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Montana Football Hall inducting Hilliard

by Daily Inter Lake
| January 29, 2025 9:20 PM

The Montana Football Hall of Fame made it official Wednesday, announcing that Flathead High and Montana Grizzlies star Lex Hilliard will be inducted June 28 in Billings.

“Lex Hilliard of Kalispell, who starred at running back for the Flathead High School Braves under head coach Bob Applegate and later as an all-Big Sky runner for the Montana Grizzlies under coach Bobby Hauck, is one of six inductees to be enshrined into the Montana Football Hall of Fame at a banquet in Billings,” the release reads. 

Nominated by Colter Nuanez of skylinesportsmt.com, Hilliard set school records at both his alma maters ahead of a five-year NFL career, spending the first four with the Miami Dolphins.   

Miami selected the running back in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft after he ran for 4,018 yards and 40 touchdowns in his Grizzly career (2003-07).  

He missed the 2006 season with a torn Achilles and then ran for 1,134 yards and 16 TDs in 2007, earning all-Big Sky Conference and All-America honors.  

Hilliard was first-team all-Big Sky in 2004 and 2005 as well, and left as Montana’s No. 2 career rusher, and No. 1 in touchdowns scored (52) and carries (806). 

That came after he ran for 3,419 yards, had 4,410 all-purpose yards and scored 44 touchdowns with Flathead, all school records.  

In the NFL, Hilliard spent the 2008 season on Miami’s practice squad, then scored three touchdowns (two receiving) as a rookie in 2009 for the Dolphins. 

He played in 62 NFL games, including 12 with the New York Jets and two with the New England Patriots in 2012. 

The induction class also includes Kroy Biermann, Hilliard’s teammate from 2004-07; Pat Ogrin; Tom McMahon, Terry Falcon; and MSU great Joey Thomas.