A lot of Butte sports fans didn’t know the name Joe Antonietti until Butte Central juniors Brooke Badovinac and Dougie Peoples made a run at his single-season scoring record in 2022.

For the people who paid attention to basketball in the 1960s, however, Antonietti is no stranger.

He scored 638 points in 27 games as the Butte Central Maroons placed third at the Big 32 tournament in 1969. That record stood until 2022 when Badovinac scored 671 points in 29 games. In that same season, Peoples tossed in 629 points in 27 games as he led the Maroons to the Class A State title.

Until Brooke and Dougie made me dive into Pat Kearney’s record files, I had no idea how great of a player Joe was, and I know I was not alone. So, I set out to learn a little more about the man who was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Antonietti played basketball at Gonzaga before becoming a science teacher and successful high school basketball coach. He was particularly successful during a 12-season run as the head girls’ varsity coach of Kalispell Flathead. He compiled a record of 214 wins and 69 losses.

Antonietti’s Maroons didn’t win a state title like Peoples’ BC team, but Central placed fourth in the Big 32 in 1968 and third in 1969. Antonietti scored 85 points in four games at the Big 32 in 1969. He scored in double figures in 26 of 27 games as a senior.

On Tuesday afternoon, I talked on the phone with Antonietti, who lives in Liberty Lake, Washington. 

Listen in to this podcast to hear Joe talk about his days at BC and what it was like to play in the Big 32.  Listen to hear what it was like to grow up the son of a legendary boxer. Antonietti’s father, who was also named Joe, was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Listen in as Antonietti talks about his coaching days and his family life. Listen in to hear how he is still a Maroon and how he celebrated as he watched Peoples hit that buzzer-beating shot to give the Maroons the 2022 title.

Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.