Don Peoples Jr. appeared on episode No. 98 of the ButteCast in June of 2023.

So much has a lot changed since then for the president of the Butte Central Foundation, superintendent of Butte Central Schools and head coach of the BC football team.

In November of 2023, Peoples nearly left us. In fact, he briefly did leave us during a massive heart attack while on the road to watch his brother, Kevin, coach with the University of Missouri’s football team.

Thanks to CPR performed by his daughter, Mollie, and a fast-acting team at the emergency room in Columbia, Missouri, Peoples joined the very small fraternity of survivors of the dreaded “widow maker” heart attack.

Peoples lost his father, the legendary Don Peoples Sr., this past March. Fortunately, the elder Peoples was able to hang on long enough to see his son selected for induction into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame.

Peoples and the Class of 2026 will be inducted during ceremonies July 24-25 at the Butte Civic Center.

Earlier today, I caught up with Coach Peoples at the Rotunda at Butte Central Catholic High School for a fun conversation.

Listen in as Coach Peoples talks about his years as coach of the Maroons and the many successful students and athletes who passed through the school. Listen as he talks about surviving that major heart attack and the new lease on life the experience gave him.

Listen as he talks about joining the long list of Butte sports immortals as he is inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame.