SPOKANE, Wash. — Tim Hauck and Cass Bauer-Bilodeau went from small-town Montana to sports' biggest stages.
On Saturday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the two Treasure State natives crossed another stage, walking into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame.
"I'm just honored to be here. I just feel really blessed growing up in a little tiny town and having the opportunity to go to Montana State, play Division I (basketball)," said Bauer-Bilodeau, who grew up in Hysham and then had a stellar career at Montana State from 1990 to 1994. "And I'm not going to lie to you, there were times when I was there where I was like, am I going to cut it?
"But basketball has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to get an education and go on and play all around the U.S. and then also overseas a little bit, too. So, it's pretty amazing."
Hear both Montanans visit about their Big Sky Conference HOF inductions:
Bauer-Bilodeau and Hauck, who is from Big Timber and has had a long career playing and coaching football, were inducted in the Big Sky Conference's fourth hall of fame class Saturday alongside eight of their Big Sky peers.
The other honorees were Charles “Chip” Dunn (Portland State football), David McNeill (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Ida Nilsson (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Johanna Nilsson (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Doug Nussmeier (Idaho football), Dan O’Brien (Idaho track and field), Naseby Rhinehart (Montana athletic trainer) and Arnie Sgalio (Big Sky Conference administrator).
"It's a very special deal," Hauck said. "I know the people that come through this conference — as a matter of fact, a lot of them were my teammates in the NFL — and so it makes you special to be in this group and be included in this group."
Hauck starred as a player at Montana from 1987-89, was a two-time All-American and is one of the originators of the Grizzlies' No. 37 jersey tradition. He then went on to a 13-year career in the NFL, appearing in 183 games for seven different franchises and totaling 284 career tackles with four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 13 pass deflections and one interception.
But he's arguably most known for his uncanny knack for blocking kicks, and he still holds the Big Sky record for blocked extra points in a single season with four in 1988.
"At Montana, I think we were down 2-0 my junior or senior year against Montana State and (I) blocked a punt, and it got returned for a touchdown," Hauck said of one of his favorite memories as a player. "That was a turning point of the game. And obviously, growing up in a small town in central Montana, no love lost there, so anytime I could make a play against them, it was special for me."
Hauck never lost to the Bobcats as a player, and the Grizzlies twice made the playoffs during his playing career. He now coaches alongside his brother, Bobby, at Montana after playing for his dad in high school.
"Growing up in a family where your father's the head coach and probably the best coach you've been around, and having a brother like my brother, to say you're around the two best coaches you've ever been around right in your household, you're always striving to be better," Hauck said.
"And it was really hard for people at the next level to get past the eye test, and so I had to make a couple turns here and there to get where I had to go. But my background and where I came from and the work ethic and everything that was instilled in me from Day 1 as a little kid paid off in the long run."
Bauer-Bilodeau faced similar challenges — and similarly overcame them — during her career. Though she was a high school standout, the adjustment from Class C Hysham to Division I Montana State didn't come without its lumps, thanks, particularly, to her older sister.
"Of course it's intimidating. I mean, you're coming in against the upperclassmen, and they've been there, they know what to do, they're a lot stronger," Bauer-Bilodeau said. "I mean, my sister put me on my butt. When I went to Montana State, she was a redshirt senior. She's four years older than me, and every day she put me on my butt.
"She was going to show me who's boss, and I was either going to get up or I was gonna stay down. And of course I was gonna fight through it, so it's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Bauer-Bilodeau was instrumental in sending the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament in 1993, when they beat Montana twice in eight days to win the Big Sky for the first time. She was the Big Sky player of the year in 1993 and was a two-time honorable mention All-American.
After wrapping up her MSU career, Bauer-Bilodeau won an American Basketball League championship and played in the WNBA.
"I was really the only girl that was coming from a smaller Division I school (to the WNBA)," Bauer-Bilodeau said. "Everyone else was coming from really big schools, and some of them would say, 'Where's Montana?' They weren't even sure where it was.
"But I think all the things that you go through and time kind of prepare you for that next step, and it's pretty amazing kind of being the pioneer of the WNBA. And we wanted to have a little girls dream about something, too, so that was cool to be kind of one of the pioneers early on. Now look at it now."
