Old Missoula

Sports Thrive 1920 to 1940

By Ray T. Rocene

In the roaring Twenties, Montana Grizzlies started the sports parade by defeating Washington Huskies at Seattle 18 – 14, their first and only win from the Huskies in football. Billy Kelly soon appeared to gain All-American mention in 1924-26, Maj. Milburn bade farewell with a winning team in 1930.

Grizzlies Strong

Doug Fessenden came west with a Chicago platoon and turned out tremendous football teams in 1936-37-38, the 1937 team, once defeated, rejecting a Sun Bowl bid by one vote. Missoula County High School won the football title in 1921, were finalists in 1926 and 1934.

A lively two decades for prizefighting, topped by the Jack Dempsey-Tommy Gibbons fight at Shelby in 1923. Missoula had a procession of ring shows and featured stout sluggers, including Leo Lomski, the Bitter Root Kid, in his final whirl, Richie Fontaine, a challenger for the lightweight title who rose to great heights in 1935-37, Bert Sommers, Spider McCallum, Ford Smith and any number of others.

Missoula was host to its first Montana state bowling tournament in 1920 and the alley sport changed from the Rochester to Idle Hour. The women sponsored a state tournament for their sex here in 1928, the first in the state’s history.

Take Two Titles

Baseball was featured by Grizzlies winning two Northwest conference titles in 1920-21. Legion junior baseball here started in 1928, Missoula was in the finals in 1930, won its first state title in 1938. Missoula University Store went into the Montana State League, won the championship in 1937 in convincing manner, next took the state semipro title.

The Missoula City League continued play through 1936. Campbell Park was first put in use as a baseball diamond in 1935 through efforts of John L. Campbell. There were scores of western Montana teams of outstanding ability, Hamilton, Ronan, Kalispell, Bonner consistently strong.

Seventh in Nation

Missoula Spartans won the state basketball title in 1922 and went back east to the Chicago National Interscholastic tournament, finished seventh. Grizzlies had good and mediocre hoop squads through the years, beat the Bobcats in 1920-21, 1934 and 1939, succumbed to the Golden Bobcats of sports lore, returned to the Pacific Coast Conference for a year in 1938.

Class B basketball came into being in 1933. Much independent basketball was played through the 30s here. Grade school basketball was off to a good start early in the 20s.

Interscholastic Grows

The Montana Interscholastic meet continued to grow. Missoula won in 1926, 1930, 1932, 1934 and 1939, the year when class B track was initiated with Sheridan taking honors. Golf and tennis became a feature of the Montana Interscholastic in the 1928-29 meets. Grizzlies had an outstanding track squad through 1925-30, led by such champions as Arny Gillette and Russ Sweet.

Softball reached its heights here during the 30s and in 1937 the Missoula Foresters won the state tournament for men, while in 1939 the Garden City Floral team of Missoula won the Montana crown and went to the national tournament to contest for U.S. honors.

 

During the time Ft. Missoula was garrisoned, rifle shooting competition was keen in this area and annual tournaments of the best in the northwest were fired on the range in Pattee Canyon and near the fort. Trapshooting also remained a favorite sport through the years. Sgt. John Carlson of Ft. Missoula won fame as a pistol and rifle expert.