Cat/Griz More Than Just Wins and Losses
By Danny Waldo
Each year in November, the state of Montana hosts its own version of the Super Bowl, affectionately known as the Brawl of the Wild, where some team west of the divide, sporting maroon and silver tightens up their chin straps to take on the Montana State Bobcats.
Friends become enemies, and entire families serve up a weeklong case of the cold shoulder, all in the name of sport. And as Bob Stitt, the now former coach of the Montana Grizzlies recently found out, some people even lose their jobs.
No, Cat/Griz is not for the faint of heart, and for many it is more than just a game. People’s lives don’t necessarily depend on the outcome, but it’s pretty darn close.
That’s how serious people in the state of Montana are about their beloved rivalry. Many people can claim that it doesn’t matter how many games their team wins as long as they beat their rival each year. Turns out, in Montana, we actually mean that.
Case in point, Stitt, who was 21-14 in his three years at the helm of the Grizzlies, was let go after going just 1-2 versus Montana State. Sure, pundits will argue that his failure to make the playoffs each of the past two seasons was another reason he was let go, but in both 2016 and 2017 the loss to Montana State was the nail in the coffin that kept the Griz out of the postseason.
Former Montana State head coach Rob Ash was let go following the 2015 season after compiling a 70-38 record over nine seasons at the helm of the Bobcats. His 70 wins are the most victories by any Bobcat coach, yet Ash was just 2-7 versus the Grizzlies, and thus the Blue and Gold faithful felt it was time for a change.
There are very few coaching positions with that kind of pressure riding on the outcome of a single game, and whoever ends up being the next coach of the Montana Grizzlies had better be prepared to handle the heat, something Stitt was not able to do.
Current Bobcat coach Jeff Choate is just 9-13 in two seasons in Bozeman, but he’s 2-0 versus the Grizzlies, making each of the past two seasons feel like conference championships. For now, the wins over the Griz are enough to cover the stench of losing records, proving just how important success is in the Montana Super Bowl.
Danny Waldo is a local freelance writer covering Montana State Bobcat athletics.
