Shows / The ButteCast with Bill Foley
The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Let's get to know some of the characters who make Butte, Montana the "Richest Hill on Earth."
Episodes
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 56: Richie O'Brien
Richie O'Brien has been through a lot in his life. In high school he lost his father and battled a form of bone cancer. As a police officer in Butte-Silver Bow…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Adam Hiatt
It turns out Montana Tech men's basketball coach Adam Hiatt was not crazy when he said the 2022-23 Orediggers would be really good. Today's bonus podcast is…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 55: Scott Ferguson
He could be a heel in the WWE, but he is one of the best basketball players in Butte history. In 1986, Scott Ferguson was named Montana's first Gatorade Award…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 54: Jackie (Street) McKenna
Jackie (Street) McKenna was an outstanding track athlete for Butte High School. She was a key piece for the Bulldogs as Butte High shared the Class AA State…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 53: Dylan Cook
Dylan Cook spent the 2022 NFL season on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is an offensive lineman. The 2016 Butte High graduate sure came a…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Dougie and "Jumping' Joe"
Dougie Peoples passed "Jumpin'" Joe Kelly to become the highest scoring boys' basketball player in Butte history. Nobody would have enjoyed that more than Pat…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 52: Connie Kenney
Connie Kenney is a true Butte icon. Her voice on the radio told us something important was happening. Her work at the Chamber of Commerce helped turn Butte…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 51: Dr. Kellee Glaus
Dr. Kellee Glaus is one of Butte's newest family practice physicians. Before she came to town, she was one of Montana's all-time great track & field jumpers…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 50: Mike Thatcher
Mike Thatcher is the Bob Uecker of the Mining City. Whether he is talking about his athletic career or his overall smarts, Mike always delivers a…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Skyla Sisco
In the 1990s, Skyla Sisco was my favorite player for the Lady Griz. All these years later, she still is. Join Skyla's team as she battles late-stage breast…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 49: Honoring Brother McCormack
Brother Patrick "Dunk" McCormack is a beloved former teacher and coach at Butte Central. Brother McCormack is well into his 90s, some of Brother McCormack's…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 48: Fritz Daily
Fritz Daily has long been Butte's biggest supporter and Butte's biggest cheerleader. Simply put, he loves Butte as much or more than anyone who ever called the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 47: The 'Iceman,' Chris Tippett
Chris Tippett is known as the "Iceman." He is also known to give 100 percent on everything. That probably goes double when Butte's Forrest Gump is out running…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Brooke Badovinac
Butte Central senior Brooke Badovinac teaches us a valuable lesson. Never leave a game before it is over. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by Park…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 46: Rob O'Neill
Rob O'Neill is the Butte native and former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in the forehead. Thrice. I knew Rob long before he was a war hero who hangs out…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 45: John 'Harp' Cote
John "Harp" Cote will turn 100 years old in October. He is one of the greatest of the "Greatest Generation." Harp served in the Navy in World War II. He ran a…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 44: Riley (Kenney) Ungaretti
Riley (Kenney) Ungaretti was a three-sport star for the Polson Pirates before she went to the University of Montana in Missoula and eventually moved to Butte…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 43: Bill Rundle
Bill Rundle started working with Evel Knievel when he was just 14 years old. He worked as the crew chief for Robbie Knievel for 35 years. When Robbie had a…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Robbie Knievel
I saw Robbie Knievel jump Jack Ferriter's El Camino in Butte's 1979 Fourth of July parade. I was mesmerized by him ever since. "The Kaptain" passed away after…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 42: Rick Sparks
Rick Sparks is a Butte Central coaching legend. Before that, he was a Butte High Bulldog. "Sparky," as he is affectionately called, was an All-State center for…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 41: Blake Hempstead
Blake Hempstead has been the voice of the Anaconda Copperheads for more than two decades. He has also been the Smelter City's biggest defender and supporter…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Damar Hamlin
If there is a silver lining to the Damar Hamlin scare, it is that maybe some people will start to see the human being inside the uniform. Today's bonus podcast…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 40: Bernie Boyle
Bernie Boyle is the man behind the MAC and the Knights of Columbus. Listen in as Bernie discusses his love affair with the KC and all the great things the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 39: Shawn Wetzel
Shawn Wetzel is the unofficial mayor of Montana. That should probably become an official title. Listen in as the sixth generation Montanan talks about his…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Kevin Dennehy
Kevin Denny left us too soon on Christmas Day. That loss will be felt in the Mining City for decades to come. Listen in for a nod to the great James "Gus"…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 38: Father Patrick Beretta
Father Patrick Beretta was born and raised in Paris. He was educated in France, Ireland and Italy. He also owned fine-dining restaurants in Southern…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 37: Tommy Mellott
You might know him as "Touchdown Tommy," but Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott is about so much more than scoring touchdowns. Listen in as one of the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light 2022
Dougie Peoples' huge performances in the Class A State championship game is the story of the year. But it had some competition. Today's bonus podcast is…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 36: Meg Murphy
Whether you are talking about an athlete or a coach, nobody was better than Meg Murphy when it comes to girls' and women's sports in the Mining City. She was…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Big Sandy Coach Thomas Dilworth
Thomas Dilworth, a boys' basketball coach in Big Sandy, Montana was apparently sidelined because he shared his story about battling mental illness and…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 35: Tom O'Neill
A longtime radio man and musician in the Mining City, Tom O'Neill is also the older brother of world-famous former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill. Known affectionately…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 34: Sheriff Lester
Sheriff Ed Lester has been working in law enforcement in Butte for 33 years, the last 10 of which he has served as sheriff. Listen in as the 1984 Butte Central…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 33: Luke Powers
Luke Powers is entering his third year as the head coach of the Belgrade boys' basketball program. The 2002 Butte High graduate also coached four seasons at…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light new referees
As of about three weeks ago, I am a member of the Montana Officials Association to referee basketball. I have to say, so far I am having a blast. Today's bonus…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 32: Jim Street
Coach Jim Street is a true Butte legend. He led the Bulldogs to 15 Class AA State titles in wrestling. That includes 13 straight from 1980 through 1992. Coach…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 31: Johnny Robbins
Johnny Robbins is the new owner of Butte Sports. The Butte native is jumping into the new gig with some great enthusiasm. Listen in as Robbins talks about his…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: An assist from Tommy
Growing an audience is hard. Unless you write about Tommy Mellott. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by Park Street Liquors. Make your story legendary…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 30: Jake Larson
Jake Larson was one of the great athletes Butte has ever produced. He also had the reputation of being a bit of a problem child. Listen in as Jake talks about…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Sonny Holland
Legendary Montana State football coach and all-around nice guy Sonny Holland passed away Saturday night at the age of 84. Here is a column I wrote about the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 29: Bruce Sayler
Bruce Sayler has been covering sports as a writer for 50 years, with all but a few of them coming in the Mining City. He is a Missoula native, but he has lived…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 28: Deann Johnson
Deann Johnson is universally known as D.J. She was a star basketball player at Butte High and Montana Tech, and she was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Cats and Griz
Tommy Mellott's words following Cat-Griz game were so much more than sportsmanship. They were sounding an alarm. Today's bonus podcast is brought to you by…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 27: Tom Roberts
Tom Roberts was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. He was an outstanding athlete, who was a standout in track at Butte High, Montana Tech and…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 26: Arie Grey
Arie Grey has been the head football coach at Butte High for the past 15 seasons. He led the Bulldogs to the Class AA State title in 2012. He also coaches the…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Special Olympics
After refereeing the Montana Special Olympics State Games Basketball tournament, I have a new favorite player. His name is Kip, and he is awesome. Today's…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 25: Tom LeProwse
Tom LeProwse, who became Butte High's 13th Diamond B in 2019, passed away at the age of 94 in May. This interview was record in September of 2019, about a…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Garrison Courtney
Thanks to the documentary series "American Greed" on CNBC, Garrison Courtney is a well-known conman. He bilked defense contractors out of more than $4 million…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 24: Dr. Nick DiGiovine
Dr. Nick DiGiovine is a Pennsylvania native who has been practicing as an orthopedic surgeon in Butte for more than a quarter of a century. The former Notre…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Marcus Miller Oredigger Killer
The Marcus Miller Oredigger Killer Game was the craziest football game I ever covered in all my years as a sportswriter. Montana Tech dominated the state…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 23: Bob Green
It's been 12 years since Bob Green retired as the head coach of the Montana Tech football team. He is still synonymous with Oredigger football. He always will…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 22: Brodie Kelly
Next month, Brodie Kelly will begin his 19th season as head coach of the Butte Central boys' basketball team. The only high school coach to win more games in…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Packers fans
Just as it appears that the Chicago Bears fans might finally be emerging from a 30-year run in Football Hell, Green Bay Packers fans are spiraling down into…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 21: Jesse Laslovich
Jesse Laslovich was sworn in as United States Attorney for the District of Montana earlier this year. His confirmation came even after he called the fifth foul…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light sports officials
Yelling at officials is usually a waste of time that only makes you look like an idiot. Also, you should consider signing up to be an official. They are going…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 20: Hattie Thatcher
Hattie Thatcher is the first Thatcher to appear on the ButteCast. She will not be the last. Hattie was a standout athlete in volleyball, basketball and…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 19: Kellie Johnson-Mead
To this day, she is simply known by her initials, KJ. Kellie Johnson-Mead was a superstar in basketball, volleyball and softball at Butte Central before taking…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 18: Mike Anderson
After 44 years as a basketball official, Mike Anderson is hanging up the whistle. Well, kind of. He will still work some junior high games to help train…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light Arch Ecker
Arch Ecker, aka "The Archean," was a larger-than-life character who left his mark in his 16 years in the Mining City. He left his mark everywhere he called…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Tap 'er Light: Jethro Bodine and gun control
I live down the street from a real-life feud. It is Hatfield vs. McCoy level feud, and it worries neighbors and police that it could escalate into some real…
- The ButteCast with Bill Foley
Podcast No. 17 John Emeigh
John Emeigh is known as "Mr. Butte," the upbeat KXLF TV reporter who always seems to have fun. KXLF views feel like they know John, and the cool thing is that…