Roger Craft (2005) - Hall of Fame - Montana State University Athletics

Roger Craft

Induction:
2005
Class:
1969

Roger Craft- Men’s Basketball, 1962-69 Years at MSU: 1960-69 Honors Earned: 1964 Big Sky Coach of the Year Hometown: Garden City, Kansas “Bobcat basketball was a big deal under Roger Craft, and Roger was a big deal in college basketball. He gave the program national credibility.” –MSU Coach Mick Durham Roger Craft towered over Montana State basketball in both a literal and figurative sense. In a time when the Bobcat program sought to build an identity beyond Brick Breeden and the Golden Bobcats, Roger Craft helped direct a program that regained national prominence while towering over the Big Sky Conference and the state of Montana. Craft arrived at Montana State in 1960 as a head freshman coach and varsity assistant to Dobbie Lambert, himself a prominent basketball figure. After two seasons working under Lambert’s direction, Craft took the reins and began building the program in his image. Roger Craft’s legacy of success at Montana State is two-fold, tied not only to the success of his team’s but to his success producing outstanding individuals, particularly big men. Craft’s 92-83 career record is punctuated by several outstanding campaigns. His 1963-64 squad finished 16-9 and won the Big Sky Conference’s first championship. His 1967 squad shared the league title with Gonzaga. Craft’s most accomplished Bobcat squad may have been that ’67 squad, which won the All-College Tournament at Oklahoma City, a premiere event in the day before made-for-TV college basketball tourneys. Craft also recruited and produced such Bobcat standouts as Tom Storm and All-America Jack Gillespie.