BUTTE — Butte kept a secret for months — and the payoff brought a former Bulldog star to tears.
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Over 100 family members, friends, coaches, and athletes packed into the new Butte High School weight room in silence, waiting for former NFL player and current San Francisco 49ers special teams coach Colt Anderson to walk through the doors without any idea what was waiting for him.
"We are pleased to announce the naming of the Butte High weight room, 'The Colt Anderson Strength and Conditioning Center,'" Butte Athletic Council Treasurer J.R. Richardson said.
Anderson said he was caught completely off guard.
"I was speechless. I started piecing it together when I saw my kids there," Anderson said.
Anderson's path to the NFL began with the Bulldogs and the school's weight room before starring for the University of Montana and later in the NFL. He shed tears as he addressed the crowd.
"The culture here is second to none and I'm truly honored to have the weight room named after me. I spent a lot of time in this weight room in the off season to get ready for NFL seasons, college seasons, and I owe it all to the community and to this weight room," Anderson said.
Naming the facility was no easy task. Butte has produced many standout athletes over the years, but Richardson said the decision came down to several key attributes.
"The lunchbox mentality: show up, work hard, and do your job. Someone who's proud to be from Butte and a graduate of Butte High School," Richardson said.
"In my opinion, Colt is such a role model to the community, and he's given so much back that it was really a no-brainer to pursue naming the facility after him," Richardson said.
The facility is on par with Frontier Conference weight rooms and is built for all athletes. When complete, it will cost around $150,000.
Anderson said he is looking forward to what the space means for the program's future.
"This weight room is unbelievable. I'm excited for the future of Butte High," Anderson said.
