BOZEMAN, Mont. — Bobcat Stadium will be packed in pink on Saturday, continuing a tradition many in Montana know well for raising breast cancer awareness. But fewer people may know the woman who started it all.
Meet the founder of Pack the Place in Pink
“When you come here, and maybe you’re fighting cancer, and you see 20,000 people wearing pink and supporting what you’re fighting, can you imagine what that must feel like?” said Vicki Heebner Carle.
Heebner Carle is no stranger to Montana State University.
“I was inducted into the Bobcat Hall of Fame, which I’m super proud of. I was the first women’s basketball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” she said.
The Three Forks native played basketball at MSU from 1980 to 1984, beginning a lifelong journey in sports. She later became the head girls volleyball coach at Billings Skyview High School. But another journey awaited her.
“Never in a million years did I think that I would get the call back. So, at my very first mammogram, I was diagnosed with cancer,” Heebner Carle said.
In April 2003, what began as a routine doctor’s visit turned into a diagnosis that changed her life, in more ways than one.
“In about 2007, I had just defeated cancer, and I had some kids that came to me and said, ‘Hey coach, can we wear pink spandex?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, what a great idea,’” she said.
That idea sparked a movement at Skyview High School focused on breast cancer awareness and encouraging young women to pay attention to their health.
“And that’s where it started. Then I’m like, ‘Well, let’s order a couple shirts,’ so we ordered 100,” Heebner Carle said.
The shirts sold out immediately. Soon, she was ordering 200, then 500, and eventually 12,000 shirts at a time. “Pack the Place in Pink” quickly grew into a community effort, and by 2013 it became an official nonprofit organization.
“People were drawn to, I think, a charity like this where we’re all volunteers. We give away 95 cents of every dollar we make. We give it back to a Montanan fighting breast cancer. And it’s a very grassroots, honest charity,” she said.
But Heebner Carle’s battle with cancer returned in 2010.
“Right in the middle of volleyball season, we have a Pack the Place in Pink event planned, and I find a lump,” she said.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. After overcoming it, Heebner Carle set her sights even higher.
“We’re like, ‘We got to get into Montana State. I mean, could you imagine this place all in pink?’” she said.
She began where she knew best. The first MSU Pack the Place in Pink game was a women’s basketball game. Then, in 2018, the tradition expanded to Bobcat Stadium.
“When I walked to Bobcat Stadium, and I saw all this pink, I just got big tears in my eyes, and I couldn’t speak for a few minutes,” Heebner Carle said. “It took my words away, and that doesn’t happen very often.”
Pack the Place in Pink has since become an annual football tradition at Montana State.
“I draw great strength from this place,” Heebner Carle said. “And for my university to support this charity that we feel is so important to Montanans, I can’t think of anything better a university can give you.”
Pack the Place in Pink has given away $1.2 million to Montanans fighting breast cancer.
To learn more or donate to Pack the Place in Pink, visit this link: https://packtheplaceinpink.org
