BUTTE – Long before the spectacle and festival of the modern March Madness tournament, the 1929 Montana State College men’s basketball team was retroactively named national champions.
The story of the great team and the many characters who had a hand in earning the Bobcats their only national title was recently published by Bozeman writer Paul Wylie of The History Press.
“Montana State’s Golden Bobcats: 1929 Basketball National Champions” is about 150 pages long and takes a deep, thoroughly researched look at both the development of basketball and the Bozeman team that helped usher in modern high-scoring offenses.
From the first peach baskets set up by James Naismith, to the experience of World War I on future members of the ’29 team, to the Bobcats’ notable victory over AAU champion Cook Painters, Wylie’s book leaves no stone unturned and should appeal to both sports history enthusiasts and casual fans.
Wylie, a retired lawyer in the Bozeman area, said he seriously started working on the project about 10 years ago, even though the story of the Golden Bobcats was one that captured his imagination, even as a child.
Wylie’s book can be purchased on Amazon.