BILLINGS — Rick Halmes was born in 1949 beneath the wide, wind-swept sky of the Highwood Mountains.
He grew up where the horizon was a schoolyard, shuffling into one-room country schools through sixth grade, where a single teacher might serve as mayor, librarian and bus driver all at once.
In 1966, legendary coach Sonny Holland was hired to coach Great Falls High School and saw something in Halmes that nudged him toward a bold choice: play his senior year for the Bison. Halmes did, and said that single season changed his course of life and opened the door for a scholarship at Eastern Montana College.
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He became a four-year starter at center, earning team captain honors his senior year.
After Eastern Montana College, Halmes headed to Montana State to finish his education degree. True to his mountain-born roots, he took to the rodeo arena, practicing with MSU's rodeo team as a roper and steer wrestler.
Summer circuits across Montana saw him trading cleats for chaps, competing professionally in the early Montana Summer Circuit rodeos.
Football didn't just give Halmes a pastime — it rewired his path, handed him a compass and taught him to lead. Today he is paying it forward, helping drive Montana's Pro Football Hall of Fame and giving back to the sport that set him on a course he could never have planned.
The Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday, June 27, at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. A meet and greet begins at 5 p.m. Visit www.mtfootballhof.com for more information.
