When I first moved to Hutchinson in Jan. 2004, one of the first people I met was Rusty Hilst. I was covering Hutchinson Community basketball, so of course, I saw Rusty at games.
I remember telling a friend of mine from my previous stop in Garden City – Chris Lake, who broadcast Garden City High School games on radio – about meeting Rusty.
Lake told me the best way to describe Rusty was that he’s a “gentleman.”
I later borrowed that word when one of my students at Hutchinson Community College, Brenna Eller, wrote a story about Rusty.
She agreed with me – never has a simple word better described a human being.
Rusty Hilst, a man who was known in Hutchinson for broadcasting Hutchinson High School and Hutchinson Community College football and basketball for nearly 40 years, teaching math for more than 50 years, and coaching high school golf, died Wednesday after a courageous battle with ALS.
Anyone who knew Rusty knew he didn’t broadcast, teach or coach for himself. He was never into personal accolades or pats on the back. He did for the love of each, for the students and for the community.
Every life Rusty Hilst interacted with – whether on the golf course, in the classroom or broadcasting – he made it better.
Rusty had universal respect. For example, during Rusty’s final season broadcasting the Blue Dragons in 2018-2019, every road game featured the opposing college and fans honoring Rusty with an announcement and/or a gift.
Hutchinson High School converted Rusty’s classroom into “Rusty’s Room”, which features a room full of opportunities for students to get a mental-health break. It includes couches, blankets, soothing music, lights, a dog and more.
And of course, his work with golf in Hutchinson and around the state is well known and respected. He helped the Salthawks win the 1960 four-man state championship, and then he coached the Salthawks to a pair of Class 6A state championships. If there was a major golf event in Hutchinson, you better believe Rusty was involved.
The annual Hutchinson High boys golf tournament, billed as the largest high school tournament west of the Mississippi River, has been named the Rusty Hilst Invitational, and I can’t tell you the pride I felt that my son Landon got to play in the first one named for Rusty in 2024. Landon even had the lowest score that day for Buhler.
Rusty also has been named to the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame, won the Hod Humiston Award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters for excellence in sports broadcasting, is a member of the HutchCC Quarterback Club Hall of Fame, and he’s in the Kansas Teachers Hall of Fame.
And yet, I feel that this is all not enough. Rusty broadcast the darkest days of both Hutch High and HutchCC football. In the 1990s, the Salthawks didn’t win a single district game. By 2003, the Salthawks, under coach Randy Dreiling, began arguably the greatest football dynasty the state has seen. From 2003-2014, the Salthawks played in 10 state championship games, and won titles in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Rusty’s voice chronicled all those district defeats and state celebrations.
Rusty was there in 1995 when HutchCC completed an improbable turnaround from doormat in 1991 to Jayhawk Conference champion, under coach Andy Hill, he was there during the winless 2006 season, and he called the revival under coach Rion Rhoades.
Rusty was under the headset for three Blue Dragon men’s basketball national championships, and also the undefeated Salthawk boys basketball team in 2000-2001.
The man saw it all in the booth, in the classroom and on the golf course.
And yet, it feels like we need to do more. Just look at the comments on social media right now. More people loved Rusty than they loved Raymond, and everybody loves Raymond.
First things first. The room where Rusty broadcast at Gowans Stadium needs to be named before the first football game this fall to the “Rusty Hilst Broadcast Booth”.
Next, something at Carey Park Golf Course needs to be named for Rusty. The clubhouse, the driving range, the putting green, heck even one of the gazebos would be fine.
Rusty was a rare human being. Universally beloved and respected. He didn’t want to be in the spotlight, ever, but it’s time we put Rusty in the spotlight, forever
