It's my honor to say, congrats on the Northern Hall of Fame Kyle and Marc Samson

The words Hall of Fame are special. They’re meaningful, whether it’s the NFL or Chinook High School, if you’re name is associated with the words Hall of Fame, it’s extremely special, and it’s an honor.

Getting into the Montana State University-Northern Athletic Hall of Fame is certainly an honor, but it’s also an honor to know the great former athletes who are inducted year-after-year, and the Class of 2021, for me, is going to be very special.

I’ve been covering Northern football since 2004, and yet, no Northern players had been indicted yet in that time frame. Now however, that will change as brothers Kyle and Mark Samson have been announced as 2021 inductees, and they’re most deserving.

Together, along with their father, they transformed the MSU-N program. Together, the Samson brothers led a process that saw Northern steadily starting winning games in the Frontier, ultimately culminating with the magical 2006 season — a season that included the Lights’ best-ever record, the historic win over top-ranked Carroll College at Blue Pony Stadium and Northern’s only playoff appearance since the program was brought back in the 1990s.

Yes, that season was so much fun, and it had so much to do with the Samson brothers.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Lights were a talented team from top to bottom. There were so many really good players on that 2006 team, and there are many who will no doubt go into the Northern Hall of Fame one day.

But, there’s also no denying that the team was anchored on both sides of the ball by a Samson.

On defense, Marc Samson was an All-American safety, a tackling machine who was always in the right place. And while quiet, he was a true leader for what was not just a good, but a great Northern defense that year.

Then there was Kyle.

Northern’s only All-American QB, the first Northern player to win Frontier Offensive Player of the Year honors. Kyle was so much fun to watch. Whether with his arm or his feet, he was an incredible quarterback for three years as a Light, but especially in 2006, as he willed MSU-N to the playoffs. Many people don’t know, but Kyle was hurt throughout that season, and yet, he did what great leaders always do, he gutted it out and performed at a high level every time he took the field. That’s the stuff of legends, and Kyle Samson, particularly in 2006, was a Northern legend.

Of course, there’s always more to the story, and being deserving of an induction into the Northern Hall of Fame goes well beyond football.

Both Samson brothers were Academic All-Amercians, they were both honor students at Northern, they were involved in campus life off the field, and they’ve gone on to make a difference in others’ lives in their professions. Kyle has been a teacher and coach, and is currently the head coach at Montana Tech, while Marc is a physical therapist at the VA in Helena.

Yes, that’s something I’ve always admired about Kyle and Marc. I’ve always admired their ability to lead, to be more than good football players, to be great men. As someone who has basically covered them since the day they stepped on Northern’s campus in the fall of 2004, I’ve had a front row seat to watching them not only help Northern reach completely new heights in football, but also become the great men they are today off the field.

So, it is my honor, it’s my distinct privilege, to say congratulations to Kyle and Marc Samson for being added to the Northern Athletic Hall of Fame. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s well deserved, and I’m just so glad I’ll be there to see to great Lights, two great people, two friends, go into the Hall of Fame.