Baseball has always been a part of John Stuper's life.

And the Butler native doesn't plan on turning his back on a game that has given him so much in return.

"I'll be involved with the game for the rest of my life," he said.

The 47-year-old recently concluded his 12th season as head coach of the Yale University baseball team.

While he hopes to be part of many more memories on the diamond, he can also look back on an experience most baseball players only dream about.

Stuper was a major league pitcher for St. Louis and Cincinnati from 1982-85.

"It was always a dream of mine to play in the majors," Stuper said. "I was the youngest of four boys and my older brothers began teaching me the game when I was three years old.

"Plus my dad (Frank) was really into the game," Stuper added. "He'd come home from work and though he was tired, would always have time to play catch with me in the back yard."

Stuper ended up pitching for Lyndora's American Legion team and Butler High School, graduating in 1975.

"John was a power pitcher," said former Butler baseball coach Don Dombart. "He was good in high school and was a hard worker. But it wasn't until he went to Butler County Community College that he really blossomed."

"I went just 3-4 in high school," Stuper said. "But at BC3, I went 25-2. I owe a great deal to Tom Beckett, who was my coach there. He developed me as a player and a person. Now he's the athletic director here at Yale."

After leaving BC3, Stuper helped Point Park College reach the NAIA World Series in the spring of 1978.

Soon after, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 18th round of that year's amateur draft.

"I pitched one season for the Pirates' Class A team in Charleston, South Carolina," Stuper said. "Then during that winter, they traded me to St. Louis.

"I was disappointed because I grew up a Pirates fan and wanted to pitch for them. But, even though I had only spent three months as a professional player, I knew that it was a business and didn't hold any hard feelings."

Stuper spent the 1979 season as a reliever for St. Louis' Class A affiliate in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 1980, he got a chance to start for Double A Little Rock (AR).

"I was struggling out of the bullpen, so they wanted to see what I could do as a starter," said Stuper.

He ended up throwing a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts. Over the proceeding month, Stuper went 4-0.

"That's when the Cardinals realized I was a starter," he said.

Stuper spent 1981 at Triple A Springfield (MO) and was called up to the big leagues late in the spring of 1982 from Triple A Louisville.

"The neat thing about being called up was that I actually earned it," said Stuper. "I was 7-1 with a 1.46 ERA with Louisville that spring. And the Cardinals were in first place at the time. First place teams usually try not to make many changes.

"They threw me in the rotation right away, which was good," said Stuper. "That's better than sitting around waiting."

He made his first big-league start on June 1 in a home game against San Francisco.

"I pitched eight innings and gave up three runs on six hits," said Stuper. "And I struck out five and walked two. I got a no decision, but we ended up winning the game. That was the most important thing.

"I really had no expectations of myself that season," he said. "I just wanted to prove I belonged in the majors."

Stuper accomplished just that, tallying a 9-7 record with a 3.36 ERA by the end of the regular season. The performance helped the Cardinals win the National League East with a mark of 92-70.

He took a no decision in Game 2 of the NLCS against Atlanta, giving up two runs in six innings in a 4-3 Cardinals' win.

After sweeping the Braves, Stuper and the Cardinals found themselves on baseball's biggest stage, in the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

"What a whirlwind it was for me," he said. "I was just a small town kid who found himself in the national spotlight and pitching in the playoffs and World Series. It's something I'll never forget."

Stuper again got a no decision in St. Louis' 5-4 win in Game 2 against Milwaukee.

Then came his gem in Game 6.

Stuper shut down a vaunted Brewers' offense, giving up just one run on four hits in a complete game, 13-1 win.

The victory tied the series at three games apiece, and the Cardinals won Game 7 for their first world championship since 1967.

"Sitting there and watching a player you coached play in the World Series, it's a feeling that's hard to explain," said Dombart. "It made me feel good, thinking maybe I had a small part in him continuing with baseball after high school."

Stuper returned to compile a 12-11 record in 1983, leading the Cardinals in wins, earned run average (3.68) and complete games (6).

"I saw it as another stepping stone," he said. "I honestly thought it was the beginning of a long career for me. But it didn't turn out that way."

Hampered by a right shoulder injury, Stuper went 3-5 with St. Louis in 1984 before being traded to the Reds.

He seemed to revive his career with an 8-5 mark with Cincinnati in 1985, but was dealt to the Montreal Expos after the season.

Montreal released the right hander before the 1986 campaign, and though he had compiled a 32-28 career record and a 3.96 ERA, no other team expressed interest in Stuper's services.

"It's all water under the bridge now," he said. "I don't have a bitter bone in my body. I'm just thankful that I had the opportunity to play as long as I did. I have some great memories and made some great friends.

"Looking back, I had the opportunity to play with the best defensive shortstop (Ozzie Smith) and first baseman (Keith Hernandez) who ever played."

Stuper found himself back at BC3 as head baseball coach from 1986-90, compiling a 92-68 record. It was during that time that he was inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame (1987).

He returned to the Cardinals' organization as a minor league pitching coach for two seasons.

He took the job at Yale for the 1993 season and has been there ever since, now living in Hamden, Conn. His Bulldog teams have won 237 games during his 12 years.

"I love coaching," he said. "Teaching kids something in practice, and then watching them do it successfully in a game, that's a great feeling. I can honestly say that I get a bigger kick out of that than I did striking someone out in a major league game."

Stuper still keeps up on the pro game, especially when it comes to fellow Butler native and Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Clement.

"I met Matt when he was in high school, what a great guy," Stuper said. "It's really cool to see a guy from my hometown playing in the majors."