POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho State Athletics announced the five individuals voted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame in its 2025 class, earlier this spring. Over the next six weeks, we will introduce the honorees and their accolades that made them deserving of enshrinement in the Idaho State record book.
We would like to introduce and congratulate Kelly Rae from Idaho State softball to the 2025 Idaho State Athletics Hall of Fame class.
Arriving at ISU in the late 1970s with determination and humility, Kelly earned a softball scholarship and has remained deeply committed to the university ever since. Her inspiring career in law enforcement and later work in developing affordable housing reflect her dedication to service and making a difference.
Alongside her partner Pamela, she has generously supported ISU academics and athletics through endowed scholarships and program funding, while personally mentoring, encouraging, and uplifting countless student-athletes.
Executive Director of the Bengal Boosters Donna Hays had this to say on Rae,
I am writing today to nominate Kelly Rae for the 2024 ISU Sports Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement award. Kelly is a 1982 graduate of ISU receiving a B. A. degree in secondary education. She received a Masters of Public Administration degree from Nation University in 1990. She was a member of the Women's' Softball team for all four years at ISU and was named the most inspirational player in 1981. I met Kelly many years ago and started a dialogue about giving back to ISU. She was really interested in giving back to the softball program in particular which had been reinstated. Kelly has not only show support through the Kelly Rae Scholarship endowment she has returned to campus to mentor current members of the ISU softball team. Her endowment was set up to help an athlete pursuing a career in public service in particular education, criminal justice and/or health care professions. Interesting to note that Kelly is very slight in stature but served as a DEA Officer from the late 1980s and through the 90s. She is really an interesting person receiving many awards throughout her lifetime. After her career as a DEA agent, Kelly along with her partner Pam Haberman created their business HabeRae Investments. HabeRae is a development company that revives old run-down buildings into state of the art living and business spaces at affordable costs. HabeRae has been recognized nationally for their innovative thinking and use of green products to renovate their buildings. Kelly is very deserving of this award. Kelly and her partner Pam have an endowment in their name that has reached over $96, 000 that benefits our ISU Women's Softball program and also a Scholarship Endowment Fund for Education. She has helped bring awareness to the Softball Program not just through her donations but actions too.
Rae's teammate, Kristen Fenwick had this to say on the Bengal
I am writing this letter in support of Kelly Rae's nomination for the ISU Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. I was a softball teammate of Kelly's in 1979 and have had a life long friendship with her since our college days. Kelly Rae had a dreadful childhood in Nevada often having to fend for herself without family support. She put all her hopes and dreams in a beat up car and drove to Pocatello with barely enough money to enroll in one semester of college. Her plan was to walk on to the ISU softball team in hopes of earning an athletic scholarship to continue her education. Though she wasn't a super talented athlete, the coach recognized her work ethic and offered her a manager's scholarship. I don't believe anyone on the softball team knew Kelly Rae had anything other than that athletic scholarship. She was a member of the team as a player but was secretly arriving to practices and games hours early to prep the field, organize equipment and wash uniforms. She seldom was a starter but worked hard and was always a positive team player. She graduated from ISU and though many might have left college feeling they owed nothing further to their alma mater, Kelly Rae has been eternally grateful. Contrary to her unfortunate childhood, while at ISU she found the family and people that cared and believed in her. I have heard her repeatedly say ISU changed her life and she has never taken that for granted. After graduation Kelly was in law enforcement for many years. She was first a Seattle police officer and then an agent for the DEA in Mexico and South America. After being forced to retire from the DEA due to numerous death threats by the drug cartels in Mexico, she had to reinvent herself. Kelly Rae became a very successful business woman renovating hundreds of distressed homes and commercial properties in Nevada and California. She has been honored with several industry awards for her renovations. Kelly is passionate, loyal and a fierce competitor. For a student athlete that seldom played she has more gratitude and appreciation of her ISU college degree than anyone I know. She has been repaying that scholarship for years through contributions to the Business, Education and Athletic Departments. Kelly is the type of alum any university would be proud to claim as their own. A champion Bengal.
