He hasn’t been back in over 30 years, but when Steve Housler heads to Butte, Montana later this week all of the memories from his stellar football career will come rushing back.
The Bradford native is set to be inducted into the 2018 Montana Tech Football Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Saturday evening.
Along with his individual recognition, Housler’s entire 1979 Montana Tech team will be inducted to the 2018 class to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their Frontier Conference title.
“It was a real, real surprise and I had no idea that anything like this was coming,” Housler said. “It’s a real honor and I’m really humbled. I’m excited and we’re going out there and I’m going to see a lot of the guys that I played with and it’s just exciting for me.”
Housler’s numbers with the Orediggers speak for themselves: 2,230 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns and an average of 5.1 yards per carry. He was rewarded for his play as a Kodak All-American honorable mention in 1979 and was named to the first-team in 1980.
“A lot of it is about your teammates,” he said. “You have 11 guys out there and for me to be successful, those other guys have to be out there working as hard as I am.”
Longtime area football fans will remember Housler for his sensational high school career at Bradford. The 1975 graduate rushed for over 1,000 yards in three straight seasons, including 1,400 his senior year. Housler’s accolades earned him a roster spot in the second annual Big 30 game in 1975 — where Housler still remembers the finish to that contest in vivid detail.
“It was quite a game, very high scoring,” Housler said. “We had the ball on the last drive and we were on the two-yard line. The coaches called a sweep to me but our quarterback was so excited that he thought it was a quick pitch. I was lined up in the backfield with Matt Grimone (Cameron County). He pitched it and it went off (Grimone’s) back. I tried to pick it up and get in but they tackled me at the one-yard line. Had I gotten the pitch we would have easily scored and won the game.”
Housler and Grimone shared Big 30 Player of the Year honors in 1975.
With participation in area football diminishing in recent years, Housler admits that he was lucky enough to play during a time where many talented local players came out of the area, something he says helped him have the success he did in college.
“There was some good talent there and it really makes you work hard and to improve and better yourself,” he said. “You’re in there competing and you want to be the best you can, so you are going to work hard to get where you’re at.”
After graduating from Bradford, Housler spent the first two years of college at Lock Haven before transferring the nearly 2,000 miles to Montana Tech. That move not only sparked Housler’s individual career, but it also helped produce some of the best teams in Oredigger history. The 1979 team that will be honored this weekend went 5-2-1 that included a 46-8 victory over current Division I program Eastern Washington.
Housler ended up in Butte when his head coach at Lock Haven, Bill Connors, took the coaching job at Montana Tech. He convinced Housler and Jim Patelis (who will also be inducted to this year’s HOF class) to join him, and the winning began shortly thereafter.
“Bill asked if we wanted to go out there and transfer and we did,” Housler remembered. “It was quite an adventure at first, to be honest, but once we got there, got settled in and met some of the other guys on the team and they welcomed us it worked out real well.”
One of Housler’s fondest college memories is playing against Carroll College. Not only was the Helena, Montana school the Orediggers’ rival, but it also featured a familiar football family. Carroll’s coach during those two seasons was Bob Petrino. Bob’s son, Bobby, was the team’s starting quarterback and has gone on to have several coaching stints in the pros and college ranks including his current stop in Louisville.
“It’s always exciting to see what Bobby is up to these days,” Housler said. “He went on to be a pretty good coach, even if he did screw up some. We actually played them for the conference championship and beat them. That was a real exciting moment for us.”
After college, Housler came back to the area and currently lives part-time in Bradford. He works at the American Eagle Paper Mill in Tyrone, but comes back north on the weekends. And, yes, you can still find Housler at Bradford football games. He attended the Owls’ home opener against St. Marys earlier this month.
“I’m pretty much a casual observer,” Housler said with a laugh. “I may say something to one of the guys that I’m with that maybe we should throw this pass or look for the tight end down the middle like (New England tight end Rob Gronkowski). But I don’t scream or holler, I’m pretty quiet.”
As he gets ready to reconnect with teammates and friends he hasn’t seen in nearly 30 years, Housler can’t help but be grateful for all of those that have helped him on his football journey.
“I’ve talked with Patelis and he told me there are going to be a lot of guys coming out there, so it’s going to be pretty exciting,” he said. “You just don’t get an honor like this by yourself. It’s the help of a lot of people. Support from my wife and my family. To me, it’s an honor that everybody is sharing in so it’s really nice to receive it.”
