Tom LeProwse is a hard guy to get a hold of.

The 83-year-old man is retired, but that doesn't mean he is stagnant or sedentary.

When he isn't riding horses or working on his ranch, he is either hitting the links at Valley View Golf Course or watching some of his favorite Bozeman athletic teams.

"I stay pretty active in community activities. I do a little work around the ranch putting up hay, and I play golf," LeProwse said. "I've been on the Optimist Club for years. I work with the boosters at (Bozeman) High and at Montana State. And I love to watch the kids compete."

LeProwse has been a recognizable figure in the Gallatin Valley sporting community for nearly seven decades, leaving an indelible mark.

The former MSU football player coached the Gallatin County/Bozeman High School football team from 1953 to 1973, winning 101 games.

LeProwse started the wrestling program and the gymnastics programs at the school. He also coached track and field.

His teams won a combined 23 divisional titles and four state championships - three in track and one in wrestling.

But if you ask LeProwse, one of his football teams doesn't get credit for a title he thinks they deserved.

In 1961 and 1962, the Montana High School Athletic Association decided not to hold a state championship game between the divisional champions of Class A.

Bozeman won the West division title in 1961, but in the records of the state, East champion Miles City is listed as the Class A state title winner.

"I was tremendously happy to see those kids succeed last fall," LeProwse said of Bozeman High's first state football championship in 93 years.

"My research said they'd never had a state championship, but we had a division championship in '61, and we just called ourselves divisional champions.

"I saw Miles City was claiming to be state champions in '61, but they were just the divisional champs on the other side. If they were state champions, then we were, too. If the 1917 team was state champs, we were. But how do you ever overcome that mistake after 60 some years?"

Despite the slight in the record book, LeProwse said he isn't bitter. He has been an avid supporter of both the high school and MSU since his graduation in 1951. He is currently a member of the MSU Letterman Club, helping raise money to ensure every Bobcat who earns an athletic letter is able to don a letterman's jacket.

‘The game has evolved'

LeProwse came to Bozeman following a standout athletic career at Butte High School. He played in the inaugural East-West Shrine game for Clyde Carpenter, the head coach at MSU at the time. At Montana State, he was a standout at center and linebacker and on special teams, despite weighing about 150 pounds.

"I'm kind of the last of the 60-minute football players for Montana State," LeProwse said. "At that time, people were still two-platooning. I played two 60-minute football games against the University of Montana, a few against Salt Lake State. There were quite a few games I never came out. Today's games are a little different than it was back then. The use of the clock was a little bit different. Yeah, I'd go home and be worn out, but it wasn't the intensity you have in the game today."

When LeProwse played and coached, football was played much more "between the hashes," to hear him describe it. To watch the evolution of the game, both at the prep and college levels, has been fascinating to LeProwse.

"The way the game has evolved, they are giving talented athletes a better chance to be talented out on the field," he said. "As fans, we think everyone should be perfect, but with how complicated the game is now, it's a lot of work and a lot of confusion. They have so many calls, so many reads, so many things to do. If you blink your eye this way, the play is going that way. The game is so fast and intricate now, but it's amazing to watch those kids."

‘$150 budget'

The style and strategy on the gridiron and in the world of sports in general have certainly changed during LeProwse's lifetime. But he said the enthusiasm and support from the Bozeman community and places all around America are what have really helped athletics thrive.

"When I first started coaching, I had a $150 budget; it seems like today they have a $150-a-day budget," LeProwse said with a laugh. "The equipment...we didn't have any blocking pads. The shoulder pads I used when I played in the ‘30s and ‘40s were better than the ones our Bozeman kids had in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Our helmets were the worst helmets in the world. I went and bought some of the old leather helmets Notre Dame wore in the 1940s."

When air-filled plastic helmets became available, LeProwse said he pushed for the Bozeman administration to purchase them. He said the total cost was $600, but his program had just $200 to spend. After draining the entire basketball and track budgets, the Hawks had helmets.

Since the budget was nonexistent, LeProwse made his own blocking sled by using his welding skills. The first day his players used it, they "tore it to pieces."

"Sonny Holland was my coach at the time and he said, ‘What are we going to do?' And I said, ‘We are going to put the thing back together,'" LeProwse chuckled. "Four o'clock the next morning, we had it put back together and by 6 a.m. we were practicing, hitting it again."

‘A beautiful experience'

Through all the trials and disadvantages, the success LeProwse's teams experienced never wavered. Despite never having a track to practice on, his teams were among the state's best for two decades. During his time heading the wrestling program, he coached at least one state champion every season and his teams never placed lower than third.

Because of his legendary credentials, Bozeman High named its annual wrestling tournament the Tom LeProwse Bozeman Wrestling Invitational.

The landscape of the sporting world has changed since LeProwse's days as an athlete. But much of that change has occurred because of trailblazers like him.

"It's great to see how much sports have grown because this is what we always wanted it to be like," LeProwse said. "It was a wonderful run, a beautiful experience, and I've just been so fortunate to be wear I am and watch Bozeman grow the way it has. It's been a wonderful ride, and I'm just glad to see it continue."

Colter Nuanez can be reached at cnuanez@dailychronicle.com and 582-2690.