended MSU. Graduated in 2005 with an education degree and have worked at MSU since. Pretty proud of the way MSU has grown since getting here.

coach - is there a way to change the poll so we can make 2 selections? I am an alum of MSU and want to choose that selection, but I also really, really want to pick the "FTG" option too!!!

Ask and you shall receive.

Awesome - you the man!

[allcat]

Grew up in West Yellowstone. Went to MSU to avoid the dopers that all of Um were. Got my accounting degree. Eventually bought a bar that my beer salesman was Cliff Hysell's best friend. Cliff asked me to come to the games. Casual interest turned into passionate.

[CodyCat]

Graduated in 2006. Before I came to Bozeman, I could careless about 1AA football. But as a sports fan I didnt miss a game my freshman year. Now Im ridiculously passionate. Been a season ticket holder since the endzone expansion (2008 I think). I live close to Bozeman now but for eight years drove 1200 miles round trip to catch most home games.

[ECBobcat]

I suspect that, when the results of this poll are compared to the similar gris poll, an old adage will come to mind:

“If you see someone wearing MSU gear, that person likely attended MSU. If you see someone wearing UM gear, that person likely went to Walmart.”

[coachouert]

I suspect that, when the results of this poll are compared to the similar gris poll, an old adage will come to mind:

“If you see someone wearing MSU gear, that person likely attended MSU. If you see someone wearing UM gear, that person likely went to Walmart.”

[chadtothebone]

Did not attend MSU (did attend So Dak St for 2 years in the early 90’s) but moved to Bozeman in 2001. Started following right away and have been a passionate fan since. And learned right away that most Griz fans are pretty obnoxious

[BobcatBlood]

Graduated in 1993 and worked there 17 years! My mom has her master's from MSU, my daughter graduated 2016 and my son will graduate in Dec 2023. I became a fan when I overheard my 2nd grade teacher arguing with a less favorite teacher. She stated emphatically that the smart kids go to MSU, lol. I was determined from then on to be a Bobcat and couldn't be happier with my decision!

[CelticCat]

I'll never understand making fun a team for having fans that didn't graduate there. You think all 110k fans who pack into the Big House every home game all went to Michigan?

[BelgradeBobcat]

I'll never understand making fun a team for having fans that didn't graduate there. You think all 110k fans who pack into the Big House every home game all went to Michigan?

No. Apparently it's an issue there too.

[VimSince03]

New poll option: Do you personally know Coach V?

[grizzh8r]

2007 engineering grad (took the victory lap as I changed majors as so many in engineering do). Grew up in a Bobcat grad family as a diehard fan. Anyone who went to school either attended for a time or graduated from MSU with the exception of my paternal grandmother who graduated from UM in the 40's when it was still MSU and MSU was known as MSC. And my maternal grandmother who attended UNC back when I was the Colorado normal school (teachers college).

In my childhood, I followed the MBB team way more closely than football for the longest time, we used to go to the holiday classic every year. Remember seeing Dewey, Hatler, Leachman, Lollis, Harrison, Sprinkle as a kid growing up. Listened to Dean Alexander call all the football and basketball games on KBOZ 1090. Can still hear the various jingles always played during commercial breaks. Merganthaler Transfer an Storage, A&D Autobody, Frontier Pies, and Dean announce the "The Heil Heating and Cooling Products Scoreboard" score before cutting to said commercials.

Attended my first MSU Football game in 1998 or 1999, back when you could have an entire section to yourself. Attended every home football game - including playoffs - as a student beginning in 2002 and with the exception of the 2007 season when I was working out of state, I haven't missed a home game since. Well maybe one, but my memory is a little fuzzy.

Have also been to away games at UNCU, TXA&M, AR ST., EWU, WSU, UofU. Been a while since I've been to an away game, planning on SDSU this September.

[coachouert]

New poll option: Do you personally know Coach V?

I'll work on a new poll thread asking if you personally know Coach V and how many players you have conversations with after hitting up the R Bar and Pickle Barrel.

[coloradocat]

I'll never understand making fun a team for having fans that didn't graduate there. You think all 110k fans who pack into the Big House every home game all went to Michigan?

The equivalent is Michigan State. They aren't the popular, casual fan team. I bet that MSU has the same jokes as we do.

It doesn't mean either team necessarily has better fans, but organic fans have a bigger emotional, and often financial, investment in the school than even lifelong bandwagon fans.

[Prodigal Cat]

I attended in 99 and 2000 when the football team was at it's peak . I was a bit of a loner and had trouble making friends so I transferred to go to a small school in the Seattle area with a friend and my sister. However both my parents attended MSU and I grew up (ranching/farming family) rooting for the Cat's my whole life. Once I graduated and moved back to Mt I started following them again hence Prodigal Cat.

[Bobcat4Ever]

Born in Bozeman, as my dad got a temporary job at MSC for two weeks after WW-II and retired from MSU 33 years later! Grew up one-half block off-campus, second house down from Roger Kraft family. Lots of MSU people in the ‘hood. Irving School. Bozeman Hawk graduate. Graduated from MSU in 1971 in Civil Engineering, then grad school in Industrial & Mgmt. Eng. / Computer Science. Two-thirds of MS degree, had to withdraw due to illness. Worked at MSU for 38 years after a year in Helena at DNRC. Lived in Bozeman until 2018 when my aches and pains allowed me to move to the desert for my aches and pains. Currently a rabid consumer of Bobcat Sports via ESPN+.

Earliest memory of Bobcat Sports was going to Romney Gym and Gatton Field to watch my uncle play basketball and run sprints for the Eastern Montana Yellowjackets (MSU Billings now). My dad took me to the first basketball game (Idaho State I think) in the new Fieldhouse (known as Pres. Roland R. Renne’s Round Rumpus Room). Attended hundreds of Men’s Basketball games over a span of 62 years with Dad, cousins, girlfriends and wife. Picked up Women’s Basketball at the urging of a friend in 1993, and loved it. Cass Bauer, Sarah Flock, etc. Volleyball fan after my friend’s daughter played and started for Coach Gantt.

Mom always had the football games on her little red Packard-Bell radio. I don’t remember attending any until I started college. Four interesting years with Dennis Erickson and other stars. Casual fan until Cliff Hysell (cool to see the other reference above) hired my buddy and I to write computer code to analyze tendencies — he had every play broken down and entered on punch cards! Each year that he was on the coaching staff he’d show up and drop a pair of season tickets on my desk. And that’s when my interest level went from 5 to 60 in a hurry. Froze at playoff games in 1976 and 1984. Season tickets for many years after.