BUTTE — The names change. The uniforms change. Even Naranche Memorial Stadium has changed quite a bit over the years.
But the B remains.
On Friday night, another generation of Butte High football players will officially become part of one of the Mining City’s longest-running football traditions as the lettermen of the 2001 Bulldogs become eligible to receive their Silver B’s.
The 87th annual Butte High Silver B Meeting and Induction Ceremony will be held Friday at the Butte High School gymnasium, bringing together Bulldogs whose playing days span more than seven decades.
For the 2001 Bulldogs, it marks 25 years since they wore the Purple and White.
That might be hard to believe for the guys who can probably still remember exactly what it felt like to walk into Naranche on a Friday night, strap on the helmet and represent Butte High.
Now they return as Silver B’s.
The organization will also honor several other milestone classes. Members of the 1976 Bulldogs reach the 50-year mark and will become Golden B’s. Lettermen from the 1952 through 1961 teams are eligible for Platinum B recognition, while members of the 1951 Bulldogs reach an incredible 75 years and will be honored as Diamond B’s.
It makes for a pretty remarkable picture.
Players separated by generations, all connected by the same school, the same football program and the same B they earned on the field.
Doors at the Butte High gymnasium open at 4 p.m. Friday, with the annual meeting and dinner beginning at 5. Banquet tickets are $25 and annual dues are $10. Members who haven’t registered are asked to check in and pay at the door.
The event is for members only, with no guests or alcohol permitted. Silver, Golden, Platinum and Diamond B members taking part in the banquet and pregame ceremonies are encouraged to wear their respective caps.
And there probably isn’t a more fitting way to finish the evening.
After celebrating the Bulldogs of yesterday, the group will head down to Naranche Memorial Stadium to watch the Bulldogs of today.
Butte High hosts Missoula Big Sky at 7:30 p.m. in the Bulldogs’ 2026 Homecoming game.
Twenty-five years ago, the newest Silver B’s were the ones underneath those lights.
Friday night, they’ll be watching from the other side.
That’s the beauty of a tradition that has survived for 87 years.
You eventually hang up the helmet.
You never stop being a Bulldog.
Questions regarding the Silver B organization or Friday’s ceremony can be directed to Butte High Silver B Historian Scott Paffhausen at 406-490-9956 or hist@buttehighsilverbs.com.
Butte Sports
