The ButteCast with Bill Foley

Cadence Graham did not want to move to Butte. It was hard to blame her, either. She was about to be an eighth grader in Belt. She was looking forward to continuing school and sports with her friends. But Montana Tech hired her father, Jeff, to coach the women’s basketball team, and the family moved to the Mining City in the summer of 2022. It turned out to be a very good move for Montana Tech, Cad...

Shawn Wetzel is the unofficial “Mayor of Montana.” The super-chill 6-foot-8 Wetzel loves everyone he has ever met, and those feelings are mostly mutual. That is why it was shocking that a youth basketball mom attacked Wetz at the Santa Slammer last month in Anaconda. Opening music by Tim Montana. For more from the Elk Park native, go to  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Mitch Verlanic was an All-State safety for the Butte High Bulldogs this past football season. Last week, he was picked to play for the West Side in the 2026 Montana East-West Shrine Game in Butte. He would be a steal if a college team took a chance on him, but so far, the coaches have not been calling. Montana Western did, but Mitch plans to be an engineer. I’ve been watching Butte High football f...

If we can learn anything from Butte High and Butte Central basketball over the decades, it is not to worry about the Maroons after a game with the Bulldogs. That goes the other way, too. For the boys and for the girls. When the Bulldogs play the Maroons, both sides get better. The Butte High-Butte Central rivalry is like playing a state championship game in the middle of the season. Or, in this ca...

Katie Verderber wore a uniform to represent our country when she served in the Army. In March, she will wear a different kind of Team USA uniform when she represents the United States in the Paralympic Games in Italy. She will compete in curling. The Valier, Montana native graduated from Montana Western before heading to Syracuse to earn a law degree. Then she enlisted in the Army to put that degr...

Guys like James Cox Kennedy are trying to steal Montana. It is time to join my cousin Justin and fight back before it is too late. Otherwise, we will all have a bunch of guns — thanks the Second Amendment — but with nothing to shoot at and nowhere to shoot them. The mountains and streams will be reserved for those who can afford them. That is why we all must speak out. We must  boycott the compani...

Gary Kane is known as being one of the best — if not the best — basketball players the Mining City has ever produced. The 1989 Butte High graduate is known for his clutch shots and big victories for the Bulldogs. He is known for his great freshman season at the University of Montana, helping lead the Grizzlies to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years in 1991. He is known for that tour...

If only every football color commentator was like Ron Hasquet, who calls Montana Tech games on YouTube with Paul Panisko, we would not have to find the mute buttons on our remote controls. Opening music by Tim Montana. For more from the Elk Park native, go to  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠timmontana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Dan McLaughlin is a long-time football coach who spent 15 years as the head coach at Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. The Sheridan, Montana native retired from the NCAA Division II school as the program’s leader in wins. That career came after a long run as a high school coach and several stops as a college assistant. That includes a short stop as an assistant at the University of Nebraska,...

Bridger Chambers is a native of Stevensville, but we are doing our best to claim him hear in the Mining City.  He is a world-class cowboy who made two appearances in the National Finals Rodeo, making folks in his home state proud from Eureka to Ekalaka.  Bridger was a three-sport star at Stevensville High School, and his favorite sport was usually the one that was in season. But he fell in love wi...

In 2015, Dylan Cook’s high school football season ended when he suffered a broken collarbone in the first quarter of Butte High’s first game.  While that might have led to the death of his career at quarterback, it might also have led him to the offensive line with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sunday, he took his first NFL snaps as the Steelers went on the road to beat the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC N...

The Knights of Columbus building is in the heart and soul of Uptown Butte. It is the place where kids and adults play basketball and work out. It is a place to celebrate and mourn. It is a place where we can learn about Butte sports history and maybe find a photo of your parents or grandparents when they were athletes. It is a place where hungry people can get a free lunch every Tuesday and Thursd...

You will never find someone who cares more about and does more for his hometown than Blake Hempstead.  Blake is all about Anaconda and the Anaconda Copperheads. He announces the Copperheads sporting events and writes about them on his website, CopperheadCountry.org , and he produces Copperhead apparel at his store, Anode Designs .  While they are looking to sell their business, Blake and Melissa H...

The late handball player Rocky Williams taught us that we should praise and respect our opponents. In college football, particularly when the Bobcats play the Grizzlies, we see the opposite.  College athletes work so hard at their craft. They dedicate their lives to it. So, while we do not have to like the team they play for, we should always respect the players who put it all on the line so we ca...

Linda (Lyons) Paull is a member of not one, not two, but three sports halls of fame. The 1976 Butte High graduate was inducted into the Montana Coaches Hall of Fame in 2018, the Helena Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. She is also one of the distinguished coaches whose name hangs on the wall in the Coaches Corner at the Metals Sports Bar & Grill. Linda was...

On Nov. 13, the great Skyla Sisco passed away after a six-year battle with breast cancer. She will be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Lady Griz uniform. She will be remembered for her incredible desire to win. She will be remembered by her friends as an amazingly kind person, and she will be remembered by media members for the honesty in her quotes.  Skyla will be remember...

Jon Wick was the star of episode No. 81 of the ButteCast. In that episode, we discussed Jon’s Wisconsin roots and how he is even more badass than the John Wick played by Keanu Reeves in the movies. Our Jon Wick does not need an H to spell his first name. Today, we talk about Jon the small-business owner. Along with his wife, Cassie, Jon owns and operates 5518 Designs on Main Street. A few years ag...

Montana Tech’s football team completed its first perfect regular season Saturday with a 41-0 win over Valley City State on the Bob Green Field. Coach Kyle Samson’s 11-0 Orediggers are the No. 3 seed in the NAIA Football Championship Series, which is a fancy way of saying “playoffs.” Tech earned a first-round bye for the playoffs, which start this weekend. Samson was hired as the head coach of the...

If you take a walk or drive around Uptown Butte, either through the neighborhoods or business district, you will notice so much great architecture and history. One of the reasons we still have so much of that to feast our eyes is thanks to the work of Mary McCormick. Mary moved here from Nebraska in 1985, and immediately fell in love with Butte, its history and architecture. In 2015, Butte-Silver...

Montana’s 90-day transfer rule in high school is sill and out of date. It is time to put an end to it and stop punishing student-athletes. Opening music by Tim Montana. For more from the Elk Park native, go to  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠timmontana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Tim Montana grew up in a trailer in Elk Park dreaming of being hillbilly rich.  While he probably has not accomplished that goal just yet, Tim is getting bigger all the time. His last album, “Savage,” was a huge hit. His song “The Devil You Know” reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart.  The beauty of that album is that Tim says he made it as kind of a middle finger to the...

Today’s podcast guest in a true Oredigger legend in more ways than one. Bryan Larson came to Butte in 1992 from Gillette, Wyoming, where he was an All-State football player on offense and defense. He played defensive end at Montana Tech, wearing No. 89. At Tech, Bryan was a two-time team captain and an All-American player. The Ed Simonich Award winner helped lead the Orediggers to a berth in the 1...

George Carlin once said, “Life is a series of dogs.” He was not talking about cloning a dog, like Tom Brady recently did. The next time your best friend breaks your heart by crossing the Rainbow Bridge, do not be like Brady. Save the scientists for important work and head down to the nearest animal shelter to continue the series of dogs. If you do, your heart will be filled with love. Opening musi...

For the 300th episode of the ButteCast, we have one of the greatest sports success stories in Mining City history. Erin Popovich was born with Achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that causes abnormal bone growth, resulting in short stature and disproportionately short limbs. Most of us know that as dwarfism. While that might have kept Erin off the basketball team, it did not stop her from reaching...

It isn’t just the Friday nights and the wins and losses that bind high school football teammates together. It’s the practices, the film room and the early mornings lifting weights that build a team. It’s the unity, the togetherness. It is the daring to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. That goes for all team sports, but it goes at least double for football. I quit football after...