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Podcast No. 205: Rob Cox

Imagine walking into a small-town Montana bar with Robert Redford, Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt. Then the first person you see is Michael Keaton.
After that, you probably would never be starstruck again.
In 1991, that is exactly what happened to Rob Cox, who was hanging with the movie stars because he had a role in the iconic movie “A River Runs Through It.”
Rob played one of the friends of Norman and Paul Maclean. Rob was Conroy, who famously told Paully that he can’t “shoot the shoots.”
Rob has deep Mining City roots, but he was born in Great Falls and went to high school in Havre. He majored in theater at the University of Montana, and that helped lead to his role in the classic movie.
After living in Los Angeles and having several small acting roles, including one on Bay Watch, Rob moved to Butte in 2006. He didn’t think he would stay long, but Butte quickly won him over, and he now says he will never leave.
In 2022, Rob was a part of the crew filming the Yellowstone prequel series “1923.” He also helped produce and played a role in a movie filed in Butte titled “The Tinderbox.”
Rob has some awesome plans to do more. That includes working on a script about the vigilantes.
When he isn’t working for Hollywood, Rob is the house manager at the Covellite Theater, bringing a professional touch to a small venue that has been highlighting some big-time local talent.
Listen in to this podcast as Rob talks about auditioning for “A River Runs Through It,” and why he never thought he would land a role. Listen as he talks about working in Los Angeles and all of the talented actors he got to work with and around.
Listen in to hear why Rob is now a Butte Rat for life.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
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Podcast No. 204: Quinn and ‘Easy’

It has been quite a week so far for Quinn Cox and Ethan “Easy” Cunningham, and it is only Tuesday.
On Monday, the former Butte Miners signed Letters of Intent to play college baseball. Cox will play at MSU-Billings, an NCAA Division II program. Cunningham will take his talent to Spokane Falls Community College, where he will team with former Miner Anthony Knott.
On Tuesday, Cox took home South A All-Conference honors for his work at the plate and behind the dish for the Miners. That comes after the catcher took home All-Conference and All-State recognition as a catcher for the Butte High Bulldogs.
Cunningham, a 2023 Butte High graduate who attended Montana Tech this past school year, earned All-Conference and Class A All-State honors for his performance. He was Butte’s ace, and he played second base when he was not pitching.
Cox and Cunningham will go down as one of the best batteries the Miners have seen, and it is great to see both take the next step while chasing their baseball dream.
Listen in to this podcast as they talk about playing for Miners’ 2022 state and regional championship team. Listen as they talk about their teammates and coaches. Listen as they talk about their love of baseball and hear how far they plan to chase their dreams.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warrantee.
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Greatest game gets better over time

How could a football game that only included 68 yards passing — including zero by the team I was cheering for — be the best game I ever watched?
Well, a lot of that has to do with my perspective. A lot of it also comes from the fact that it was two great teams from the Mining City going head-to-head.
I was 7 years old when Butte High beat Butte Central 18-12 in overtime on Sept. 4, 1981. That Butte Central loss absolutely ripped my heart out.
From as early as I can remember, my parents told me that I was going to be a Butte Central Maroon. So, before I cheered for the Bears, Red Sox and Celtics, I rooted like crazy for the Maroons.
For several weeks leading up to that 1981 game, that looming showdown seemed to be what everyone was talking about. At the golf course, the barber shop and the grocery store, it was all Butte vs. Central.
I counted down the days to that game, figuring I would finally get to see the Maroons beat the Bulldogs. I could not wait to rub it in the face of my cousins who called me a “Crayon” for my plans to go to Butte Central. I was going to sing to them my parody version of one of the Butte High fight songs.
“Butte High will shine tonight; Butte High will shine.
“Butte High will shine my shoes.”
Of course, I was going to cheer for the Bulldogs the rest of the season, and I did — all the way through the state championship game.
The same week of the Butte High-Butte Central game, my brother got a No. 10 Butte Central jersey for his 10th birthday. He wanted that number because he has the same first name as BC quarterback Don Peoples Jr., who wore No. 10.
Not to be left out, my mom got me a BC No. 92 jersey because she figured I would graduate from Butte Central in 1992. It turns out that I graduated from Butte High in 1993.
Hey, leave me alone. Third grade was hard.
The lead up to the game was insane. The town seemed to be buzzing all summer long. The players were, too.
Some Central players allegedly defaced the Bulldog at Naranche Stadium, so some Butte High players allegedly trashed Central player Tim Norbeck’s car in retaliation. Then, a couple of Bulldogs ignited BC’s bonfire prematurely, and one of the players ended up missing the game with severe burns.
All of that made Pat Kearney’s book, “Butte’s Big Game: Butte Central vs. Butte High.”
“That entire game you never heard so much talking back and forth between both sides,” Central running back John McGree told Kearney. “It was an all-out civil war.”
The Bulldogs got the last laugh in that “civil war” thanks largely to Don Douglas, the Butte High quarterback who signed to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers five months later.
Douglas had a hand in all three Butte High touchdowns. He scored on runs of 57 and 6 yards in regulation. Then he threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Terry LeProwse as Butte High got the ball first in the Montana playoff overtime.
In all, Douglas ran the ball 11 times for 139 yards. He completed 7 of 15 passes for 68 yards.
Butte Central got the ball with a chance to tie — or win with a touchdown and extra point. But on fourth down, a desperation Peoples pass was picked off by Butte High linebacker Larry Peterson to end the game.
I was confused for a couple of reasons. First, I didn’t know why the Maroons were suddenly going the same direction as the Bulldogs. I also wondered why the Central quarterback threw the ball to the Butte High player.
Remember, I was 7. I didn’t even know what a first down was, let alone an interception.
I was heartbroken when we left that packed East Jr. High Stadium that night. Still, in my heartache, I knew that I had just watched something truly special. I knew it would be a game that I would remember for the rest of my life, and I was right.
While I have seen some incredible football games up close and personal over the years, nothing can beat the 1981 Butte High-Butte Central game in my eyes.
Not the 2012 Class AA State championship game when Jake Dennehy booted the Bulldogs past the Bozeman Hawks.
Not the 2014 Class A State title game when the Dillon Beavers beat the Maroons by about an inch and a half at Montana Tech.
The 1981 epic battle was a game played between a pair of Butte teams that wanted to beat the heck out of each other, and that is hard to top.
Butte High went on to win the Class AA State championship that season. The Bulldogs avenged their only loss of the season by beating Great Falls Russell in Great Falls. The Maroons fell in the Class A title game to Miles City in Butte.
To this day, players on the Central team will tell you they have not recovered from that loss to Butte High to start the season. The Bulldogs still revel in that victory.
The best part of the game, though, is a moment most people never knew about. I didn’t know about it until January of 2022.
Douglas was the star player for the Bulldogs in 1981. Brian Morris was the best player for the Maroons. While Douglas went to Nebraska — and eventually the University of Montana — Morris went to Stanford to play fullback. He is now the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana.
If I had to vote, I would say Morris is the greatest Maroon of all.
In January of 2022, Morris spoke in support of Douglas’ induction into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. Morris entered the Hall in 2003, and he wanted to “fill a void” in the Hall by enshrining one of the greatest Bulldogs of all time.
The selection committee agreed, and Douglas was enshrined that summer.
Morris’ talk wasn’t just about how great of a football player — and overall athlete — Douglas was in his days at Butte High in beyond.
Rather, it was a moment after that Bulldog-Maroon battle in 1981 that stood out to Morris, who was heartbroken after running for a bruising 94 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
“I was a pile of blubbering Maroons on the field after the game, crying our hearts out after the loss,” Morris said. “Someone came up, pulled me to my feet, gave me a hug, told me it was the hardest game he ever played. It was Donny D. I’ll never forget that moment.”
So much for that trashed car, the trash talk and the early bonfire. So much for the Maroons and Bulldogs hating each other.
More than four decades after that incredible football game, we learned that the best player from Butte High picked up the best player from Butte Central and offered a hug and encouragement.
Maybe that is what great sportswriter Jim Edgar was talking about when he coined the term “City of Champions” for Butte in those days.
It turns out that the greatest game ever played was even better than I thought.
And that “civil war” turned out to be more “civil” than “war.”
— Bill Foley, who still has a hard time understanding interceptions, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Boyle’s Buddies basketball game is a highlight of the sporting year

Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season was always my favorite day of the year.
It is the time of eternal optimism, when everyone’s team is still in the running. It also means nice weather is coming, and there will be something good to watch on television nearly every day for the next six months.
Opening Day of the NFL and college football seasons are also days that I look forward to. Other than the weather aspect, the reason I count down the days to football season is pretty much the same as baseball.
For at least a few weeks, the Chicago Bears are not yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
For as long as I can remember, I always looked forward to the Butte High vs. Butte Central basketball games. When the boys and girls of those two schools get together, something great always happens. Plus, the games always bring the attention of the entire city together.
Over the last decade, though, my favorite sporting event is none of the above. Instead, I look forward to the Boyle’s Buddies game that is played every Aug. 10 in Butte.
The Boyle’s Buddies game is a Special Olympics game that was started as the warmup act for the Burgman/Boyle Classic, which was first played in 2016. The Burgman/Boyle Classic was a Butte High-Butte Central alumni game that started on the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of Butte friends Kyle Burgman and Casey Boyle.
Burgman and Boyle, both 28, were killed in an early-morning crash where East Park Street turns into Shields Avenue on Aug. 10, 2015.
While the alumni game never returned after the COVID pandemic wiped out the 2020 games, the Boyle’s Buddies game lives on. The latest addition will be played again at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 at East Middle School.
The game is special for many reasons. A couple of them stand out to me.
First, the game is an incredible example of turning a tragedy into something good. Like the McCarthy family did following the death of 14-year-old Mariah McCarthy in 2007, the Burgman and Boyle families scrambled to find a positive in an unspeakable tragedy.
The strength that it took those families to do that is impossible to measure.
The Burgman/Boyle Classic started as a fundraiser for the Burgman/Boyle Scholarship. As of this Aug. 10, the scholarship will have awarded $122,000 to students of Butte High and Butte Central. That is pretty amazing, to say the least.
Second, the game is a celebration of two incredible and memorable young men. Kyle was so much fun to watch when he played basketball at Butte High. He was gutsy, tough and clutch.
As a sophomore, Kyle hit a 3-pointer in the opening game of Class AA State tournament in Missoula. That baseline shot signaled to the Bulldog crowd that Butte High was about to beat Bozeman. He was then part of what I think is the best Butte High basketball team since the 1989 and 1990 teams in 2006.
Burgman and the Bulldogs did not win the State title. The team was shaken when junior star Tyler Gilder fractured his skull on the Butte Civic Center floor after he was undercut by a Great Falls High player, and the Bulldogs dropped the opener of the State tournament.
But Butte battled back to take third place, destroying tournament favorite Billings West along the way.
Butte High beat Butte Central 53-51 that season in the Maroon Activities Center. While our city fought about where to play the boys’ and girls’ games that year, the Maroons and Bulldogs just focused on playing. The result was maybe the greatest game in the history of the boys’ rivalry.
Kyle scored a career-high 30 points in that game, and BC coach Brodie Kelly called him “unstoppable” after the game.
Casey’s name did not show up in the boxscore of that game, but he was a member of the team. He was not a star, but he was one of those selfless role players who came off the bench.
I noticed Casey a lot more when he was in the student section, cheering on the Butte Central girls’ teams. He was always the life of the party in the student section.
Casey was also the life of the party in the classroom, as far as the special education students are concerned. Those students loved Casey as a teacher and a coach. They loved him so much, that they will never forget him.
They will also never let the Boyle’s Buddies game ever go away. It is just too important to them.
Players like Zach Stenson, Dalan Dagen, David Macumber, Christian Schock, Tristan Grogan, Bryce “Smiley” Bailey, Josh Mota, Kallie Robbins, Joe Gibson and Jalen “Hollywood” Foley will make sure the game is played every Aug. 10 until the end of time.
I’ve been to the game so many times that a handful of those Special Olympians are now my good friends. There are no more kind and loyal friends than Special Olympians, either.
When I go out to an event like “Music On Main,” I usually end up hanging out with my friends from the Boyle’s Buddies game.
Special Olympians are also the best when it comes to sportsmanship. Just about everyone can learn a thing or two about the true meaning of athletic competition by watching a Special Olympics event.
They play to win, but most Special Olympians are more concerned with involving all of their teammates and having fun than they are with the final score.
You very rarely — if ever — see any taunting of opponents. You very rarely see parents complaining about playing time or points scored. Instead, you see sportsmanship at its finest.
Watching the Special Olympics will help you put sporting events into better perspective. You can see some pretty amazing athletes compete, too.
If you have never been to a Special Olympics game before — or even if you’ve been to bunch — you should check out the Boyle’s Buddies game this Aug. 10, and every Aug. 10 that follows to see what I mean.
The game will put a smile on your face, even if the Boyle’s Buddies game comes with the reminder of such a sad day. The game will show you that something truly amazing can come out of a terrible tragedy.
So, come out and join me for this year’s Boyle’s Buddies game. It just might turn out to be your favorite sporting event of the year, too.
— Bill Foley, who also cannot wait unit the Bears open the season, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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No. 202: Sister Mary Jo McDonald

Sister Mary Jo McDonald spends most of her time in Leavenworth, Kansas. That is about 1,200 miles from the Mining Ciy.
That distance, however, will not stop Sister Mary Jo McDonald from being a thorn in the side of those who are repeatedly making the wrong decision when it comes to environmental cleanup in the Mining City.
Sister Mary Jo is still a fierce fighter for environmental justice in Butte and beyond.
Sister Mary Jo taught at North Central and Butte Central Junior High before starting a 34-year run working at St. Ann’s Parish in Butte. Through it all, she was always looking out for people who cannot look out for themselves.
In addition to her devotion to the Catholic Church, Sister Mary Jo could easily be an attorney. She definitely has a ton of experience putting the law to work for the good of the people.
She was part of a lawsuit over Butte’s water in the 1990s. Then, along with Ron Davis and Fritz Daily, Sister Mary Jo successfully sued over the name of Silver Bow Creek.
Of course, Butte-Silver Bow, the State of Montana, the EPA and British Petroleum just ignored the victorious ruling from District Court Judge Brad Newman.
She is currently part of the Restore Our Creek group that is planning a beautiful flowing Silver Bow Creek making its way through the center of town. Even though our local government, for reasons that are difficult to fathom, has fought that plan at every turn.
Our local government has also tried to paint Sister Mary Jo with the crazy brush that it uses to try to tarnish the reputation of Daily. Like with Fritz, Sister Mary Jo is fighting for the right reasons, and she will not be deterred by character assassinations.
She has no financial interest in the fight. She simply wants what is best for the children of Butte and beyond.
For the sake of those children, Sister Mary Jo will keep on fighting until her last breath. That is bad news for those who want to side with British Petroleum and give the people of Butte a subpar cleanup.
Even at 1,200 miles away, Sister Mary Jo is still fighting for Butte.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.













