Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Montana State

Throughout the Mid 1960's, the Montana State Bobcats ruled the BIG SKY conference winning titles in 1963, 64', 65' & 66'.  The once dominant wrestling program was informed in the fall of 1986 that when the season ended in March of 1987, Bobcat wrestling would end for good.

115 lbs
Jim Lackwood

Jim Lackwood had a goal to be a standout athlete in high school, but he wasn't having much success on the football team, the basketball team or the baseball team.  He didn't have the size to be a great football player. He didn't have the height to be a great basketball player.  Someone suggested to him that wrestling might be his sport.  That someone was right.

In three years of varsity wrestling Lackwood only lost two matches and both of those were in the state finals his junior and senior years by identical scores of 6-4.  You may have heard of his opponent he faced in both matches.  Olympic gold medalist Gene Davis.

Wrestling for the Bobcats Lackwood participated in the 1964 and 1966 NCAA championships.  Post College, Lackwood served our country in the Vietnam War.

He then went on to have a successful career as an attorney, practicing law in both Minneapolis and Washington D.C.

118 lbs
David Jones 

After qualifying for the NCAA championships as a freshman and a sophomore in 1982 & 1983, David Jones looked poised to become the Bobcats first four time NCAA qualifier.  Unfortunately for Jones, his brother passed away shortly after the NCAA tournament his sophomore year.  Devastated and depressed, Jones withdrew from classes for the rest of the Spring semester.  He came back to school in the fall but unfortunately found himself academically ineligible to compete his junior season.  He came back as a senior in 1985 to qualify for his third NCAA championships appearance.

Wade Ayala 

A state champion for Missoula Hellgate, Ayala won an NJCAA title in 1985 before coming to Montana State to have what many consider to be the best career in Bobcat wrestling history.  His junior season he went 30-4 winning both the BIG SKY conference title and the Mountain Intercollegiate Wrestling Association title.  A master of the tilt, he racked up backpoints to become the Bobcats first All American in Division I wrestling.  Unfortunately during the blood round match, he broke his thumb and had to default to eighth place.    Facing a number of injuries his senior year, he still managed to qualify for the NCAA championships in 1987.