CMR to enshrine 29 members of inaugural 'Rustler Legends' class

C.M. Russell High School is set to honor some of its all-time greats in athletics and unveil new renovations to the fieldhouse as a part of its Hall of Fame project.

Twenty-nine contributors will be enshrined as “Legendary Rustlers” in a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, at the CMR Fieldhouse.

The school, which opened in 1965, will also show off the fieldhouse’s new paint job, signage, refurbished photos and more to its revamped Hall of Fame in the fieldhouse.

The 29 inductees into the Legendary Rustlers portion of the Hall of Fame were chosen by a committee of current and former CMR coaches, athletes and contributors.

To be considered for the first year’s class, nominees had to meet the following criteria:

• Played, coached or worked for a professional organization.

• Competed at the international level in either the Olympics or national level teams

• Coaches who received National recognition or enshrinement into a National Hall of Fame

• Athletes in the Montana High School Association Hall of Fame

Among the first class of inductees are coaches Jack Johnson and Mike McLean, who are both members of the National High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Boxer Todd Foster, who competed in the 1988 Olympics, is among honorees, as are professional athletes Dave Dickenson and Josh Huestis.

One notable name missing from the first class of inductees is Ryan Leaf, the former CMR quarterback who starred at Washington State and was drafted second overall in the 1998 NFL draft.

Leaf’s absence from this year’s ceremony was not due to purposeful omission, said CMR Vice Principal Nate Achenbach, who helped lead the Hall of Fame project.

The committee unanimously agreed to include Leaf in its inaugural Legends class and reached out to invite him to the ceremony, but he “very respectfully declined,” Achenbach said.

“He said to me, ‘I’m honored, I appreciate it, but at this time, I’m not ready for that,’” Achenbach said.

A football and basketball star at CMR, Leaf went on to lead Washington State to its first Rose Bowl in 67 years. Also a Heisman Trophy finalist, Leaf became the No. 2 overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.

Leaf’s NFL career was short-lived, however, and he later battled substance abuse issues, which led to his arrest and imprisonment in 2012 for breaking into homes and stealing prescription drugs.

For the past several years, Leaf has worked as a motivational speaker and mental and behavioral health advocate, and gave a presentation on his story at CMR in 2019. He now lives in California with his wife and son and also works as a college and professional football commentator.

Achenbach said the committee hopes to eventually honor Leaf down the line.

“I want to put out there that the door is open for Ryan,” Achenbach said.

Also missing from the first class of Legends is Patrick Dwyer, who played over 400 games in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes. Achenbach said Dwyer’s absence was an oversight that the committee is committed to correcting.

“I’ll take the blame for missing Patrick Dwyer. We’ll reach out to him and he’ll be the head of next year’s class,” Achenbach said.

The Hall of Fame project at CMR began about two years ago with the goal of reorganizing the previous hall of fame on the walls of the fieldhouse and restoring photos. The undertaking quickly mushroomed, Achenbach said.

“It’s like remodeling your own house. You do one thing, then you’re like ‘oh, now we’ve got to do this,’” Achenbach said.

The project was funded by donations and sponsorships, with now former student Taylee Van Sickle and teacher Andrew Nagengast working on restoring the athletic photos and designing the placards. Katie Carvell also contributed in organizing the spacing of the enshrinements.

Committee member and former CMR star athlete Jeff Jaraczeski also helped restore old photos and secure sponsorship.

The Halftime Sports Bar sponsored the uniform signage for each sport’s individual hall of fame in the gym, and local franchise owner Bill Himmelberg brought in McDonald’s to sponsor the new digital hall of fame kiosk.

The fieldhouse now also has a digital video board donated by the Morin family.

CMR’s signature championship rugs are now hanging from the rafters in the gym, with newly acquired banners on the backside.

The photos of all-state players from each sport have all been restored and hanged, but if someone notices an omission or error on a placard, Achenbach can be contacted at 406-268-6100 or Nate_achenbach@gfps.k12.mt.us.

The CMR Hall of Fame committee consists of Jack Johnson, Mike McLean, Terry Graham, Alex (Lowry) Hurley, John Cislo, Dennis Morris, Jeff Jaraczeski, Nathan Gregier, and Lynda Morin.

The Rustler Legends portion of the Hall of Fame will continue to be expanded in the years to come, Achenbach said.

“Like any hall of fame, there’s always the question, ‘How come this one didn’t get in?’ This isn’t one time and done, this is a growing group,” Achenbach said. “There’s so many great candidates and we’re looking forward to nominations from the community and Rustler Nation and we’ll go through all those.”

Inaugural class of Rustler Legends

• Barry Darrow – Athletics

• Bill Sandaker – Contributor

• Bob Woolf – Athletics

• Brock Sunderland – Athletics

• Craig Dickenson – Athletics

• Daryl Wilkerson – Athletics

• Dave Dickenson – Athletics

• Denise Pidcock – Athletics

• Don Kenczka – Contributor

• Fred Paoli – Athletics

• Jack Johnson – Athletics

• Jeff Hansen – Athletics

• Jesse Kruse – Athletics

• Jim Kalafat – Athletics

• John Leister – Athletics

• Jon Knutson – Athletics

• Josh Huestis – Athletics

• Julianne Vasichek – Athletics

• Lindsey Gustafson – Athletics

• Lynda Morin – Contributor

• Mike McLean – Athletics

• Pat O’Connell – Contributor

• Pat Taylor – Athletics

• Scott Davis – Athletics

• Todd Foster – Athletics

• Tony Hinz – Athletics

• Turk Lords – Athletics

• Tyler Graham – Athletics

• Velma Jordan - Contributor

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: CMR to enshrine 29 members of inaugural 'Rustler Legends' class