Montana State University Billings Athletics

They're in the real world now.

Scattered across the country, some are wives and mothers, and most are working in a variety of fields.

While different in almost every aspect, they have one strong connecting thread.

For a short period in their lives, all played basketball for Montana State University Billings.

It was a glorious part of their life. It was a time of making lifelong friends, creating memories and learning how to be successful.

Now they have the opportunity to give back.

To honor the person who taught them those life lessons, members of the 1998-99 MSUB team have created the Frank McCarthy Women's Basketball Scholarship Endowment.

McCarthy was the head coach of the Lady Yellowjackets for 10 seasons (1989-1999) and remains the winningest coach in the history of the program. He guided the 1998-99 team to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Passing it on

"For me, and all the players, Frank McCarthy changed their lives," said Alicia (Cahill) Hutzenbiler, a starting center on the Elite Eight team. "He was also so positive, always encouraging us. It's why we're so successful now.

"He was not only encouraging in basketball, but in life, too. We want to pass that on."

The scholarship will be awarded to an MSUB women's basketball player who is from Montana, has a grade-point average of 2.5 or better and shows financial need.

Those who put together the endowment plan to award the first scholarship for the 2010-2011 season.

To endow a scholarship at MSUB, a minimum of $10,000 must be raised.

Grass-roots effort

The idea began with Krista Montague, a starting forward from the Elite Eight team and currently an administrator in the MSUB athletic department. Hutzenbiler jumped in to help track down former players.

"The MSUB Foundation really helped us," Hutzenbiler reiterated repeatedly. "They had a list of all the former players."

Hutzenbiler and Montague put together batches of letters, sending out a 100 or so at a time. They also worked the phones, contacting former teammates.

"We were really surprised," Hutzenbiler said of the enthusiastic response. "Everybody wanted to help donate."

Along with donations from former players, money came from friends of McCarthy, parents of former players and even his own family. Hutzenbiler's employer matched her contribution.

People could make a flat donation or pledge a certain amount. According to the MSUB Foundation, money given ranged from $100 to a pledge of $3,000 over a certain amount of time.

The Elite Eight team made the announcement of the Frank McCarthy Scholarship during MSUB's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in late January.

"It was a complete shock to him," Hutzenbiler said. "We wanted to keep it a secret when we were putting it together, so we had to tell people in the letter not to tell him."

The Elite Eight team was inducted into the Hall of Fame that evening.

"That was a pretty special group of players," said McCarthy, now the head women's basketball coach at Sheridan, Wyo., College. "It made me realize how special coaching is."

The McCarthy Scholarship is the 12th endowed scholarship in the MSUB athletic department. There are also endowed scholarships for men's basketball, softball, baseball and women's soccer, along with a handful of others for MSUB athletics. There are also four Athletic Endowed Program funds for baseball, the tennis facility, women's soccer and athletics.

All are privately funded and restricted by the donor for specific use. They are held in trust by the MSUB Foundation and are not assets of the university.

Hutzenbiler hopes this is just the beginning. She wants to reach out beyond players who just played for McCarthy.

"We'd like to get all past women's basketball players involved," she said. "This is something we want to continue to grow. We want to pass this along from one generation to another."