Libby native Rambo inducted into Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame

Carroll College alumnus Dan Rambo was inducted into the Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 24 at the organization's annual ceremony in Billings.

Rambo, a Libby native and Carroll graduate (1975), was one of the best running backs in program history, amassing several rushing records in his time as a Saint. He was inducted into the Carroll Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.

A career both on and off the field in the professional football ranks awaited Rambo upon his departure from Carroll. Rambo has been involved in nearly every aspect of the game at the highest level. He was inducted into the Montana Pro Football Hall of Fame under the support category for his numerous years and accomplishments on the back-end of professional organizations.

While at Carroll, Rambo played under Tom Kelly (1970) and Bob Petrino (1972-74). In 1972, he carved out a significant new role as a running back, helping lead in the early success of the legendary Coach Petrino, who went on to be the head coach at Louisville and Arkansas.

In 1972's season opener, Rambo made his first start as a running back. Although the Saints would fall short in the contest Rambo had an impressive outing. He outrushed the entire Minot State team, including a 54-yard touchdown scamper. Six games later, Rambo ran for 103 yards, leading the charge in a 30-13 win over Western Montana College (University of Montana Western).

The win over the Bulldogs secured a share of the conference title, a feat no Carroll team had accomplished since 1960. Rambo finished the year with 640 yards rushing on 143 attempts (4.47 avg.). He was named First Team All-Frontier Conference at running back for the first time in his career.

The following season, 1973, was a memorable one as the Saints went 7-0 on the year, repeating as Frontier Conference Champions and finishing No. 8 in the NAIA Division II polls.

Rambo picked up right where he left off in the '72 season, racking up 160 yards on 29 carries with three touchdowns in the season-opening 26-9 win over Ricks College (BYU-Idaho). Two weeks later, Rambo gained 156 hard-earned yards rushing, scoring a critical touchdown en route to a 20-19 win over Eastern Montana (MSU Billings).

He continued his outstanding '73 campaign the following week with four touchdowns and 203 yards rushing in a 48-35 win over Rocky Mountain College. For the second-straight year Rambo was named a First Team All-Frontier Conference selection. In addition, he was named All-District 12 and was an Honorable Mention AP Little All-American.

Elbow injury-aside, Rambo continued to be a force to be reckoned with in 1974. In consecutive weeks in October, Rambo first set, then broke his own school record for rushing yards in a game. On Oct. 5, 1974, against Eastern Montana, Rambo picked up 246 rush yards to set the program record. Just one week later, he rattled off an even more impressive 262 yards on 37 carries (7.1 ypr).

Rambo's second record-setting afternoon in as many weeks included an 85-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, ensuring a 26-6 win over Rocky. Rambo would cap his Carroll career with 142 yards rushing in a 24-9 win over Montana Tech, and the Saints finished 7-1 on the season.

Rambo's final tally on the year included 1,145 yards on 217 carries (143.1 ypg), making him the first Saint in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. His 1,145 rushing yards led the entire NAIA in the 1974 season. Rambo garnered First Team All-Frontier Conference honors for the third consecutive season, All-District 12 honors for the second consecutive year and was named to the AP College Division All-American team.

One of the most decorated Saints of all-time, Rambo finished his collegiate career with several program records that have since been broken.

Most rushing yards – game (262 vs Rocky Mountain College, 1974)

Most points – season (98, 1973)

Most carries - season (231, 1974)

Most carries – career (591, 1970, 1972-74).

Following his senior season at Carroll, Rambo went undrafted, but signed with the NFL's New York Giants. He went on to have tryouts with the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. Additionally, he had tryouts with the CFL's Saskatchewan Rough Riders and Calgary Stampeders. Eventually, Rambo finished his playing career with a semi-pro football club in Wheeling, West Virginia.

In 1982, Rambo joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders, this time on the operational side. Rambo was hired as the Director of Player Personnel, a role in which he would thrive for the next seven seasons.

After a brief stint as a scout in the World League of American Football, Rambo returned to the CFL. In 1991, he was named the General Manager and Director of Football Operations for the Ottawa Rough Riders. In his first season at the helm, the Rough Riders finished with a 9-9 record, the first time the team had finished with at least a .500 record in the previous ten seasons.

After a departure from Ottawa, he worked as a scout for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and NFL's Denver Broncos. From 1994-1998 he once again returned to Saskatchewan as the Director of Player Personnel.

In 1998, Rambo went back to work with the Denver Broncos as a collegiate scout, a position he held until 2006. Rambo's final stop in professional operations came in Hamilton, Ontario, where he was the Director of Football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Most recently, Rambo has co-founded and currently works for FBXchange, a company dedicated to software for football scouting.

Carroll Athletics congratulates Dan Rambo, one of the best to ever don the purple and gold, on this tremendous honor.