Matt Culbertson

Rocky Mountain Football League

Founder

Rocky Mountain Bulls

Founder / Head Coach / Linebacker

Pocatello Predators

Linebacker

1996-1999; 2004-2005

Matt Culbertson began his semi-pro football career in Minnesota with the Martin County Bulls of the Great Plains Football League where as a two-way player and defensive coordinator, led the Bulls to an undefeated regular season leading the league with the top rush and scoring defense.  As the starting strong safety and running back in 1996, Culbertson led the team in tackles and was the second leading rusher.

Relocating to Pocatello, Idaho, Culbertson arrived at a time with no semi-pro football in the Gem State and immediately took the reigns of creating the Rocky Mountain Football League from scratch.  As the original "Director of Operations", an all-encompassing title, Matt placed ads and flyers around Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Blackfoot promoting an opportunity for men to rekindle their football juices and strap on the pads again drawing on his experience with the Minnesota team he just left.

Thirty-nine players attended the initial RMFL meeting in March of 1997, and by kickoff in September, four teams were formed.  Culbertson would head the Rocky Mountain Bulls, a nod to his former "Bulls" team in Minnesota, Jared Neumeier would captain the Idaho Falls Mustangs, Brett Smith, Scott Bell, and Rob Aubrey were on board with the Pocatello-Blackfoot Dragons, and David Lint created the Pocatello Fighting Kangaroos.  Idaho and the Rocky Mountain Football League were officially in the semi-pro football game.

As head coach and linebacker of the Bulls, Matt was also responsible for scheduling game officials, fields, creating the season schedule and any other "semi-pro issues" that arise during the season.  Through all that, Culbertson led the Bulls and the league in tackles enroute to an undefeated season, besting the Mustangs in the first-ever RMFL Championship 16-0.  Matt earned the first-ever RMFL MVP that season.

Interest expanded the league to 5 teams as the Mini-Cassia Bulldawgs made their entrance to the RMFL and Matt maintained his previous roles creating the schedule including negotiating games with non-league teams in Bozeman and Billings, Montana.  Once again, Culbertson led the RMFL in tackles while playing offensive tackle as well, earning 1st Team All-RMFL honors.

As a new twist, the RMFL All-Star team was organized by Culbertson and took on the PIFL indoor team Idaho Stallions.

With the 1999 season approaching, the venture into Montana opened another expansion opportunity as Great Falls came aboard along with three other teams from Boise, Snake River and Twin Falls.  The RMFL entered it's third season having doubled in size.  The new size required more in-depth administrative work, so Matt began the process of drafting the league constitution and bylaws, organizing a board of directors consisting of one member of each of the 8 teams.

As a player, Culbertson led the RMFL in tackles for the third consecutive season earning 1st team all-league honors setting the league season and career tackles record.  This record would later be broken by GNFA Hall of Famer Zac Jockumsen.

Matt expanded his duties of promoting the RMFL by engaging other regional leagues as well as the Far West Football Association to send the RMFL Champions to interleague playoff and bowl games.

1999 would be the end for the Rocky Mountain Bulls as the team would be merged with the Blackfoot Dragons creating the Rocky Mountain Cobras.  Culbertson had led the team to the first ever RMFL championship and a 15-15 overall record for three seasons as head coach and often-times two-way player.

Relocation out of the Northwest prompted Culbertson to plan his exit by holding a league meeting to begin the transition for the 2000 season which would be turned over to the Board of Directors and 2001 Commissioner Jared Neumeier, who would go on to serve for a decade in his own Hall of Fame capacity.  Culbertson ensured that the RMFL did not suffer with his departure and continued on until his return in 2004.

Returning to Pocatello that 2004 season, Matt would get to be "just" a player for the next two seasons under the Pocatello Predators banner where the linebacker would finish 2nd on the team in tackles in 2004 and 2005 showing he still had something left.

Matt Culbertson brought his experience with semi-pro football from Minnesota to Pocatello, Idaho in the late 1990's and founded one of the most influential leagues of the 2000's.  From a humble beginning of four teams, the RMFL eventually expanded to become one of the largest leagues in the nation with a footprint covering the states of Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and included nearly 30 teams at times with the RMFL Champions playing in numerous regional and national playoffs and bowl games over it's 23 seasons of operation.

Honors as a Player

1997 - RMFL MVP

1998 - RMFL 1st Team All-Star (LB)

1999 - RMFL 1st Team All-Star (LB)

Records at the Time

1997-1999 - RMFL Career Tackles Leader

1999 - RMFL Single Season Tackle Leader

Honors as a Coach

1997 - 1st-ever RMFL Champions (Rocky Mountain Bulls 7-0)

History Excerpt from Rocky Mountain Football League:

Rocky Mountain Bulls - 1997 RMFL MVP (LB) and served as GM

The Rocky Mountain Football League (RMFL) was established in the Spring of 1997 - originally based in Pocatello, Idaho - by it's first "commissioner", Matt Culbertson. Culbertson saw himself as a facilitor of adult football in the Southeast Idaho area. His vision saw the possibilities of league expansion into other realms of Idaho, however, the focus of the original Rocky Mountain Football league was not necessarily to "expand", make money or even grow in reputation, it was simply to provide an opportunity for local area football players to continue their careers, or in some situations, begin careers in the greater Rocky Mountain area. It was established as a Fall football league, however, the Rocky Mountain Football League has grown and has gained in reputation and has began to settle in as a Spring Football League.

Culbertson, who moved to Pocatello in 1996 from Minnesota played in what was then called the "Great Plains Football League" (GPFL). He gave the league its name, "Rocky Mountain Football League" and contacted local media sources (primarily newspapers) and produced and put up fliers around Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Blackfoot, Idaho, advertising for interested football players who might wish to play in a "semi-pro" football league in the area. Initial responses were outstanding and he spent countless hours on the phone with football players talking up the new league. Finally, an initial "organizational" meeting was held. After enough players and leaders came forward, it initially appeared as if there would be 6 teams playing (4 from Pocatello/American Falls, 1 from Blackfoot and 1 from Idaho Falls), it eventually settled on 4 organized teams: Rocky Mountain Bulls (headed by Culbertson), Idaho Falls Mustangs (headed by Jared Neumeier), Pocatello-Blackfoot Dragons (headed by Brett Smith, Scott Bell and Rob Aubrey), and Pocatello Fighting Kangaroos (headed by David Lint).