Rusty Squire (2017) - Hall of Fame - Montana State University Athletics

Rusty Squire

Induction:
2017

   At first the seasoned-veteran and NCAA national champion wasn’t sure what to make of the kid from 2,500-miles away who came in ‘chewing gum faster than his mouth could move.’ But Montana State Hall of Famer Dan Brelsford quickly found out that Rusty Squire was a ferocious competitor and a skier that always had the ability to give a little more than anyone else.
   Brelsford, who was a senior during Squire’s freshman season, described the product of Waterville, Maine as a racehorse, that was especially fast in slalom. “He was like a puppy-dog. See stick, throw stick, get stick. He could haul-ass on the slopes and had no fear,” Brelsford laughed.
   Brelsford recalled one trip when just he and Squire were traveling through Wyoming on the way to a race. “He was driving my Bug on icy roads and in blizzard conditions. He was hugging the center line and was playing chicken with the oncoming semis,” Brelsford said. “His philosophy was that if we we’re going to get blown off the road, might as well be in the middle. He wasn’t fazed by much.”
   Squire was a three-time All-America performer for the Bobcats and he captured four of five NCAA West Regional slaloms in 1979. He went on to place fourth at the NCAA Championships in Steamboat Springs, Colo., the same season, and was fifth overall at the 1981 NCAA meet in Park City, Utah.
   “I remember people saying, ‘who is this kid?’ Brelsford “He adjusted so well to Montana and no one could beat him. He just always had another level.”
   After graduating with his degree in finance and economics, Squire continued to push the skiing boundaries.
Squire, who raced for Coach John Shampeny at MSU, became the first skier in history to ski more than 300,000 vertical feet in one day when he set a world record at Big Sky in 1998 making 220 runs by helicopter to raise money for Eagle Mount Big Sky Cancer Kids. An outstanding cyclist and tri-athlete, as well, Squire finished runner-up at the 1995 24-Hours of Aspen featured on ESPN. He was also runner-up at the 1985 World Iron Skier Championships.
   “Rusty was phenomenal and he went on to do a lot of stuff,” Brelsford said. “His induction into the Bobcat Hall of Fame is a culmination of his ability to go beyond the limits.”