Ronan Hall of Fame Profile: Bobby Camel
Bobby Camel, class of ’78, will be inducted into the School District #30/Ronan Hall of Fame Class of 2022 as a “Distinguished Athlete.”
As a high school athlete what was Camel’s best sport? Was it football where he excelled as a running back and defensive back? Was it basketball where he was a slick ball-handling point guard with an unstoppable pull-up jump shot? Was it track where he still holds school records in the low hurdles and long and triple jump?
Even after looking in more detail at Camel’s accomplishments in all three sports, it is difficult to pick out a single sport where the 1978 RHS graduate outshone himself in any of the others.
Camel lettered three years in football and basketball. In his senior season of football, the Chiefs claimed the Western A Conference crown before falling to Malta in the first round of the playoffs. A regular season highlight came when Camel led Ronan to a win over archrival Polson by rushing for a season best 112 yards in a 28-0 shutout of the Pirates. During his high school career, Camel was named to the All-Conference football team six times as a kick-off return specialist, halfback and defensive back. After being selected as an All-State player on offense and defense his senior season, he was named to the 1978 Shrine Football Squad.
In his final basketball season Ronan advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 1960. In a Divisional Tournament semi-final matchup with Stevensville, Camel poured in a season-high 27 points, catapulting the Chiefs into the tournament championship game. After claiming the Western A title, Ronan advanced to the semi-final round of state competition before bowing out of the tournament. All-Conference as a junior, Camel was named All-Conference and All-State as a senior.
A four-year letterman in track, Camel qualified for state competition every year. He was crowned State Champion in the triple jump and 180-yard low hurdles as a junior. His time of 20.7 in the low hurdles and triple jump mark of 44 feet, 11-and-a-half inches still stand as a school record. In his final track campaign, Camel advanced to the state finals in the triple and long jump, 180-yard low hurdles, and 440-yard relay. He capped off his final campaign by finishing third in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump.
