Three with Glasgow Ties Elected into Montana Coaches Association Hall of Fame

A trio of both current and former Glaswegians was elected to the Montana Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame on July 30 in Great Falls.

Paul Barta, John LaBonty, and Rollie Sullivan were among the Hall’s five-man class of 2015; each received a commemorative plaque celebrating his long-term commitment to the state’s youth athletics. Separate picture plaques depicting each coach will be placed on permanent display in the Montana State University Fieldhouse.

LaBonty served Glasgow High School for 34 years in a variety of roles. Most notably, he coached the school’s track & field and volleyball teams to a combined 20 district championships, 11 divisional championships, and four state titles – two apiece in each sport. This not to mention three third-place finishes and two runner-up trophies. LaBonty is a five-time winner of the MCA’s Coach of the Year honor.

Before settling in Columbus and racking up a combined 757 victories between his dual duty as girls’ and boys’ basketball coach, Barta spent five years in Glasgow. He is a nine-time nominee for MCA’s Coach of the Year, and has 37 years of coaching experience in the Big Sky state.

Though never a Glasgow High School coach, Sullivan has local ties to the town. A 33-year veteran in youth athletics, Sullivan spent a total of 28 years as head basketball coach in Outlook, Frenchtown, Circle, and Sidney. His stint at the latter lasted 23 years; during that time his team notched 389 wins, three state championships, one second place, and one third place trophy. In his three seasons as a girls’ coach, his teams went a combined 62-16. Sullivan is a three-time winner of the MCA Coach of the Year.

The other two inductees were Bret Thompson of Charlo and Dustin Gordon of Fairfield. The ceremony was held at Great Falls High School.