Before her daughter became smitten with Montana State center JT Reed — and before getting married by an Elvis impersonator — Molly Garrison became a hardcore Bobcat fan.

This is Jeff Burgard’s fault. 

“I was a fan, but not like I am now,” Garrison said Saturday, nursing a White Claw at the packed Barstool Nashville. “I moved to Bozeman in 1999, and we’ve been together seven years. Got married a couple years ago in Vegas.” 

Burgard’s fandom goes back longer: Bozeman born and raised, he graduated from Montana State with a business marketing degree in 1987.  

He was at what we called Reno H. Sales Stadium for MSU’s semifinal win over Rhode Island in 1984, which means he’s among the lucky few to see both Joe Roberts’ 97-yard interception return first-hand as well as Taco Dowler’s 87-yard TD reception in the “Super Brawl” win over Montana on Dec. 20. 

The Bobcats won the 1984 FCS (then Division I-AA) title; Monday, they get another chance at their first title since then, against Illinois State. 

Burgard saw his first Bobcat game in the late 1960s, which was before Sales Stadium opened in 1973. Renovated and renamed Bobcat Stadium in 1998, it now holds 20,767 fans. He is there, every game. 

He illustrated how big a fan he is with his right ankle: Twelve years ago, he got a “Cats” tattoo. 

“I was drunk in Hawaii,” he said. “And I didn’t want to buy a T-shirt. 

“That script logo is my favorite.” 

Let’s go back to 2017 or so, when Molly was powering down a slice of pizza at Tarantino’s in Bozeman’s 317 bar and Burgard said hello, then walked away, then came back and said hello again. 

“We talked for a little bit, and then I gave him the wrong phone number,” she said; this was on purpose. 

“He eventually found me on social media and reached out,” she added. “That was in late October. Then we had our first date on Valentine’s Day, and he offered me a trip to Mexico. He had a business trip coming up. He took me to Mexico and the rest is history.” 

It’s the second marriage for both, and they contributed a boy and girl each to a blended family. Molly’s daughter, Charlie, is Reed's girlfriend, which explains why her mom was wearing the Bobcat No. 55 home jersey. “We love him,” she said of MSU’s starting center. 

Barstool Nashville was hopping, with both the ground floor and upstairs shoulder to shoulder with Bobcat fans. At 3:45 p.m., “Mony Mony” rang out, along with the obligatory anti-Grizzlies chant. 

Count Burgard as a fan of Nashville, after two trips (last year and 2021) to the title games in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas. 

“I hope the Dallas Cowboys lose every game all year long,” he said. “And the Bobcats are here every year."

    Montana State fans gather at a Bobcat Collective fan event held at Barstool Nashville in downtown Nashville on Saturday, Jan. 3, ahead of the FCS Championship game against Illinois State. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    A Montana State fan with a "Cats" tattoo on his leg at a Bobcat Collective fan event held at Barstool Nashville in downtown Nashville on Saturday, Jan. 3, ahead of the FCS Championship game against Illinois State. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider