MSU Billings to Add Five to Hall of Fame (2/8/06)

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State University-Billings has announced that five new members will be added to its Athletics Hall of Fame and Distinction.  The annual induction ceremony and brunch will take place on Saturday, February 18 at 10:00 a.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. 

Tickets for the induction ceremony and brunch cost $10.00 and can be purchased in advance.  Reservations can be made by calling the MSU Billings Athletics office at 657-2369.

Since MSU Billings created the Athletics Hall of Fame and Distinction in 1990, 106 members have been inducted.  The Class of 2006—Nos. 107-111—includes Ted Anderson, Mark Hamilton, Alicia (Cahill) Hutzenbiler, Charles Ray Shaffer, and Iona (Fortier) Stookey.

Anderson was the head women’s basketball coach from 1981 to 1987.  In six seasons he guided the Lady Yellowjackets to a 102-58 overall record and a 39-21 mark in conference games.  Since women’s basketball was added at the school in 1973, only Anderson and fellow Hall of Fame coach Frank McCarthy have posted over 100 career wins.  Anderson was at the helm of the first Lady Yellowjacket team to qualify for an NCAA Tournament in 1986-87, beginning a tradition that has resulted in 10 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1987.

Hamilton played men’s basketball for the Yellowjackets from 1994 to 1998.  He scored 1,463 points in his four-year career, still the eighth-most in school history.  One of the most prolific shooters the Yellowjacket program has ever produced, Hamilton also still ranks third all-time for 3-pointers made (286) and fourth for 3-point field goal percentage (42.56).  Making Hamilton’s individual success more notable is the fact that he played in three NCAA Tournaments and helped lead the Jackets to two conference championships.

Hutzenbiler played women’s basketball from 1995 to 1999, one of the most successful eras in Lady Yellowjacket history.  During her career the Lady Jackets won three conference titles and qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times.  In Hutzenbiler’s senior season the Yellowjackets won the NCAA West Regional in Davis, CA and became the only MSU Billings women’s basketball team to advance to the Elite Eight.  Hutzenbiler scored 1,183 career points, still the twelfth-most in school history.  She is also still eighth for field goals made (483), eighth for field goal percentage (50.26), third for rebounds (810), and fifth for blocked shots (71).

Shaffer competed in basketball, baseball, and track and field from 1959 to 1963.  He also played one year of football for the Yellowjackets.  In basketball Shaffer earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and junior.  In the 1959-1960 season he led the Yellowjackets in scoring with 315 points in 22 games (14.3 ppg).  Shaffer played centerfield for the Yellowjacket baseball team and competed in the 100, 220, long jump, and high jump on the track and field team.  After graduating from Eastern Montana College, Shaffer went on to teach and coach at Broadview High School (Mont.), Sheridan High School (Wyo.), and Adams County (Colo.).

Stookey played volleyball for the Lady Yellowjackets from 1986-1989.  In the 1988 season she led the Yellowjackets with 369 kills, a mark that still stands as the eighth-best single season total in school history.  She also had 52 service aces in 1988, the fifth-best season to date in school history.  After graduating from Eastern Montana College, Stookey became the head volleyball coach at Huntley Project High School where she has taught and coached for 16 years.  Her volleyball teams have compiled a 382-128 record during her tenure, including back-to-back undefeated state championship teams in 2003 and 2004.  During that stretch Huntley Project had a 99 match winning streak and Stookey was twice named the Montana Coach of the Year.