BILLINGS — He’s a workhorse — or more appropriately a Hawk — who had his choice between the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
Rick Ogle was born and raised where the mountains meet the prairie in Bozeman. By his senior year of 1967, he’d turned heads in baseball, basketball, track and football. Ogle was such a sure-handed pitcher that Cleveland drafted him while still in high school.
Ogle took those gifts to the University of Colorado, playing both baseball and football while manning linebacker for the Buffaloes from 1968 to 1970. One game truly stands out: a 41–13 win over Penn State that snapped the Nittany Lions’ 23‑game winning streak — more proof that a Montana kid could help topple giants.
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In 1971 the NFL came calling. The St. Louis Cardinals picked him in the 11th round; he played six pro games, starting five. In September of 1972 he was traded to the Detroit Lions and saw action in four more.
Along the way he forged friendships with NFL greats Dan Dierdorf and Conrad Dobler.
A knee injury shortened what might have been a longer run. Ogle returned home to Bozeman and took the reins of the family business, Kenyon Noble Lumber. Today he stands 27th on Montana’s all‑time list of players who made the NFL — just as successful in business as he was athletically.
The Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday, at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. A meet and greet begins at 5 p.m. Visit www.mtfootballhof.com for information.
