It seems every time Robert Walsh runs off the practice field, he’s got a question for one of his coaches. And every time one of his teammates runs off the practice field, it seems like they have a question for Walsh.
“I love having Robert Walsh on our team,” Montana State head coach Rob Ash said. “There’s nobody who has watched more video than Robert Walsh over the last three years. Now, as we’ve got really good players around him and his playing time is somewhat limited, he’s decided one of the ways he can help is to help the other guys and help pass on some of the very extensive knowledge he has about the game. He’s helping our football team even if he’s not getting a lot of reps in the actual games.”
Walsh
Walsh is a rare breed, a former 8-man star that walked on out of Twin Bridges. He’s made it five years playing Big Sky Conference football and he’s contributed in any way he can, whether it be on special teams or in mop up time or in the film room or in the locker room. He’s one of 16 Montana State seniors and the only one who’s not on scholarship.
“If you start something, you need to finish it,” Walsh said on Tuesday as his 1-0 Bobcats enjoyed an unusually early bye week. “I’m excited I’ve made it five years. Scholarship, walk-on, whatever you want to say, a lot of people don’t make it the entire time through. I’m just glad to be here and hopefully have a productive senior year and beat the Griz and win a Big Sky Conference championship.”
Walsh has been healthy for almost the duration of his career, a testament to the 5-foot-11, 225-pounder’s toughness as much as to his limited role. He played in three games each in 2012 and 2013, earning a Big Sky championship ring as a redshirt freshman. Last season, Walsh broke into the lineup in MSU’s 37-10 loss at FBS Arkansas State and notched his first tackle. The next week, he had his first career tackle at Bobcat Stadium when he wrestled Black Hills State running back Trent Butler to the turf. He did not appear on the official participation report for the rest of Montana State’s games during an 8-5 campaign that ended in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
In Montana State’s season-opening 45-14 win over Division II Fort Lewis, Walsh had a break through. He played for more than a quarter at one of MSU’s inside linebacker spot. He notched three solo tackles, including the final tackle of the game.
Walsh against Fort Lewis
“When you get the opportunity to play on Saturdays, it makes it all worth it,” Walsh said as he stood in the middle of the Bobcat Stadium turf. “If you can make a play on Saturday in front of 20,000 people, even if it’s just running down on a kick, it’s awesome. That’s the motivation that keeps me going. That, and helping the team. Whether it’s during the week during practice or offering insight to young kids or helping them out, I do what I can. I am just patiently waiting for an opportunity on Saturdays when it’s a big-time game and I’m sure it will come. I just try to stay motivated.”
Walsh has seen the Bobcat linebacker corps shift from a veteran group that included five seniors in 2014 to a young group that includes three first-time starters. Although Montana State has brought in highly touted recruits like Cincinnati transfer Marcus Tappan and freshman Grant Collins, Walsh lends a helping hand, even it he’s all business during practice. Walsh has been particularly gracious when it comes to mentoring players like Collins and fellow redshirt freshmen Koni Dole, MSU linebackers’ coach Jody Owens said.
“I’ve started calling him Coach Walsh,” said Owens, the 2012 Big Sky Defensive MVP and the captain of the Bobcats when Walsh was a redshirt freshman. “He’s got the system down. He knows exactly where everyone is supposed to be. I think for the young guys, he provides a lot of reassurance, especially behind the scenes. Out here, he competes hard and he wants to play. In meetings, he helps out.
“It’s so important to have guys like him to build a program, guys that let other guys know how things should be done. He has so much love for this program and he wants to see everything done in the right way. That’s so huge for a team.”
When Walsh graduated from Twin Bridges High, he had a decorated resume that included class president, student council member and 4-H participant. He was a standout baseball player for the Dillon American Legion team and he was a two-time Class C All-State selection who helped lead Twin to two Southern C titles. Walsh had offers to go play at schools in the Frontier Conference, namely Carroll College and Rocky Mountain College.
Walsh being coached by Kane Ioane
He comes from an athletic lineage — his cousin Jackie Gebhardt played basketball at Carroll while her brother Neil ran track at Montana, while his cousin Kristine Holzer was an Olympian for the U.S. speed skating team — and he considered the Frontier. But his parents and grandparents are MSU alums. His folks, Ken and Mary Beth, have a suite at Bobcat Stadium to this day. Montana State had the major he desired (bio-engineering) and the cost to attend MSU would be similar to going to a private school like Carroll or Rocky.
Throughout his journey, there’s been doubts. He’s seen players like Blake Braun and Wyatt Christensen come in and play as backups as true freshmen. He’s seen players like Mac Bignell and Fletcher Collins go from walk-ons to scholarship starters. But he’s stayed true to the goal of finishing what he started.
“As a walk-on in general, there’s a lot of people who try to hold you down, thinking I wasn’t good enough to get a scholarship here so is this really the right spot?” Walsh said. “There’s been moments where things haven’t gone my way, haven’t had good weeks in practice. But I take a step back always and look at the big picture. At the very end of the day, it’s a game. It’s a game I love. But it’s a game and I’m getting a degree from the school I want to be at and I’m going to go be an engineer somewhere. When it comes down to it, this is a game and I’m lucky to still be playing.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
