By JAMES CORDES
Express Correspondent
The phone calls just keep coming for Jeff Bolton.
Bolton, a 2002 Wood River High School graduate and three-sport athlete at the Hailey school, just finished his fourth year on the Montana State University football team.
He had such a successful career as an offensive lineman for the Bobcats that Bolton is now being called one of the most decorated MSU football players in the school's history.
Bolton has been named to a slew of All-America teams.
Interviewed last week via telephone from his parents' home in Florida, the 6-4, 302-pound lineman interrupted the conversation and took a moment to speak with his mother.
"Sorry about that," Bolton said with his usual even-keeled manner when he returned. "She just wanted to let me know that I was named [NCAA Division I-AA] National Lineman of the year."
These accolades don't seem to surprise him anymore.
It's been only five weeks since Bolton ended his collegiate career in high style—an offensive center anchoring the Bobcat offensive line that dominated arch-rival University of Montana 16-6 before 15,327 fans Nov. 19 at Bozeman.
After his performance against Montana, Bolton was named Division 1-AA Lineman of the Week by Don Hansen's Football Gazette—an honor he captured for the second straight week. Four days after the season finale, Bolton earned First Team All-Big Sky Conference honors for the second consecutive year.
It's been all gravy since.
Bolton has been named a Walter Camp first-team All-American, an Associated Press first-team All-American and a Sports Xchange first-team All-American.
He has been invited to the NCAA Division 1-AA Senior Bowl All-Star game at Las Vegas Jan. 14.
Bolton, who turns 22 New Year's Eve, has also earned himself another honor of a less-notable kind. He's the Idaho Mountain Express "Athlete of the Year," for 2005.
The son of Bob and Carol Bolton has spent the last four years as a Bobcat playing under MSU head football coach Mike Kramer. Now he's heading out into the big world.
He is in the process of choosing an agent—Bolton has narrowed his choice down to two candidates from a field of about 30—and is gearing up for this year's NFL draft April 29-30.
Yet for Bolton, it seems like just yesterday that he was sitting in the Wood River Middle School football locker room during his eighth-grade year.
He was ready to give up football and concentrate on baseball, his "true love."
"A couple of the high school football players came in that day and talked to me. They tried to get me to keep playing," Bolton said. "And I did, but I felt the same way my freshman year and almost quit again. All I wanted to do was play baseball."
He did play baseball, and he played it well. But four years later, Bolton was named MVP and Most Inspirational of Wood River's varsity football team.
Bolton was also named to the Idaho All-State football team his junior and senior years. He accepted a full-ride athletic scholarship to play at Montana State University, the alma mater of then-Wood River football coach John Blackman.
"Now I can't imagine my life without football. It's amazing how life can work," said Bolton just last week.
A four-year starter
He was thrown into the mix right away at Bozeman.
Shortly after Bolton walked with his 2002 Wood River high school graduation class, he was already training for MSU. He received a call from Montana State's then-offensive line coach Butch Danberger.
Bolton recalled that Danberger told him one of MSU's starting offensive guards had suffered a knee injury and that Bolton might need to fill in immediately.
"That really got my adrenaline going," Bolton said. "To think that I could go in as a freshman and possibly have a starting position."
Arriving at early-season camp, Bolton spent just two days on the offensive scout team before being bumped up to a reserve starter.
For the next two years, he played left and right guard, earning All-Big Sky honorable Mention his sophomore year.
As a junior, Bolton cut down on his weight. After reaching 345 pounds after shoulder surgery his freshman year, he eventually reduced to 310 for his last two years at Bozeman. That was only about 30 pounds more than his playing weight back in high school in Hailey.
The weight reduction paid off. As a junior Bolton took home first team All-Big Sky honors, along with earning Associated Press second-team All-America kudos.
He was named MSU's Dennis Erickson Offensive Coaches Choice Award winner. It is named after the NFL coach (Seattle and San Francisco) who enjoyed his best days coaching Oregon State to a 31-17 record over four seasons.
By Bolton's senior year, he had played four out of the five offensive lineman positions. He also served as a short-yardage blocking fullback.
He gives credit to his versatility as a lineman to his offensive line coach Jason McEndoo, who came to MSU at the start of Bolton's sophomore year.
"He was an amazing coach. He taught me almost everything I know about playing offensive line," Bolton said. "All my technique and everything I owe to him."
However, it was in Bolton's final year at MSU—this past fall—that proved his resourcefulness and versatility as certainly the best college football player the Wood River Valley has ever produced.
"I got a call on the Sunday after a Saturday game. It was a game when we had three or four botched snaps," said Bolton. "Coach told me they were moving me to center.
"I had never snapped a ball before in my life."
It was a risky move undoubtedly—taking an All-American guard and moving him to center just as MSU was entering the conference part of its schedule. But the coaching staff had faith in Bolton.
"The first week or so I had a hard time with it," said Bolton. "It's hard enough getting the snap right. But it was even harder getting my head up and blocking afterwards."
But the switch worked out for everyone.
Not only did it help solidify a Bobcat team that won four of its final six games, it improved Bolton's draft status after his fourth and final year at MSU.
"Most of the teams that are looking at me now want me as a center, even though I've only played six games there in my entire career," Bolton said.
Looking toward the NFL
Although "Draft Day" is still four months away, Bolton is preparing himself for the very real possibility of a career in the National Football League.
He is taking the spring semester of his senior year off, although he remains determined to go back eventually and finish his college degree.
Training in Florida right now on his own, Bolton will either be in Indianapolis or Michigan to continue training this spring. Those locations are where his two prospective agents are based.
"They each have their own eight-week program they put their clients through with different trainers. That program will lead me up to the draft." Bolton said.
Although he now has two agents in mind, the process of narrowing it down to that number was quite the process.
"It's a lot like when you're being recruited for college," Bolton said. "The agents wine and dine you and do their best to make you feel really wanted."
Bolton also has the Senior Bowl at Las Vegas in January that will give him one last chance to make an impact on scouts and coaches.
"That'll be a lot of fun to play in. I'm sure I'll meet a lot of people and hopefully make some good last impressions," he said.
Next step is the NFL combine. That's a rigorous mini-camp held by the league to allow NFL teams to put prospects through tests and workouts.
The camp is primarily for the "skills" position players—wide receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks—and Bolton doesn't think he'll end up working out there.
While almost all of the NFL teams have sent scouts expressing interest in him, Bolton is content with just working hard, then sitting back and seeing where the chips may fall.
He has come a long way since his playing days on the Hailey fields and in the gyms.
Just four years ago he towered over the baseball mound at Founders Field, intimidating the opposing hitters with his huge stature, tailing fastball, and sharp slider. A line drive hitter, he hit for average.
Even then, he was a player who did everything that was asked. On the basketball team, he played the post and threw his weight around expertly. On the Wood River football team, he even took a turn as fullback after several key players were suspended from the team.
Now Bolton is prime for Sunday's primetime.
Supported by his parents and his year-and-a-half girlfriend Amber, Bolton is living his dream that began over a half a decade ago on the gridiron of Wood River High School.
Coach Blackman helped push Bolton to become a Bobcat and raise his high school game to the college level.
Bolton is full of appreciation. He said, "Coach Blackman has been, by far, one of my greatest supporters and motivators. He set me up at MSU and pushed me hard enough so that I could be successful."
Even after the offensive lineman graduated from Wood River, Blackman spent many of fall Saturday afternoons the last four years making the trip up to Bozeman to watch Bolton play at his alma mater.
"He was there for most of our home games," Bolton said. "It was always great to see his face on the sideline."
Now Bolton has a chance to pay back his former coaches and everyone who ever had faith in his abilities. He has a chance to become the first ever NFL-drafted football player from Hailey and the surrounding Wood River area.
He has left his own sizable footprint on Montana State's rich football history.
"Bolton played with a disposition that really helped this program turn the corner in attitude and intensity," MSU head coach Mike Kramer said. "He will be remembered as a dominant player and an all-time Bobcat."
Jeff Bolton, the Wood River Valley's first All-America football player. Courtesy photo
