BUTTE - Whether you’re a Bobcats fan or a Grizzlies fan, many great players from right here in Butte have played for both teams, and the Butte boys know they play a big part in this rivalry.
“We had eight Butte kids on the team, and Sonny Holland always said whoever had the most Butte kids would win the Cat/Griz game,” Former Bobcat Tom Pomroy said.
While Colt Anderson is getting the 49ers’ special teams ready for a Monday Night Football match-up with the Indianapolis, the University of Montana All-American is also thinking about Saturday’s rematch with Montana State.
How Butte, America, continues to produce talent that shapes one of college football's most passionate rivalries, from local high schools to the NFL
“I mean, I’m rooting hard for the Griz, I’m biased. I believe in everything that Bobby’s doing, everything that the staff’s doing, they're getting hot, they’re playing hard. If the Griz can stop the run, we've got a great chance to win,” Former Griz Colt Anderson said.
Colt admits there’s some trash talk with fellow 49er and former Bobcat Sebastian Valdez.
“There’s always trash talk, you know, maybe trash texting, some jabs here and there. It’s crazy the Brawl of the Wild was just a couple weeks ago, and here we are three weeks later, and they’re meeting up again in the playoffs, so, yeah, we’re throwing jabs at one another and may the best team win on Saturday,” Anderson said.
Tom Pomroy said Butte’s former players have a friendly rivalry. However, he’ll never forget what Coach Holland said before their 1976 championship game.
“Together you can do it, nobody can do it alone, but together you can do it, and you have to believe in your teammates. And that was his message, and it carried through me for fifty years, because it was fifty years ago. And I still think about it,” Pomroy said.
