If it's a football league, Scott Milanovich has been involved in it.

From high school football to college to the NFL to the Arena Football League, to NFL Europe to Canada and the CFL - and even to the ill-fated XFL - the former Butler native has been there, done that.

In all those travels and in all those leagues, one thing has stuck out in his mind.

"I've never had as much fun playing football as I did when I played for Butler High School," Milanovich said. "There's something about playing with the guys you grew up with."

Over the years, Milanovich has done quite a bit of growing up - one doesn't travel the world as much as Milanovich has without doing so.

In the process, he has found an appreciation for his lot in life: A career footballer looking to impart some wisdom on the next Scott Milanovich.

He's doing that as a quarterbacks coach in NFL Europe, working with the likes of former Dallas QB Chad Hutchinson while always keeping an eye toward his next gig, whatever that may be.

"Mike Shula said it best," Milanovich said. "He told me not to worry about the next job. Take care of the one you've got now."

Milanovich's job now is family man, husband to Jaime and father to Macall and Maggie. He has a new house in Alfred and is taking some time off before that next job.And he's always cognizant of what football has done for him."Football has given me a lot," Milanovich said. "It's given me the life I always dreamed about."As a kid, Milanovich dreamed about being a quarterback. In junior high, he showed skills for the position that belied his youth."There weren't too many kids in junior high that could stand in the pocket and throw the ball the way he could," said former Butler football coach Tim Nunes in a story published in the Butler Eagle in 1996.When he got to high school, Milanovich led Butler to the WPIAL final during his senior season and parlayed his skills into a scholarship at the University of Maryland.In just one year, Milanovich became the Terrapins' starting quarterback and enjoyed one of the most prodigious starts in college football history."The whole thing at Maryland happened so fast," Milanovich said. "In my first four games, I threw for 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns."The cosmic tumblers had fallen into place. Milanovich, at 6-feet-2, 220 pounds, was in the run-and-shoot offense. He was deadly accurate with his strong right arm and mobile enough to skirt out of harm's way.Milanovich was at the top of the college football heap.Records were falling. He ended up eclipsing 17 Maryland passing records and single-handedly erased nearly all mention of former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason from the Terrapins' record book.Little did he know that he would soon fall as well.

Milanovich had been hit by defensive ends and defensive tackles, by linebackers and safeties, but nothing was as ferocious as the hit he took from scandal.Before his senior season, the NCAA suspended Milanovich for eight games - eventually reduced to four - for betting the paltry sum of $200 on various sporting events between 1992 and 1994.He didn't bet on any Maryland sports, but all bets were off on his senior season at the school and his shot at becoming a hot commodity in the NFL.But the tough times only strengthened Milanovich's resolve."When I fell down, my parents picked me up, dusted me off and put me back in there," he said.He didn't realize it at the time, but the experience helped him with his own children years later."I'll never forget that," Milanovich said. "Now with my own children, watching them make mistakes is hard. I can understand what my parents were going through back then. My college experience, good and bad - it taught me so much."

Whether it was the scandal or simply the belief that Milanovich's lofty statistics (7,301 passing yards, 49 touchdowns) were the product of the Maryland's offensive system, he wasn't selected in the 1996 NFL draft.He quickly signed with Tampa Bay and languished as the Buccaneers' third string quarterback for three seasons. He played in one game in the NFL, completing 2-of-3 passes for nine yards.He was selected in the expansion draft by the Cleveland Browns in 1999, but saw no regular season action.Those years he spent watching the game from the sidelines - most of the time inactive and in street clothes - gave Milanovich a unique perspective on the game.He gleaned information from Clyde Christensen, Maryland's quarterback coach when Milanovich was there and the tight ends coach for Tampa Bay when Milanovich was a Buc.He also learned from Tampa Bay coach Mike Shula and quarterback Trent Dilfer. He was a sponge, soaking up knowledge.Milanovich uses bits and pieces now in his coaching."Any player will tell you that any coach - even if they don't care for them - they try to learn from them and take pieces of something they did and incorporate it. That's what I have done," he said.Milanovich had plenty of coaches to learn from.He spent time in NFL Europe as a player, in the Arena Football League and in the XFL as the backup to Tommy Maddox on the Los Angeles Xtreme - the first and last XFL champion."It was like a three-month vacation," Milanovich said. "Tommy and I were good friends. We had a great team, but some of the things the league asked us to do was, well, embarrassing."He played in the AFL in 2002 for the Tampa Bay Storm before hanging up the pads for good and focusing on coaching.Milanovich thought he had a secure spot as a quarterbacks coach for Calgary of the CFL, but after a dismal season, the head coach was fired. So was the coaching staff.Milanovich's next move is unclear.He doesn't know if he would like to pursue a coaching career in college or pro football. All he thinks about are those words uttered to him by Shula all those years ago.He's not worrying about his next job just yet."I didn't make a lot of money or become famous," Milanovich said. "But I learned a lot of life lessons."