BILLINGS — The Montana Coaches Association on Monday announced its 2026 hall of fame class consisting of five new inductees.
This year's inductees are Pat Dryden, Eli Field, Dennis Normand, Jim O'Neil and Steve Stosich. The induction ceremony will be July 30 as part of the 2026 MCA awards ceremony and coaches clinic at Great Falls CMR High School.
Following is biographical information for each coach, with information provided by the MCA:
Pat Dryden
Dryden has coached for 40 years, with 32 of those in Montana. He spent two years at Havre, two at Missoula Hellgate, and 28 (and counting) at Whitefish, where for 25 years he has led the girls tennis program.
Dryden’s teams have won 10 conference championships and nine state trophies — three championships, three second-place finishes and three third place. Dryden is a six-time MCA coach of the year nominee, having won the honor three times. He was a National High School Athletic Coaches Association tennis coach of the year finalist in 2022 and has been a member of the MCA for 25 years.
Eli Field
Field has coached for 25 years, all at Frenchtown. For the past 21 years he has led the softball program to 441-98 record with eight state championships and 12 conference titles. A 20-year Montana Coaches Association member, Field has been named MCA softball coach of the year four times and has been nominated for the honor 14 times. He was a 2023 NHSACA softball coach of the year nominee.
Field has coached several all-star games and was the 2024 tournament director for the MHSA's state baseball tournament.
Dennis Normand
Normand has invested 38 years in the coaching profession, spending 35 of those years at Frenchtown where for 24 years he served as head girls and assistant boys track and field coach, as well as head cross country coach. He is currently the head coach for the Drummond cross country program.
During his Frenchtown tenure, Normand led the girls track team to a state championship, five division titles and 14 district crowns. In cross country, his teams notched three state championships. Normand is a 41-year MCA member, has been named coach of the year four times and nominated 20 times.
Jim O'Neil
O'Neil has been a Laurel High coach and a member of the MCA for 38 years. In his early years, O'Neil served as an assistant, helping the Locomotives win two football state titles and a second-place finish in track and field.
In 2017 he took the reins as head golf coach for both boys and girls and won 10 combined state championships. O’Neil is a 10-time MCA golf coach of the year and has been nominated 13 times. He was a NHSACA golf coach of the year finalist in 2023.
Steve Stosich
Stosich has served in Butte for 53 years and both Butte High (38 years) and Butte Central (15 years). After serving as head wrestling coach for four years at Central he was a nine-year head coach for the Butte High Softball Team.
In 14 years as assistant in football, he served under Bob Petrino, Ron Kenison, Bob Beers and John McElroy. In wrestling he spent 17 years under Jim Street, and for 24 years he assisted track and field under Fred Bull and Charlie Merrifield. While assisting at Central he helped the Maroons claim five division titles and three state trophies on the gridiron along with two track and field runner-up trophies. At Butte High he assisted in two state football championships and 13 state wrestling titles.
