[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4241-4242]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ROCKY ERICKSON

   Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, this week, I have the distinct 
honor of recognizing Rocky Erickson for his long run as the voice of 
Montana sports. When traveling along the many roads in Big Sky Country 
or stopping in at a local watering hole for a bite to eat, if you are 
in earshot of a radio and that radio is tuned to local sports, there is 
a good chance that Rocky is on the other end of the broadcast.
  Rocky grew up on his family's wheat farm in the small McCone County 
community of Vida. After high school, he studied telecommunications at 
Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Shortly after completing his 
degree, Rocky returned to eastern Montana and began to provide Montana 
sports fans with high quality commentary. Rocky's distinguished 
broadcasting career began in the early 1980s and continues today. This 
past weekend, he was calling the play by play for the Montana High 
School State Basketball Championship tournament games. Rocky's Montana 
sports program is broadcast daily on 40 stations, and he has been 
recognized by

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his peers as the ``Montana Sportscaster of the Year'' on nine separate 
occasions. The native son of Vida, population 70, has gone on to do 
great things within his industry. His broadcasts are sincerely 
appreciated by sports fans across Montana.
  Attending a Montana sporting event helps one appreciate how valued 
and unifying local sports can be to our communities. Rocky has shared 
these treasured experiences with many Montanans by giving his audience 
a rich texture and personal touch in each broadcast. Thank you, Rocky, 
for your outstanding work, and I hope to hear you again soon.

                          ____________________