Richards, Erickson among Big Sky Hall electees

FARMINGTON, Utah — The Big Sky Conference announced on Thursday its 2026 Hall of Fame class on Thursday, with Michael Ray Richardson and Dennis Erickson among the eight-member group.

Seven member institutions are represented by the class, which includes a pair of College Football Hall of Fame members: Erickson, who played quarterback at Montana State before his highly successful coaching career; and Frank Hawkins, a star running back at former Big Sky member Nevada. 

Also honored: Northern Arizona track and cross country coach Eric Heins; Weber State track and cross country standout Amber Henry; Eastern Washington volleyball coach Pam Parks; Idaho track standout Jackie Ross Mattox; Weber State basketball star Willie Sojourner. 

Both Richardson and Sojourner will be inducted posthumously. The induction ceremony will take place July 25, as part of the Big Sky Football Kickoff at Northern Quest Resort outside of Spokane.  

The Big Sky Hall of Fame now features 54 total members, with the first class being honored in 2022. The 2026 class was selected by a committee of 14 members, which included representative from all 10 full-time Big Sky institutions, as well as an additional athletic director, senior women’s administrator, a conference office representative and an at-large committee member among the group of 14 voters.  

Here are brief bios on each inductee: 

Michael “Sugar” Ray Richardson played basketball for Montana from 1974-78, and the 6-foot-5 guard helped the Grizzlies to an NCAA Tournament victory over Utah State as a freshman in 1975. He was the first three-time Big Sky First Team All-Conference selection for the Grizzlies, and set the program record for single-season scoring in 1977-78 with an average of 24.2 points per game. He averaged 19.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game during his collegiate career, and in 1978 he was drafted fourth overall to the New York Knicks, the highest pick ever by a Big Sky basketball player. Richardson passed away last November at age 70 in Lawton, Oklahoma. 

Dennis Erickson played and coached football in the Big Sky Conference, having suited up for  Montana State from 1966-68, leading the Bobcats to three-straight Big Sky titles, and coaching the Idaho Vandals from 1982-85 and again in 2006. He was first team All-Big Sky in both 1967 and 1968 at MSU, and two of his early Idaho teams won Big Sky titles. During Erickson’s illustrious career, he served as the head coach at Wyoming, Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona State as well as the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49er. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019 with a collegiate record of 179-96-1. 

Frank Hawkins played in the Big Sky Conference in 1979 and 1980, and was first team all-Big Sky both seasons. When he was done he was the NCAA’s third all-time rushing leader with 5,333 career yards. He rushed for 24 touchdowns for the Wolfpack, who in 1979 became the first Big Sky team to make the FCS playoffs. A member of the Super Bowl XVIII champion Oakland Raiders, Hawkins was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. His No. 27 is retired by Nevada. 

Eric Heins served as NAU’s head cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field coach from 2007-2016, and led the Lumberjacks to a Division I Cross Country National Championship title in 2016. It was the first non-football team in Big Sky Conference history to win a national championship. Now the cross country coach at Indiana, Heins’ NAU teams won 28 combined Big Sky titles.  

Amber Henry competed in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field for Weber State from 2010-14, and was a three-time All-American and 11-time Big Sky Champion for the Wildcats. She was a two-time All-American in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. 

Pam Parks worked at Eastern Washington University in some capacity across five different decades, but started as an incredibly successful volleyball coach, making three NCAA Tournament Appearances (1989 and 1998-99). Following the 1999 season, Parks moved into administration and served as the Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women’s Administrator for the Eagles, and worked in the athletic department until her retirement in 2018. 

Jackie Ross Mattox was a jumper for the track & field teams at Idaho from 1989-93 and by the end she was a 10-time Big Sky Conference champion. She was named Big Sky Outstanding Indoor Field Athlete in 1990, 1991 and 1992, and in 1991 she competed at the Indoor National Championships in triple jump. In 1987 she competed in long jump at the World Championships and won gold at the CARIFTA Games. In 1988 she was the first female Olympian for St. Vincent. 

Willie Sojourner played three seasons at Weber State and participated in the NCAA Tournament each season. In 1969 he led the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA Tournament wins, over Seattle and New Mexico State. The Philadelphia native, recruited to Weber State by legendary coach and fellow Big Sky Hall of Famer Dick Motta, still holds the Big Sky career rebounding record at 14.1 per game. He played four seasons in the ABA alongside Julius Erving, and for several more in Italy. He also placed third in the 1970 NCAA Men’s Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship with a high jump of 7 feet. Sojourner passed away in 2005 in a car accident in Rieti, Italy, and the arena of his former team Sebastiani in Rieti is named in Sojourner’s honor.