Curt Synness - The Independent Record - 12/31/08

Over the past year, the Helena community lost quite a few of our sporting figures. For this week's Replays, we pay homage to some of those athletes, coaches, sportsmen and supporters who passed away during the previous 12 months.

Alice "Tiny" Riley, 104, was a member of Helena High's 1920 girls state basketball championship. She won three consecutive state downhill ski championships from 1938-40, and along with husband Roy, was one of the co-founders of the Belmont Ski Hill.

She later took up sailing on Canyon Ferry, bowling, physical fitness training and distance running. Tiny held several age-group world records in the 5-K run while in her 80s and 90s.

Lorraine Gilbert, 96, was a lifelong fan and supporter of HHS cross-country, basketball and track. Henry Loble, 91, was a reserve quarterback on the Helena Bengals 1932 state football titlist team. His adult activities included handball, backcountry wilderness guiding, fly-fishing, backpacking, hunting, nordic skiing, scuba diving and water skiing.

Dan McGowan, 90, was a longtime member of the East Helena Valley Rodeo Association. Bernard "Barney" Grainey, 89, gridded for Helena High (1935-36). The two were gridiron teammates on the 1938 Carroll College Saints.

Chuck Douglass, 88, was a state champion horseshoe pitcher. Tom Tucci, 86, was an avid golfer and fly fisherman. He captured club crowns at both the Bill Roberts and Green Meadow golf courses. Ralphe Merrill, 84, worked at Broadwater Plunge pool during his youth. An avid pool player, bowler and golfer, he was the secretary/treasurer of the Bill Roberts mens golf league for 23 years.

Elaine (Hoover) Anderson, 84, and Bonnie (Fergus) Ikard, 74, played together on five womens' state softball championships for East Helena Kessler Brewery and Days Plasterers, between 1951-57.

Nicknamed the "Vacuum Cleaner," in 1951 Hoover compiled a perfect 10-0 record on the mound, and fired a 3-hitter in the state title victory over Billings. She later became an accomplished bowler and golfer. In 1967, her McPherson-Texaco team won the city bowling crown.

Ikard, who started out playing hardball with the boys in the C-League in the 1940s, pitched the shutout triumph over Anaconda for the 1956 ladies fastpitch crown. Bonnie was also a lifeguard and a bowler.

Duane "Moose" Lindstrom, 83, and Bob "Knobby" Hilger, 82, were high school teammates for the Helena Bengals football and hoops squads from 1940-43. Lindstrom was chosen to the 1942 all-state football team.

Chris Kafentsis, 82, played football for Missoula County High and the University of Montana. He was a member of two of the Spartans four successive state championships. A lifelong fitness advocate and runner, he competed in several marathons.

Alice (Rohnke) Bowman, 79, helped the 1950 Sandy's Texaco to the fastpitch state title.

Chuck Ladd, 77, ran the sprints and relays for HHS track from 1948-50. John Ward, 77, set the 880 yard and mile records for the Carroll track teams in the mid-1950s. Ward, who was a vibrant outdoorsman, was enshrined in the Saints' Hall of Fame in 1990.

Ken Schneider, 72, played football for Helena High and baseball for the Helena Legion. In 1952, Ken established several Legion pitching records, including 19 strikeouts in a 9-inning game (which still stands) and 140 season Ks.

Ted Wood, 68, was an O-Mok-See member for over 30 years. He set several O-Mok-See records, while capturing numerous individual and team championships in his division. Charlie Parsons, 68, was a rodeo cowboy and quarter horse trainer in the Boulder area.

In the early 1960s, Jay Verdi, 65, played football and wrestled for HHS, while Dan Glenny, 64, was the tallest player on the Bengals cage squad.

Neil Dougherty and Ernie Hanson, both 63, were teammates on the 1962-63 Helena Legion. Dougherty was the first recipient of the Earl Tucker Trophy as team batting champ, with a .417 average, and received a scholarship to Arizona State. Hanson participated in baseball and track for Montana State. Later disabled from a motocross accident, Ernie once fired a hole-in-one while golfing from his wheel chair.

Jay French, 60, fought for the Helena Boxing Club, garnering an ACU championship in the 1960s.

Eddye McClure, 58, competed at girls hoops, track and softball at Stephen F. Austin State University. Eddye was the very first womens basketball and volleyball coach at Creighton University (1973-76), and was an assistant cage coach for the Montana Lady Griz (1976-78).

Les Dolezal, 57, graduated from HHS in 1968, where he participated in football and gymnastics. He became a lifelong outdoors enthusiast, skiing many of Montana's best slopes, and floating many of our most scenic rivers. Chris Pazder, 55, was a mountain climber and outdoorsman extraordinaire.

A heavyweight wrestler for the Bengals from 1968-71, Ron Banks, 57, remains the Capital City's only two-time undefeated state champion. An all-state gridder both ways, and went on to earn two Frontier Conference mat crowns at Western Montana. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Banks later power-walked in multiple Governor's Cup marathons.

Tim Gunderson, 52, was a pool player and poker player. He competed in Las Vegas in both the VNEA National 8-ball tournament, and the World Poker Tour Finals. Scott "Scooter" Wordal, 50, played football and wrestled for Helena High. He was a good enough baseball player to tryout for a semi-pro team, and later took up shooting pool and golf.

Mark Budak, 45, was renowned for organizing and promoting many local sporting events, including the Bullfest and pool tournaments. Shawn Charlton, 44, was a motocross racer, a motorcyclist and a boating enthusiast.

Jeannette (Shackelford) Schlenske, 43, had been an All-Star cheerleader for Capital High in 1981-82, before becoming an avid golfer and an aerobics instructor at Broadwater Athletic Club. Bonnie (Lipes) Heller, 41, threw the shot put and ran sprints for the Helena Bengal ladies track team. She also played slowpitch softball in the City Leagues.

Tiffani (Johnson) Pennington, 40, enjoyed water skiing, shooting pool, wind surfing, roller skating, trail bike riding and snowmobiling. William Andrews, 23 - a member of the 2003 state basketball champion Bozeman Hawks - was an advanced snow skier and rock climber, extreme hiker, motorcyclist and rafter.

Angela Dwyer, 17, ran track and cross-country for Capital High. She also loved Irish Dance.

Reporter Curt Synness: 449-2150 or curt52s@bresnan.net