BOZEMAN — If you’re a Bobcat fan, you probably know a thing or two about Sonny Holland — the legendary Montana State coach who famously led the Bobcats to six straight wins over the Montana Grizzlies during his tenure from 1971 to 1977.
But what you might not know is how Holland prepared his players for the biggest rivalry game of the year.
“Sonny had a way about him that made everyone go, ‘I do not want to disappoint that man,’” said Rick Vancleeve.
"This is the place, now is the time" - Legendary coach Sonny Holland's words still inspire Bobcat champions today
Vancleeve, No. 75, is more than a former Bobcat — he’s a Hall of Famer. In 1976, he helped lead Montana State to a national championship — and win it.
“I cannot remember one play from the game,” Vancleeve said. “I remember all the anticipation leading up to it and the celebration after.”
A Great Falls native, Vancleeve recalled how he ended up in Bozeman.
“Sonny Holland came to my house and said, ‘Are you ready to be a Bobcat?’ I told him I was still looking at Washington State... He goes, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Vancleeve, I guess he’s not ready to become a Bobcat.’ I chased him out, grabbed his pant leg and said, ‘I’ll sign now.’”
From there, history was made. Vancleeve won his first Cat-Griz game in 1975, then again in 1976. His last win came in 1977 — which was also Holland’s final Cat-Griz.
I asked what Coach Holland told his players before the rivalry clash, Vancleeve recalled, “It wasn’t ‘rah-rah.’ It was, ‘You know what you need to do, let’s go get it.’ And even though he would talk just like I did, you’d have tears in your eyes and want to run through a wall.”
Vancleeve isn’t the only one who remembers those words.
“He had a saying that resonates with me all the time,” said former teammate Delmar Jones. “He said, ‘This is the place; now is the time.’”
Jones, No. 12, played alongside Vancleeve, earning his own Hall of Fame spot and playing a major role in Montana State’s 1976 championship season. His path to Holland’s team, however, was deeply personal.
“I met Sonny Holland when I was a freshman in high school,” Jones said.
While in Bozeman for a track meet, Jones learned his father had been killed in an accident back home in Helena. When his mother called Montana State, it was Holland who answered.
“Coach Holland said, ‘Mrs. Jones, I will take this from here. I will get your boys home,’” Jones said.
That act stayed with him — and helped cement his decision to play for MSU.
Since graduating in 1978, Jones and Vancleeve have remained active in the Bobcat community, raising money and helping bring to life the Sonny Holland statue that now stands in front of Bobcat Stadium.
With another Cat-Griz matchup looming, the two reflected on what Holland might say to today’s team.
“Nobody — and I mean nobody — comes into our house and pushes us around,” Jones said.
“Do your job, stay relaxed, you got this. Now is the time, this is the place,” Vancleeve added.
Jones, who lives in Ohio, won’t be at Cat-Griz 2.0, but he’s confident in the outcome.
“I’ve already booked my tickets to the national championship. I think this team’s going to go,” he said.
Vancleeve will be in the stands — and his prediction is simple.
“A lot of people have been like, ‘Well, if we don’t win, do we get to keep the Brawl trophy?’ I go, ‘Oh my gosh… there’s only one option — win.’”
