BUTTE — According to some sports aficionados here in the Mining City, some fans in the age-old rivalry between the Cats and the Griz may be setting aside their loyalties this weekend to throw their support behind Butte’s own Touchdown Tommy Mellott as the Cats inch towards a national championship.
"I’ve always rooted for the Griz, my dad was a Grizzly, he played football there," says Tom Pomroy. "I always root for them unless they play the Bobcats."
Just after the busy lunch hour rush, Tom takes a seat in the famed Coach’s Corner at Metals Sports Bar and Grill to share his knowledge of the game with sports journalist Bill Foley. Tom Pomroy is a former MSU football player. He was a freshman when the Bobcats snagged a national championship in 1976.
"I think everybody is Bobcat now. Even the Griz fans are because of Tommy," says Bill Foley, who owns and operates The Butte Cast, a podcast that highlights Butte sports.
"You know, because Tommy can bring anybody together. Everybody wants to see him play and see him succeed and win a national championship and that Walter Payton trophy, which I think he’s going to get," Foley says.
"This year, all the Grizzlies I know told me they are Bobcats," says Pomroy.
"It’s great that they’re rooting for Tommy and when we played, Sonny Holland always had a philosophy—the more Butte guys on the team, the better chance you had to win."
Despite being a University of Montana grad, Bill says he is neutral when it comes to the rivalry.
"When it comes to the Cat-Griz game, I’m for the team with the most Butte guys. My brother and my dad are huge Griz fans, but this year they’re all Bobcats. My brother says next year, Tommy’s graduating and he’s going back to the Griz one hundred percent, but this year he’s all for the Cats," says Foley.
There is one other Butte player taking the field for MSU; sophomore kicker Casey Kautzman will join Tommy Mellott and the rest of the Bobcats for the semifinal game on Dec. 21 in Bozeman.
