Ronan Hall of Fame: Distinguished Athlete Phillip Roullier

“He shot closeups, he shot long side tosses, he started passes towards the basket and dashed in to take the last turn and the shot, he batted in rebounds and did a few other tricks with the ball.”

Sportswriter Ray Rocene of the Missoulian wrote this about Ronan Chief forward Phillip Roullier in February 1928 during Roullier’s junior season at Ronan. Roullier capped off a brilliant high school career the following season by leading Ronan to a third-place finish at the State Tournament in 1929. At that time there were no classification of teams and the Chiefs defeated Kalispell, Missoula County, Great Falls and Anaconda during the season.

A four-year starter for the Chiefs, Roullier was a unanimous selection to Montana’s “First Five” high school basketball team following conclusion of tournament play. He was one of only two unanimous picks for the elite squad.

He played during an era of low-scoring games due to stoppage of play and a center jump after each score, and games consisting of two 15-minute halves. Still, Roullier averaged nearly 17 points a game.

Several times during the season, he outscored the opposition by himself. Twice in his career, he scored 30 points in a game, a feat seldom accomplished at that time.

Following graduation from high school, Roullier continued his academic and athletic career at Mount Saint Charles College (Carroll) in Helena. Although he didn’t play football in high school as Ronan did not field a football team at that time, Roullier started at the halfback position on the Carroll team and as forward on the basketball squad as a freshman.

Nearly 100 years after finishing his high school basketball career, Roullier remains one of the premier basketball players in Ronan’s history.