The Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame banquet returns to Billings this June as the event marks its 10th year and honors the 2026 class.

The induction ceremony was set for Saturday, June 27 at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. The hall said this year’s class included eight inductees: Rick Halmes, Rick Ogle, Tony Bodie, Brock Coyle, Ron Heller, Timm Rosenbach, Andre Patterson and Ed Cummings.

The banquet has grown into a gathering that highlights former Montana players, coaches and scouts who reached pro football. The event’s president, Tom Oberweiser, said that success has continued even after early questions about how the idea would be received.

“So proud of our Montana kids,” he said. “Some years ago, I think it was the draft when Shann Schillinger went in, I made a comment on social media that hey, pay attention Grizzly and Bobcat coaches because all these kids that are in the NFL from Montana schools are from small Montana schools.”

The story of Montana football often starts in small towns and continues through college and into the NFL, highlighted by players like Chase Reynolds of Drummond, Marc Mariani of Havre and Shann Schillinger of Baker.

Class of 2017 inductee Tim Hauck said the annual event gave people across Montana football a chance to reconnect and meet others whose careers they had followed.

“It is really cool what they have put together here with Rick Halmes and his staff,” said Hauck. “You get to see and talk to guys that you either know from their athletic days or football days or guys you have heard about and have not met before and you are fired up to meet them and have a conversation,” said Tim Hauck, a 14-year NFL veteran.

Hauck, a Big Timber native, earned All-American honors at Montana before spending 14 years in the NFL.

The selection process has only gotten tougher as more Montana athletes have continued to stand out, as the accomplished list of HOF members now nears 100.

“We have got so many great athletes in the pool right now. You are right, we are never going to run out, I think some people were concerned we were going to run out of athletes, we are never going to run out of athletes, I will be died from old age long before that,” said Oberweiser.

“I think Montana is starting to get its notoriety, and for some reason the Hall of Fame has not hurt that but has only helped that. As coaches we would get calls all the time from guys we would know that say, we love Montana guys, who do you got,” said Hauck.