Stevensville Hall of Famers inducted

The Stevensville Yellowjacket Hall of Fame held their 2024-2025 Induction and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, February 1 at the St. Mary’s Family Center. There was also a live auction and silent auction hosted by the STARS foundation to raise funds towards new tennis courts and track improvements. 

Induction into the Stevensville Yellowjacket Hall of Fame is reserved for individuals and teams who have significantly contributed to Stevensville High School, accomplished extraordinary feats in extra/co-curricular activities at Stevensville High School, and to acknowledge Stevensville High School graduates who have distinguished themselves in life after high school. 

The following are the 2024-2025 inductees: Ted Ray, Dr. Fred Costello, Billy Wark, Tom Tucker, Mike Goicoechea, Ralph Serrette, Firman Ray, and Kim Anderson. Below are their biographies. 

Billy competed in basketball, football and American Legion Baseball while attending Stevensville High School. He was an All-Conference and All-State selection for both basketball and football his senior year along with being selected to play in the annual East-West Shrine football game. He helped lead the American Legion Bitterroot Bucs to three state titles in four years. Billy was a four-year starting pitcher for Whitworth College and earned an All-Conference selection his senior season. Billy holds the school record for most complete games in a season. Billy was Head Coach for the Bitterroot Bucs and led them to back-to-back state tournament appearances. Billy went on to be the pitching coach at both Whitworth University and George Fox University after graduating. He also coached high school cross-country. Billy has three children, sons Declan, Owen, and daughter Kinsey. 

Firman was a multi-sport athlete. He lettered in football, basketball, and track, earning First Team All-Conference and All-State honors in football and was selected to play in the East-West Shrine All-Star game. Beyond sports, Firman served as SHS’s student council president and vice president of the Western Montana Student Council. He graduated as the salutatorian of his class, named an Academic All-American, and received the DAR Citizenship Award. After graduating from high school, Firman attended the University of Montana. There, he excelled in the school’s ROTC program, earning the distinction of Distinguished Military Graduate. Upon graduation, Firman was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Firman was Platoon Leader of the Quick Reaction Force that spearheaded the rescue of a downed Black Hawk crew in the embattled streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. This earned him the prestigious Silver Star. Firman is a survivor of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Firman went on to have a successful 30-year career in the Army, retiring in 2021 as a Colonel. 

Ralph Serrette played for the University of Montana men’s soccer team and earned a bachelor’s degree in  botany.  It was there that Ralph further developed his love for soccer with the men’s soccer team, boasting wins over Pacific Lutheran and Gonzaga University and winning the Northwest Intercollegiate Soccer League in 1972. Ralph was also a highly respected and skilled soccer referee and blessed the entire state with his skills. Ralph created the Yellowjackets soccer team and led it for the rest of his life, over 30 years. Serrette also founded and led the Stevensville Sabres Club, a local youth soccer program, for 31 years. The U.S. Army veteran and Trinidad native left a culture of soccer in the Bitterroot Valley that spans generations. Through a career of coaching, playing and refereeing, Serrette became well known and beloved in the Bitterroot Valley and beyond. He donated countless hours and sometimes his own funds to the maintenance of the famous Stevensville Soccer complex, known for having the best grass in the state. Ralph loved his athletes and they loved him, affectionately referring to him as their “Trinidaddy.”

Kim was a four-year letterman in basketball, receiving All-Conference and All-State honors his junior and senior years, and the Yellowjackets earned berths to the state tournament his junior and senior years.  In track, Kim was state champion in the triple jump, setting a new state Class B record in that event. Kim began his college basketball and track career at Western Montana College, but transferred to Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho at semester of his freshman year, to then return to Western Montana College for his junior and senior years, competing in both basketball and track. As a junior, he won the long jump and triple jump at the conference track meet. As a senior Kim was awarded the Maier Miller Scholarship. After graduation Kim and his family moved back to the Bitterroot to begin his teaching and coaching career. He taught at Lone Rock and Victor, while coaching and becoming athletic director. Kim earned his counseling endorsement and later his Master’s Degree from Montana State University in Education Administration. Kim was High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Hardin High School, Assistant Principal at Whitefish Elementary and Middle School, Principal at Whitefish Middle School, and Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Sheridan Junior High School in Sheridan, Wyoming, rounding out his 41 years in education.  

Michael was on the All-Conference and All State teams for football his junior and senior years and the All-Conference and All-State teams for basketball his sophomore, junior and senior year. He was selected to play in the 1990 East-West Shrine Game. Michael walked on at the University of Montana for football in 1990. He was selected as one of the Scout Team Players of the Year in December of 1990. He was the starting strong safety, defensive signal caller, and captain on several special teams in 1993 and 1994, helping the Grizzlies win the Big Sky Conference in 1993 and make it to the Division I-AA Semifinals in 1994. At the conclusion of his senior year, he was awarded the Tony Barbour Award for work ethic and character that most exemplifies Grizzly Football. Following college, he was a teacher and coach at Gooding High School in Southern Idaho.  In 1997, Michael returned to Stevensville where he was a teacher/coach (Football, Basketball and Track) until the summer of 2000. Michael then pursued a career with the USFS as a Missoula Smokejumper and worked in Fire Management and Leadership. Michael currently serves as the Defensive Coordinator for the Glacier Wolfpack Freshman Football Team.   

Ted Ray’s time at Stevensville High School was marked by achievements in football, basketball, and track. Ted earned All-Conference and All-State honors in football during both his junior and senior years. Ted was a three-year starter in basketball. Ted claimed the state championship in the 400m in both his junior and senior seasons, while also anchoring the 4x400m relay team to a state title in his final year. He placed third in the 100m and 200m events at the state championships in his senior season. Ted served as captain of the football, basketball, and track teams. He also graduated in the top five of his class, was a member of the National Honor Society, and was honored to serve as president of his junior class. He competed for University of Montana in both football and track from 1982 to 1986. In football, he earned four letters, receiving All-Conference honors in his junior and senior years, and was named conference player of the week. His senior year brought even greater recognition, as he was selected as a preseason All-American and was later chosen by the Washington Commanders in the 1986 NFL Draft. In track, Ted also earned four letters, contributing to a 4x400m relay team that set a school record. Ted had a 15 year career in  financial IT banking. Alongside his wife, Robin, Ted co-founded several Goddard School franchises in Atlanta and Orlando, where their shared vision for education and community building took root. Their commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond business. Ted and Robin have been deeply involved in charitable efforts, supporting causes such as cystic fibrosis research, breast cancer awareness, and diabetes advocacy within the Atlanta community. Additionally, they have sponsored teacher sabbaticals to underdeveloped countries, further demonstrating their dedication to giving back and making a difference in the lives of others.

Tom was involved in football, basketball and golf while at Stevensville High School. He was on the All-Conference team for football and the All-Conference and All-State teams for basketball his senior year.  The football team fell to the conference champions by only 2 points, while the basketball team started 19-0 and finished with a trip to the state tournament. Tom played basketball and golf for the Western Montana Bulldogs for three and four years respectively. Tom was elected Student Body President during his sophomore year and received the Phi-Delta-Kappa ‘Man of the Year’ award. Tom taught and coached at Hamilton High School for seven years. Tom taught at the University of Arizona for four years before moving back to Billings, Montana to start his software company that would grow into an international company. He guided the Montana Board of Horse Racing. He received the “Heritage Award” from the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame for his work in “Preserving the Western Heritage” in Montana. Tom currently serves as the Chairman of the Finance and Investment Committee for the University of Montana Western Foundation where they just completed building a football stadium on campus in Dillon.

Fred participated in football, basketball and track while at Stevensville High School. He was an All-Conference running back during his senior year and was an Academic All State while playing sports. Fred played one season of football for Montana State University. He graduated from the University of Montana in 1994 with a degree in Microbiology. Following graduation, he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark where he performed research at a veterinary university for two years. Fred attended medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated in 2001. Fred completed his three-year Internal Medicine residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He remained at UNC for an additional three-year Cardiology Fellowship and finally finished training with an Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at UNC in 2008. He began work at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center as an Interventional Cardiologist. During his time at St. Luke’s, Fred was a leader as the head of the Cardiovascular Quality board and as President of the Cardiology group of 20 physicians. In May 2023, Fred left St. Luke’s Hospital to start an independent cardiology practice in Boise with three other like-minded cardiologists. They formed High Desert Heart & Vascular and established a new Cardiovascular division at Treasure Valley Hospital with two cardiac catheterization labs and a Cardiology care unit. Fred has a wife Amy, a daughter Paige and a son Peter.