Our community lost a number of great athletes and sportsmen over the past year. In memory of those who passed away during 2007, Curt’s Replays would like to pay respects to a few local legends that are no longer with us.

Bob Cooney, 98, was the captain of one of the better swim teams at the old Broadwater Natatorium while attending Helena High from 1925-28. He went on to a lifetime of involvement in outdoor recreation, in careers with both the Montana Fish and Game and the Montana Forest Service.

Bernard “Mac” McGinley, 93, coached and taught physical education at Helena High School and Helena Junior High for 34 years. Mac also spent 15 years officiating high school and college football and basketball. His Helena Legion teams won two division championships, and placed as state runner-up in 1950. As a sub-varsity cage coach, McGinley directed the HHS Kittens to nine “Little Big 16” unofficial championships, compiling a career record of 151-37.

Betty (Bridges) Lindstrom, 81, earned three chevrons with the Helena High girl’s “H” Club, from 1941-43, participating in the Girl’s Athletic Association. Her senior year, she served as cheer queen for the HHS cheerleading squad. Betty went on to win numerous individual and team bowling trophies in the Helena Women’s Bowling league. She achieved several top scores in league and tournament action.

Bill Kelley, 75 n a versatile athlete at Helena High from 1947-50 n was the captain of the legendary “Swish Kids,” the HHS hoops team which placed second at State in 1950. The Bengals went 17-12, setting a season scoring record of 1,694 points. Kelley was the second-leading scorer on the team, with an 11.7 points-per-game average.

Eleanor “Ellie” Regner, 85, played softball on the 1951 East Helena Kessler Brewery women’s state championship fastpitch team. She went on to a become a 50-year member of the Helena Women’s Bowling Association, where she won two city all-events titles and bowled on five city championship teams. Regner won the league average title seven times, with a high of 181 in 1978. She held the city record for high game at 278, and her 679 series in 1966 lasted as a city record for 13 years. In 37 state tournaments, her top placing was a state runner-up finish.

Wayne “Cochise” Mann, 64, was one of Helena’s greatest sports fans. For over 40 years, since he first moved here in the early 1960s, Cochise lived, breathed, ate and drank local sports. His favorite haunts were Kindrick Legion Field, the HHS Jungle and CHS Bear’s Den gyms, the Carroll P.E. Center, Vigilante and Nelson Stadiums and Bill Roberts Golf Course.

Rudy Ferriter, 56, competed at football, baseball, basketball and boxing. He gridded for Reno’s American River Junior College, earning the reputation as an intense, hard-hitting linebacker. Don Ferriter, 72, played football for Butte Central and baseball in the Copper League. He was also the Montana light heavyweight boxing champion. Many years later, at 69 years of age, the powerful Ferriter performed an incredible 410 pound bench press.

Joanna (Shoemaker) Lieberg, 87, earned three chevrons with the Helena High girls H-club, from 1936-38. In 1942, Joanna was part the Helena Boosters, which garnered the women’s State fastpitch softball crown and qualified for the national tournament in Detroit.

Paul Poirier, 85, was a lifelong member of Belmont/Great Divide Ski Hill, skiing into his 70s. An avid hiker and runner, he competed in the Governor’s Cup marathon into his 60s. Don Loendorf, 59, was a basketball player for Helena Cathedral and Central High. He was also a talented archer and bowler.

Bob Ryan, 77, played football for Carroll College. He later coached and directed youth baseball, and was the founder of Ryan Park, where he improved and expanded the existing baseball fields near the Fairgrounds. Ruth O’Connell, 80, was a lifelong sports fan, following her husband’s, children’s and grandchildren’s athletics. Her favorite hangout was most likely Kindrick Legion Field.

Chuck Dove, 65, ran track for Helena High from 1958-61. When the Bengals won the 1960 state championship, he was part of the second-place 880 relay team. Stacie DeWolf, 50, played basketball for Capital High’s very first girls cage teams, in 1973 and ’74. She was a lifelong outdoorsman, spending time in Montana’s wilderness areas hiking, camping, fishing, cross country skiing, kayaking and mountain biking.

Bill Stinchfield, 71 n a verstile high school athlete in Dutton n went on to become an avid lifelong golfer, bowler, outdoorsman and sports fan. George Downs, 74, was a 2-sport athlete at Helena High from 1949-52. He was the captain of the grid team, and a member of the Bengals’ 1952 state championship track club.

Walter “Buggs” Pocha, 75, raced stock cars in the 1950s, beginning at the Fairgrounds track, and was an early member of the Helena Valley Track club. Robert Sewell, 66, was part of Helena High’s 1956 mat team. He was the first Bengal in school history to participate in an MHSA sanctioned wrestling match.

Karl Ohs, 61, was a state champion grappler for Malta. He later copped two Big Sky mat titles for the Montana State Bobcats in the late 1960s. Andy Goyins, 51, was a popular local rodeo contestant, rodeo clown, cowboy and outdoorsman. Loren Foot, 87, played football and basketball for the Helena High Bengals from 1936-38. Steve Hill, 50, was a pool player, bowler and dart player. His Longhorn Saloon dart team captured a national title in Las Vegas in 2002.

Scott Fiedler, 36, was a member of the Helena All Blues rugby football club. David Hamlin Roope, 18, enjoyed snowboarding, mountain biking and skateboarding. In youth baseball, he was a member of both Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth city championship teams. Mary Craig, 71, was a member of the 1953 Day’s Plasterers women’s State champion fastpitch softball team.

Bill Pocha, 60, was a board member of the first modern-day Helena Girls Fastpitch Softball Association. He went on to become a longtime ASA youth coach. Amy Porte, 46, was an all-round sportsmen, participating in snow skiing, ice skating, cross country skiing, swimming and water skiing. Her snow skiing was described as “speeding down the hill as graceful as a bird.”

In an unrelated matter, check out the latest sports history trivia questions on the SPLOG, at www.helenair.com/blog/sports/