Mike Hogart couldn’t make this year’s Butte Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

Since Hogie was a member of the selection committee, I told him he had better have a good excuse if he was going to miss. He did.

Hogie was about to have surgery to remove half of his right foot. The surgery was required because of complications with diabetes.

Of course, Hogie handled the news in the most Hogie way ever.

“I’m going full Tom Dempsey,” Hogie said. “I’ll be up at the MAC kicking 63-yard field goals.”

Dempsey was an NFL kicker who was born with half a foot. He had a shoe fashioned like a club, and he kicked straight on. In 1970, Dempsey set the NFL record with a 63-yard field goal.

That Hogie’s reaction to such awful personal news was to make a joke was so unsurprising. He might be the funniest person I know. He is also one of the best.

Hogie coached football at Butte Central and North Central and Butte Central Junior High for more than 40 years. Not only did he know the game — especially in the trenches — as good as anyone, he was always the good cop of the coaching staff. He was the one coach players always knew they could talk to.

He was the one who always made them laugh.

When Richie O’Brien missed a season while battling with cancer, he was still around the team. One time, Hogie sent Richie in Hogie’s truck to buy a pop or, more likely, a can of chew. Before he left, Hogie told Richie to put some wax paper down before he got into his truck.

Richie looked confused until Hogie said “I don’t want your candy ass sticking to my seat.”

Hogie also spent decades as a bar tender, working at Maloney’s, the Club 13 and the Vu Villa. When someone would ask him to turn the juke box up, he always had the same response.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you. The music is too loud.”

During Christmas time, Hogie can also be found playing Santa Claus for groups of kids around town. Now that he is down to his weight from his junior year in high school, though, he is going to need some padding to fill out the uniform.

I haven’t seen him in action, but I’ll bet Hogie is a great Santa Claus. Kids probably had no idea that St. Nick was so funny. Yes, in a town full of characters, Hogie is one of the best.

Today’s podcast is presented by Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warrantee.