Leading to the 2022 season, the 125th anniversary of Montana State's first football team, we will look at 125 of the greatest Bobcats. You can find details here and a directory here.

Joe Roberts, S, 1981-84

ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: 2nd Team All-Big Sky in 1983 and 1984

A CLOSER LOOK: Joe Roberts was a lot more than his one iconic moment. But what a moment that was.

With the December shadows falling on Reno H. Sales Stadium - and on Montana State's dream season - Roberts changed everything.

Everything.

The senior safety stepped in front of a Rhode Island pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. That play, and the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by the Cats and turned into a touchdown, boosted the Bobcats into the 1984 Division I-AA Championship Game, which the team won convincingly. You can watch it all here.

Roberts came to MSU from Missoula Sentinel and spent his freshman season as All-America safety Jim Anderson's understudy. He was the team's fifth defensive back in 1982, but by the end of that season he was considered the leader of the team's secondary, and by the conclusion of his junior campaign was seen as the leader of Montana State's talented secondary. As his senior campaign dawned, he was viewed by some as the Big Sky's top safety. He responded that season with 76 regular season tackles on a team with a group of edge players and linebackers who gobbled up tackles, adding two sacks and five others behind the line of scrimmage. H recovered one fumble, intercepting a pass and breaking up six others.

Playoff stats didn't count on a player's record at that time, but Roberts' post-season stats stick out. In addition to the interception returned for a touchdown, Roberts logged 14 tackles in those three games, one for a loss.

He remains one of the most beloved players on one of the school's all-time beloved teams, a Montanan who was at his best when it was needed the most.

FROM FORMER BOBCAT ASSISTANT AND HEAD COACH MIKE KRAMER: "Joe was smart and tough, and big for a safety. He was an excellent strong safety, very much equal to Kane Ioane, a great tackler who was able to understand and implement quickly a sophisticated defensive game plan. Like many of his 1984 national champion teammates he came from Montana and went from partial scholarship to full scholarship to All-Big Sky performer. He had a tremendous nose for the football, and the interception and subsequent return against Rhode Island is one of the iconic moments of Bobcat football history. He was tough and durable. He started at least 25 consecutive games, and was a great teammate, a great student, and a great leader. He was a poster boy for his career both on and off the field."

FROM VOICE OF THE CATS DEAN ALEXANDER: "Joe, often called Joey, Roberts. He was smart and efficient, and a great leader. His interception vs. Rhody typifies his intelligence. He'd missed it once, but the second time it was a one-way ticket to Charleston. He was tough both physically and mentally."

FROM TEAMMATE AND LONG-TIME MSU TV ANALYST MIKE CALLAGHAN: "The most special thing about Joe was his leadership. He was always in charge and players were drawn to his confidence and steady nature. He was one of the rocks. Obviously he also had the ability to make very timely plays. There is not a Cat fan who doesn't know about the pick in 84. What made that play even more miraculous for me was he made a similar pick against ISU when we were Frosh playing JV…and he got run down by everyone including the majority of the O-line.   Cat fans can be thankful that he got a bit faster. "


Doug Kimball, S, 1982-85

ALL-TIME TEAM: 2000 Billings Gazette
HONORS: 1984 Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky, 1984 CoSIDA 2nd Team Academic All-America

A CLOSER LOOK: After earning Most Improved Freshman honors in 1982, Doug Kimball set about proving that honor was well-earned. He stepped into a starting safety role in 1983, picking off five passes with 66 tackles. Playing in the middle of a veteran defense in 1984, Kimball starred. The Chester product intercepted eight passes in the regular season to tie the school record, then added two more in the post-season. By the close of his career, Kimball owned or shared MSU's single-game, season and career interception records. 

From pillar to post, Kimball's 1984 season was remarkable. He logged five tackles with a pass breakup against Eastern Washington, MSU's first Division I opponent of the season, then picked off five passes in the next three games. That included three against Idaho to tie a school record. (One of the six men to intercept three passes in a single game is Kimball's brother Bob against Northern Iowa in 1986.) 

Like every other member of the Bobcat defense, Kimball used an excellent regular season as a springboard to an even better post-season. He logged seven tackles and recovered a fumble against Arkansas State in the quarterfinals. His 10 tackles in the amazing win against Rhode Island marked a season high for him, and he threw in an interception for good measure. Then in the all-time win against Louisiana Tech for the championship he intercepted another pass.

To cap that brilliant season, Kimball earned 2nd Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and Honorable Mention All-America kudos. And if you're wondering about the Kimball pipeline running dry, not yet. Doug's nephew Max Kimball joins the Bobcats this fall as a freshman from Billings West.

FROM FORMER IDAHO LINEMAN AND BOBCAT HEAD COACH MIKE KRAMER: "A hyper smart kid from Chester, he was so competitive he was almost reckless. He was a downhill hitter with great all-around athletic talent and insight. He had great vision and was a fearless hitter who love d to 'lay low' on crossing routes. He was from an outstanding family, and we brought three Kimball brothers to play for the Bobcats with distinction as safeties. He was part of the five-man Class B contingent which became the muscle fiber of the national championship defensive unit, and to this day is an outstanding alumnus and contributor to MSU Athletics."

FROM VOICE OF THE CATS DEAN ALEXANDER: "He could read the quarterback, and was good at knowing where the ball was going. And he'd get there. He was extremely confident, and with good reason, because he knew he could and would make the play."

FROM TEAMMATE AND LONG-TIME MSU TV ANALYST MIKE CALLAGHAN: "Doug was unique in a couple ways.  First he was so smart that  he had an ability to see what was developing before it happened.  Because of that intelligence he always played very free and was not afraid to gamble and take chances. Some of his biggest plays were when he would break coverage, he was almost always right, and when he wasn't an extremely talented Rodney Holland was usually be around to save his ass."