BUTLER TWP — An evening of celebration ended with an ultimate one.

Paul Uram, who will soon turn 90, closed the 51st annual Butler County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet by unexpectedly receiving a plaque Saturday night at the Days Inn.

Pictured on the plaque was his first-ever Butler High School (1957) gymnastics team. As Uram approached the front of the room to receive the plaque, he was joined by 1957 team members Bill Erdos, Chuck Moses, Rich and Ken Musko, and many of his former gymnasts from through the years.

“That's quite a sight right there,” master of ceremonies Bob Cupp said as the evening ended.

Butler's first gymnastics squad — that won six consecutive Western Pennsylvania championships from 1957-62 — became the sixth team inducted into the BCSHOF. Erdos served as spokesman for the group.

“Coach Uram retired as gymnastics coach in 1967 to move into pro football,” Erdos said. “He was 108-0 with three state championships here. He was 120-0 in six years at Millvale.

“He came to Lyndora in 1956 with the future vision he had for Butler gymnastics. He had a team together within four or five weeks.”

Erdos said Uram was finishing his own collegiate academic work at the University of Pittsburgh. He brought the team with him to Pitt and had it work out with the college gymnastics squad while he headed to the classroom.

“They would work with us on our skills and routines,” Erdos said. “Coach Uram took a bunch of us to the national championships at Penn State, just so we could see the sport at its highest level. It motivated us.

“(Butler gymnast) Jim Curzi went on to Michigan and won the Nissen Award. That's like winning the Heisman Trophy in football.”

One of Uram's cousins, Steve Prokopchak, was inducted into the Hall Saturday night. The 1952 Butler graduate and former golf and baseball standout was playground director at Lyndora when that gymnastics team was put together.

“He instilled his passion into that team,” Prokopchak recalled. “It was a pleasure watching those boys develop.”

Prokopchak's brother, John, was inducted into the Hall in 1987.

“My brother John used to work with me in baseball,” Prokopchak said. “My brother Mike was my mentor in golf. I never had a golf lesson.

“I'm overwhelmed by all of this. This is like a homecoming day for me.”

Former Butler soccer standout Meghan Schnur, a 2003 graduate now living in Colorado, felt the same way.

“No matter what city, state or country you're coming back from ... The loyalty of your family and friends gives you a familiarity and comfort in coming home,” she said.

“In Colorado, kids can decide where they want to go in high school. In Butler, you grow up and compete with your neighbors. That's how it should be.

“One of my favorite quotes is, 'You will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.' I value Butler,” she added.

Other inductees on hand Saturday night were former Knoch and Penn State pitcher Darin Cunningham, Mars and Eagle County baseball great Mike Sheehy and Mars football-boxing standout Gary Warman.

“My father wanted his boys to get into sports so we wouldn't get in trouble,” Warman said.”

He lauded all of his former coaches and briefly left the podium, went into the crowd and embraced longtime Geneva College football coach Gene Sullivan.

“I got to play for the best college coach in the history of football,” Warman said. He was a second father to me. This is one of the great people walking the earth today.”

Cunningham said that team sports “directly affected my life, teaching me how to work well with others and about anger management.

“I was not the most physically gifted athlete out there. I was a product of hard work.”

When he was only 13, Sheehy lost his father and “sports are what I turned to.

“My father was my inspiration. I'm sure he's happy looking down at me right now.”

Sheehy said his former baseball coach at Mars, Chester Marburger, became like a father to him. He developed a lifetime friendship with fellow Mars baseball great Rob Fester.

“We threw no-hitters together in Little League, high school, played on those great Eagle County teams ... I hope someday I come back here to listen to him give a speech,” Sheehy said.

Two Hall of Famers were inducted posthumously. Pitching great Nick Russin was a fireballing strikeout artist who fanned a school-record 20 in one game at UCLA. Sam Bello overcame polio as a youth to become one of the pioneers and longtime devotees to the Butler Area Midget Football League.

“My mother-in-law always told me how great a pitcher her husband Nick was,” Joe Bacon said. “Once I saw a booklet she showed me with so many newspaper articles about him, my jaw dropped. He was sensational.

“I saw a picture of him, his leg high over his head, the ball in his hand inches above the ground during his windup ... It sent chills down my spine. He was truly a king of his game.”

Bello received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hall of Fame.

“He overcame perseverance at such a young age,” grandson Mark Dingus said. “And he dedicated his life to helping others.

“In addition to his work with youth sports, he served as probation officer for the City of Butler and sent numerous individuals in a positive direction.

“During the last week of his life, Sam was in and out of consciousness, and so many people came to see him. One man came in to the room and whispered, 'he saved my life.' That's all that needs to be said,” Dingus added.

Saturday's inductions brought the county Hall of Fame membership to 369. The Hall of Fame's permanent display is on the third floor of the Butler County Government Center.