Hall of Fame
Johnson, Ryan
Ryan Johnson
- Induction:
- 2012
- Class:
- 2003
Three All-Americas, a Big Sky MVP and the college football's top student-athlete from 2001 comprise the 2012 Wendy's Bobcat Hall of Fame induction class.
The 2012 induction ceremonies took place Sept. 14 at MSU's Strand Union Building Ballroom. Former football All-Americas Charlie Jackson and Bob Biastoch, 2001 Division I Academic All-America of the Year Ryan Johnson, 2002 Big Sky Women's Basketball MVP Jessica Blake, All-America pole vaulter Shannon Agee Jones, and the 2002 Big Sky Champion men's cross country earn MSU Athletics' ultimate honor
Just one decade ago, the heroics of Johnson and the '02 men's cross country squad, along with the MSU men's and women's basketball programs, produced one of the most memorable weekends in Bobcat history. On Nov. 23, 2002, the MSU football team beat the Grizzlies 10-7 in Missoula to claim a share of the Big Sky Championship and vault the team into the Division I-AA Playoffs. Johnson's gritty 132-yard rushing effort was central to that stunning win, which preceded by 24 hours a Bobcat men's win at Washington. One day later, MSU's men's cross country team finished 11th in the NCAA Championships, still one of the crowning moments in Bobcat history, and that evening the MSU women topped Washington State at home.
While that late fall weekend in 2002 represents the Bobcat glory days to some, an earlier generation celebrated MSU's football success of the late 1950s as the finest era in school history. During Jackson's four years as a starting lineman and linebacker at Montana State, rolled up a 31-6-1 record, which included the 1956 National Championship. Jackson's senior season, 1959, a group of young players led by heralded recruit Bob Biastoch arrived. Both Jackson and Biastoch earned honorable mention All-America honors at MSU.
Agee Jones and Blake represented a wave of incredibly accomplished female student-athletes that began claiming national acclaim.
Ryan Johnson, FB, 1998-2002: Within college athletics, no honor stands as more prestigious than Academic All-America. Ryan Johnson was not just a three-time Academic All-America, he was the 2001 Academic All-America of the Year in all of Division I football. Johnson was also a record-setting running back for the Bobcats, compiling more rushing yards than anyone in school history. Included in his career total of 3,646 rushing yards are the top rushing season (1,537 yards in 2001) and three of the top four rushing games in school history. Johnson was also an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winner. Johnson presently practices physical therapy in Bozeman and is an MSU faculty member. Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
The 2012 induction ceremonies took place Sept. 14 at MSU's Strand Union Building Ballroom. Former football All-Americas Charlie Jackson and Bob Biastoch, 2001 Division I Academic All-America of the Year Ryan Johnson, 2002 Big Sky Women's Basketball MVP Jessica Blake, All-America pole vaulter Shannon Agee Jones, and the 2002 Big Sky Champion men's cross country earn MSU Athletics' ultimate honor
Just one decade ago, the heroics of Johnson and the '02 men's cross country squad, along with the MSU men's and women's basketball programs, produced one of the most memorable weekends in Bobcat history. On Nov. 23, 2002, the MSU football team beat the Grizzlies 10-7 in Missoula to claim a share of the Big Sky Championship and vault the team into the Division I-AA Playoffs. Johnson's gritty 132-yard rushing effort was central to that stunning win, which preceded by 24 hours a Bobcat men's win at Washington. One day later, MSU's men's cross country team finished 11th in the NCAA Championships, still one of the crowning moments in Bobcat history, and that evening the MSU women topped Washington State at home.
While that late fall weekend in 2002 represents the Bobcat glory days to some, an earlier generation celebrated MSU's football success of the late 1950s as the finest era in school history. During Jackson's four years as a starting lineman and linebacker at Montana State, rolled up a 31-6-1 record, which included the 1956 National Championship. Jackson's senior season, 1959, a group of young players led by heralded recruit Bob Biastoch arrived. Both Jackson and Biastoch earned honorable mention All-America honors at MSU.
Agee Jones and Blake represented a wave of incredibly accomplished female student-athletes that began claiming national acclaim.
Ryan Johnson, FB, 1998-2002: Within college athletics, no honor stands as more prestigious than Academic All-America. Ryan Johnson was not just a three-time Academic All-America, he was the 2001 Academic All-America of the Year in all of Division I football. Johnson was also a record-setting running back for the Bobcats, compiling more rushing yards than anyone in school history. Included in his career total of 3,646 rushing yards are the top rushing season (1,537 yards in 2001) and three of the top four rushing games in school history. Johnson was also an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winner. Johnson presently practices physical therapy in Bozeman and is an MSU faculty member. Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
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