The Divide War

This story was originally published on Nov. 17, 2011.

Saturday at 12:05 p.m., the 111th Brawl of the Wild will be kicked off in Bobcat Stadium. More commonly referred to as Cat/Griz, this rivalry between the Bobcats of MSU and the Grizzlies of the University of Montana is a major part of college life in Montana.

Played every November, with few exceptions, for the past 114 years, Cat-Griz is the sixth oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi.

It began in Missoula on Nov. 26, 1897. The game was played between the Grizzlies and the Aggies, MSU’s mascot prior to 1916. After the first game ended 18-6 in favor of the Grizzlies, the Aggies returned to Bozeman to get ready for the next meeting.

It wasn’t until 1899 that MSU Bozeman defeated the Grizzlies with a score of 38-0. After the victory, they had a six game win streak, the largest margin Bozeman has ever led by. For the 1904 Brawl of the Wild, the Grizzlies allegedly enlisted the help of professional football players to end their losing streak. They won 79-0.

In the autumn of 1906, MSU banned competition for two seasons. When play resumed in 1908, the Aggies claimed a 5-0 victory over the Grizzlies. They would not see victory again until 1929, when the newly named Bobcats of MSU Bozeman beat the Grizzlies 14-12.

From 1941 to 1946, competition ceased due to World War II.

In 1951, Cat-Griz was hosted in Bozeman for the first time in 28 years. But it wasn’t until 1957 that the Cats won another home game.

After their win in 1956, the Cats won three more games for a four-game winning streak. By 1966, MSU was ranked third in the nation and shut out the University of Montana 38-0 in Missoula. In 1976, the Bobcats won the Division II National Championship.

Kerry Hanson told the story of the 2002 Cat-Griz game in Missoula. It was an incredibly cold, snowy day and Bobcat fans were hurting from 16 straight losses. A camera news crew asked an MSU Alumni what his prediction for the game was. He replied, “A lot of people have said that the Bobcats will only beat the Grizzlies when Hell freezes over.” The Bobcats won 10-7.

The cats are once again winning, and are now first in the nation in the FCS subdivision. They will face the seventh ranked Grizzlies on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a really physical game. They might be the best team we’ve faced all year,” said Bill Lamberty, sports information director for football. “Cat-Griz is just wild; it’s like nothing else.”