Football changed Rick’s life, so his goal is to give back as much as possible to the sport.

Rick Halmes, Chairman

Rick Halmes was born in the Highwood Mountains in 1949. His father and mother worked a small 560-acre ranch. There was no indoor plumbing, electricity, or TV until 1959. It didn’t seem to matter to Rick or his four sisters because chickens, baby deer, calves, and colts all seemed to have fun playing with them.

Rick went mostly to one-room country schools through 6th grade, and then, due to his parents' divorce, there were many moves to different schools between Belt and Great Falls.

In 1966, Rick met Coach Sonny Holland, who had been hired by Great Falls High School to coach football. Great Falls High was Holland’s first head coaching job. Later, Sonny became an icon of football at Montana State. Coach Holland encouraged Rick to attend Great Falls High for his senior year, which he did. Rick would tell you that decision changed the course of his life.

That Great Falls High team was picked to finish last in Montana AA, but they ended up winning the state championship with no five-star recruits. Sonny Holland cared about his players, and they played hard for him. Rick became the starting center for the Bison.

Halmes had not planned to go to college, but that year at GFHS led to a scholarship. Rick attended Eastern Montana College, where he became a four-year starter at center and captain of the Yellowjackets his senior year. Rick’s family had no extra money, so he worked each winter quarter to earn money.

After four years at Eastern, Halmes worked, saved, got married, and enrolled at Montana State to finish his education degree and participate as a roper and bulldogger at MSU. Rick has a son, Cord, and a daughter, Brittany. He and Janet live back near his hometown of Belt, MT.

Tom Oberweiser - Incoming Chairman

Tom Oberweiser is a football “lifer” in Montana. Born in Anaconda, Tom was born on the night his father, Jack, was coaching the Anaconda Central Saints to a conference championship. In high school he played quarterback for Anaconda’s Copperheads. Tom’s brother, Jim, is a Hall of Fame Coach from Drummond where he won five state Championships with the Trojans. Tom is a retired football official of over 40-years’ experience, including 32 years as a high school official and 18 years at the college level.

He spent seven years in the Frontier Conference, twelve years in the Big Sky Conference, and officiated a dozen seasons of professional indoor football in Billings. He currently serves as a clinician and film evaluator for the Frontier Conference and has taught a class on football officiating at Rocky Mountain College in Billings for twenty-five years. Tom has been married to Pam (Dufner) Oberweiser of Glendive for forty-two years. They have three sons and eight grandchildren. Tom is a retired criminal investigations supervisor from the Montana Department of Justice where he specialized in Organized Sports Gambling investigations. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has spoken on the issue of illegal sports gambling across the country and in Canada.

Jim Hauck

Jim has been a MTFHOF board member and volunteer since 2019. He and his wife Carol have twin boys. He is a University of M graduate and has worked as a CPA in Billings for the last 30 years. Always a sports fan, Jim is passionate about watching Montana athletes advance to the professional level.

Ed Garding

Ed spent 44 years at First Interstate Bank, where he held several management positions, and retired as the CEO in 2016. He continued to represent First Interstate in as a part time Government Relations Officer until 2021.

Ed also served as the Interim Dean at the Montana State University Billings College of Business from 2018 through 2023. Ed is married to Becky and has four grown children and three grandchildren.

Bill Dolan

Bill has been on the MFHOF board since 2020. He is an East Helena native and played wide receiver for the University of Montana from 1978-1981. He graduated with a degree in physical therapy and has been practicing for 40 years, the last 30 at the Billings Clinic. He is married to Nikki and has two daughters, Shea and Ryan.