BUTTE -- Montana Technological University and director of athletics Matt Stepan are honored to announce the members of the Montana Tech Hall of Fame Class of 2026. 

The Orediggers will be welcoming six people and one team into the Hall this autumn. Two individuals will be joining the class, along with one inductee in the legacy category, one coach, and two contributors. The class will be inducted at a ceremony Friday, September 18. Inductees will also be recognized at Montana Tech's home football game versus Southern Oregon the following afternoon. 

Let's meet the class of 2026: 

Individuals 
Adam Cotton '06, football 
Cotton starred in all facets of the game over his four years with the Orediggers, filling roles at running back, strong safety, punter, long snapper, kicker, and return specialist throughout his career. The Cascade native was a first-team All-Frontier Conference selection at running back as a freshman in 2002 and twice at safety in 2004 and 2005, earning second-team All-America honors as a senior. He had nine interceptions in his career, including six in 2005, a mark that ranks sixth all-time at Montana Tech. 

Shawn Huse '95, men's basketball 
Huse, the 1994-95 Frontier Conference player of the year, ranks eighth on the Orediggers' all-time scoring list with 1,389 points. His 283 career 3-pointers are the second-most in Tech history. A two-time all-conference performer, Huse went on to a successful coaching career after his playing days. The Missoula native is entering his 25th season as the head coach at Montana State University-Northern. He is the Lights' all-time winningest coach with 455 career victories, including Frontier titles in 2011 and 2012. He was the Frontier's coach of the year in 2008. 

Legacy 
Mavis (Mollberg) Bentley '83, volleyball 
A three-time all-conference selection and three-year team captain for the Orediggers' fledgling volleyball program, Bentley led Montana Tech to its first-ever Frontier Conference championship in the sport in 1981. It was Tech's first championship in a women's sport. That season, Bentley recorded more than 600 assists as the team's setter and led the Orediggers to their first-ever Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Region IX tournament. 

Coach
Ron Richards, football 
The Butte native returned to his hometown in 1985 to be the Orediggers' offensive coordinator and spent 12 seasons engineering some of the most explosive offenses in the program's storied history. Under Richards' direction, Montana Tech won two Frontier Conference titles (1992, 1996) and qualified for the NAIA postseason three times, including the program's only national-championship appearance to date in 1996. Richards, who starred on the gridiron at University of Montana, also made coaching stops at South Dakota Mines and Montana before a long tenure as a high school athletic director in Oregon. 

Contributors
Marilyn Tobin '88 '15
Tobin's connection to Montana Tech spans decades as a student-athlete, coach, professor, official, and alumna. A standout setter for the Orediggers, Tobin still holds school records for assists in a match (73) and a single season (1,278). She went on to serve as Montana Tech's head volleyball coach for 22 seasons, winning more than 300 matches and leading the Orediggers to five regional postseason appearances. Originally from Wyoming, Tobin also served as a professor at Montana Tech and has remained involved in the sport as a Frontier Conference volleyball official for the past decade. Following her coaching career, Tobin returned to Montana Tech as a student and earned her nursing degree in 2015, further reflecting her lifelong commitment to the university.

Josh Vincent '98
Vincent's impact on Montana Tech Athletics has been defined by decades of unwavering leadership and service to the department. A steadfast advocate for Oredigger Athletics, Vincent was a founding member of the Touchdown Club and served for more than 20 years as president of the Digger Athletic Association, helping guide the organization's growth while championing the success of Montana Tech student-athletes. Today, he continues that commitment as chairman of the Montana Tech Foundation Board of Directors. A Butte High graduate, Vincent starred at fullback for the Orediggers and helped lead Montana Tech to its first and, so far, only NAIA national championship appearance in 1996.

Team 
2015 Football 
The Frontier Conference champions played to a 10-2 record under head coach Chuck Morrell, winning the program's 12th conference title in the sport, a vast improvement from a one-win season the year prior. The team reached as high as No. 5 in the NAIA coaches' top 25 poll during the season and defeated five ranked opponents, including an upset of No. 1 Southern Oregon, two regular-season victories over No. 4 Carroll, and a win over No. 10 Montana Western. Tech then defeated No. 18-ranked Dickinson State in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series to reach the national quarterfinals. The team had 10 All-Frontier Conference selections, including offensive player of the year Nolan Saracini. On defense, the Orediggers led the Frontier in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed, sacks, and opponents' fourth-down conversion percentage. 

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