BUTLER TWP — The 2015 Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame induction class has one thing in common.

They remember the neighborhood.

“This night has become one of my favorite nights ... It's so much fun reminiscing about high school memories with these guys,” Hall of Fame Committee chairperson Brian Slamecka said.

Donnie Brown, Cliff Diehl, Howard Hammonds, Mickey Haley, T.J. McCance and longtime Golden Tornado track and field coach Mike Seybert were inducted Friday evening in the high school cafeteria.

The Hall of Fame has inducted 41 individuals over the past six years, representing 11 different sports.

Brown played football for Butler from 1965-69, went on to play at Wake Forest University and was strength coach for 10 years with the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals.

“I remember the guys I idolized as a kid in Butler — Terry Hanratty, Mike Kelly, Bill and Terry Rettig, Bill, Rich and Ron Saul,” Brown said. “Everyone wanted to be like those guys.

“And my brother, Greg Brown, who passed away 10 years ago ... He kept the Butler midget football league financially solvent for years.”

Brown expressed good fortune in being coached by Art Bernardi and Paul Uram at Butler.

“Art Bernardi became the CEO, organizer, visionary and architect of Butler football when he took over in 1961,” Brown said. “And Coach Uram was the most creative and innovative coach I've ever been around.

“Growing up on Penn Street, we made each other better by challenging each other.”

That included Mary Haley — sister of inductee Mickey — who played football with the boys.

“The first injury I ever incurred in football came from trying to tackle her,” Brown said, smiling. “She was the toughest one of all of us.”

Diehl was a gymnast at Butler from 1963-65, winning WPIAL and PIAA championships before moving on to a successful career at Michigan State.

“I walked into that gym two weeks ago and could almost see us working out, coach talking to us — it felt like yesterday,” Diehl said. “My body tells me it wasn't.”

“One thing I learned from Coach Uram. Don't quit. Set goals for yourself and try to achieve them. I'm grateful for the direction in life he sent me on.”

Hammonds was a WPIAL cross country champion in 1962, was undefeated in dual meets at Slippery Rock State College and went on to a successful track and cross country coaching career.

He became the first cross country runner inducted into his high school's Hall of Fame.

“It's an honor to be a member of this group,” Hammonds said. “I thank my parents for having the humor and patience to raise such a challenging child.

“In high school, I learned it's the chances you take in life that lead to other things. (Coach) Ed Hepe was the ultimate motivator. He could convince a blind man that he could see.”

Haley excelled in gymnastics and diving at Butler from 1966-69. He placed at the state meet in both sports and eventually coached several standout Butler divers.

“Coaching was my passion,” Haley said. “Most of the divers, I knew all about their lives. We traveled together constantly.

“We built a foundation for them. The older divers took care of the younger divers.”

Haley credited longtime Butler YMCA swimming coach John “Pump” McLaughlin and gymnastic coaches Dave McKinnis and Uram for his success.

“Pump said I was going to be a diver when I was age 11. He taught me how to dive and we became lifelong friends,” Haley said. “I was a rebel with Dave and he put up with me.

“There are great coaches and then there are very few at the elite level. Paul Uram is one of those. He seldom said a word, he never yelled and he was always interested in you.

“He knew how to get to you. He was a sports psychologist long before it ever had a name,” Haley added.

McCance became the second Tornado wrestler to join the HOF. He competed from 1998 through 2002 and was Butler's first 100-win wrestler, compiling a 103-20 record.

McCance is now a coach in the Tornado wrestling program.

“We're a blue collar city and we should compete like it,” McCance said. “This school district changed my life. I can't begin to describe the impact coaches Bill Mylan and Scott Stoner have had on me as a wrestler and as a person.

“I'm not sure what they saw in me as a 14-year-old kid .... But that's why they're great coaches.

“I came through this program knowing I had to be a leader, a role model for a young kid named Cole Baxter (now wrestling at Kent State). I wanted my name to be synonymous with Butler wrestling ... I'm the perfect example of someone who needed wrestling more than wrestling needed me,” he added.

Seybert compiled six WPIAL titles and 10 section crowns as Butler's girls track coach, including a record of 172-14 from 1990 through 2003. He coached cross country and Butler boys track as well.

“The hardest part of caching is that your wife never sees you,” Seybert said. “But it's like you're taking part in raising 200 kids. The thought of impacting all of those lives — my family knows how important that is.

“I need to thank all of the athletes themselves. We'd have 104 boys, 104 girls every season and we never lost a kid, never had one quit during the year. We always had a supportive group of parents.

“One thing I learned quickly about coaching girls: Their highs are higher, their lows are lower ... and their hearts are bigger,” Seybert added.