Should Colt Anderson be elected to the Butte Sports Hall of Fame?

That seems like a silly question, but it is one that was posed to the Hall of Fame selection committee as they deliberated during the selection of the Class of 2026.

The same was asked about Rob Johnson and brothers Bryon and Bradley Wilson.

Of course, the answer to all four of those is a resounding yes. Of course they should be — and will be — elected into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. Anderson played nine seasons in the NFL after an All-American career at the University of Montana. Johnson played for the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Wilsons were Olympic freestyle skiers, with Bryon winning a bronze medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Bryan is coaching champions at this year’s Olympic Games.

This time, though, those four did not get enough votes to be elected into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. Believe it or not, that makes perfect sense when you think about the history of the shrine.

This year marks my fifth class as executive director of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame, a job I did not apply for. Electing a class is such a bittersweet endeavor.  We are all so very happy for the people who were selected, but we feel so bad about the many, many more who were left out once again.

I do not, however, feel bad for Colt, Rob, Bryon or Bradley. They are very young, and I have no doubt that their day will come.

The Butte Sports Hall of Fame is not like the Baseball Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There is no distinction of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Dave Dunmire, a member of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame selection committee, and I often talk about the Hall of Fame for baseball and football players. Our logic is that if you must think about it, then they are not a Hall of Famer.

Hall of Famers are obvious, we say.

The Butte Sports Hall of Fame is different, though. Obvious candidates usually have to wait for their turn. We do not just vote yes or no on a candidate. If that was the case, the Class of 2026 would include about 150 members.

To think, people complained that the 2024 induction ceremony in the baking-hot Butte Civic Center was way too long with 13 individuals and seven teams.

We are still playing catch up with the Butte Sports Hall of Fame, which began in 1987 and is getting ready for just its 20th class. We have golfers competing against football players to get into the Hall of Fame. We have runners competing against bowlers.

And we can only put in so many people each selection. That is why Sonny Holland and Ed Simonich did not get in the first time around. Think about that for a second.

Eso Naranche and Sam Jankovich did not make it until the third time. Tom LeProwse was not inducted until the fifth class in 1997. They named the Butte High stadium after Naranche in 1943, and LeProwse starred in the first Montana East-West Shrine Game in 1947.

For years, I have felt horrible for deserving guys like Greg Salo and Bernie Brophy. I also really wanted to see Butch Starin finally recognized as one of the all-time greats of the Mining City.

Those three started their incredible athletic careers in the 1960s.

This year, all three were finally selected. Salo and Brophy were elected by selection committee, and Starin was voted in by the current Hall of Famers. Unfortunately, the announcement of Salo’s induction came one day shy of the one-year anniversary of his death.

Starin and Brophy were at the press conference last week to be recognized.

Butch opened his comments by saying, “Well, I made it.” Bernie said that, other than his wedding day and the birth of his kids, that this was probably the best thing that ever happened to him.

The class also includes three women who were pioneers before the days of Title IX in Shirley Chesterfield-Stanton, Susie Hogart-Harrington and the late Jane Pasco. They are so long overdue for recognition in the Mining City.

Before he was a Montana Grizzly, John Kovacich was a standout on the 1977 Butte High football team. He also played on the 1972 state champion Mile High Little League All-Star baseball team, which is finally receiving Hall of Fame recognition this time around.

John waited years for that call. So did Kevin Parvinen, one of Jim Street’s favorite wrestlers during his run of 13 straight state titles.

Brian Bolton, the youngest member of the class, was also one of Street’s favorite wrestlers in that title streak. Brian graduated from Butte High in 1991, when Colt, Rob and Bryon were little kids. That was a year before Bradley was born.

Scott Paffhausen, who was elected as a contributor by the Hall of Famers, was one of my childhood heroes as he helped the Butte High boys’ basketball team win the Class AA state title in 1984.

Don Peoples Jr. and Chunky Thatcher are also going in, and I played for both of those coaches who left a lasting impact on my life in so many ways I can’t even begin to explain.

As I drove home from the selection meeting, which resembled a schoolyard fight with 12 committee members who are passionate about the Hall of Fame, I felt bad for the great many of Hall of Fame-worthy candidates who will have to wait at least two more years.

As fun as it is to deliver the great news, it is so hard to deliver or try to explain the bad news.

Then I had a long talk with Ray Jay Johnson, a Hall of Famer and member of the selection committee, and I realized I was looking at it wrong.

The Class of 2026 is incredible. All 12 individuals and the five teams going into the shrine July 24-25 are special in their own right. That people are sad — or mad — that their friends or loved ones were left out only means that the Hall of Fame is important.

When people stop carrying about being left out, we will have a major problem. When people stop crying when they get that call to the Hall, I know it is time to walk away.

John Thatcher told me years ago that Butte is the greatest sports town in the world, and I think the Butte Sports Hall of Fame proves that he is correct. The people charged with selecting those Hall of Famers care about getting it right.

Eventually, that will mean those who are worthy of induction will get the call they want, or that their friends or relatives want.

So, we should choose to focus on the great class that will be inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in July, and then keep pushing for the candidates you want to see picked in 2028.

Like in 2026 — and the 19 classes that preceded it — the Class of 2028 will be a class that is long overdue.

But if Brophy’s words tell us anything, the call will be worth the wait. It certainly was for people like Sonny Holland, Sam Jankovich and Tom LeProwse when their day finally came.

It will also be worth it for Colt, Rob, Bryon and Bradley.

— Bill Foley, who does not like to wait, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.