BUTLER TWP - The seven latest inductees into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame returned to their roots - and remembered their roots - Saturday night at the Butler Days Inn.

Charles "Mickey" Deahl, Ed Erdos, Tom Paserba, Bill Stanley, Joe Malis, Ray Prokopchak and the late Ralph Ifft joined the Hall during its 40th annual banquet.

Former National League umpire Ed Vargo - the Hall's first inductee in 1966 - received a commemorative award and longtime master of ceremonies Jim Lokhaiser received a Lifetime Achievement Award during the festivities.

Many of the inductees used their acceptance speeches to honor their coaches.

"I dedicate my induction to the coaches in this town who taught me how to succeed," said Prokopchak, a three-sport standout at Butler. "Kids need to have determination and coaches need to provide motivation.

"If the young athlete combines those things with a good attitude, he can use those three ingredients to be successful. It takes a lot of hard work."

Erdos, who went on to a stellar swimming career as an athlete at Slippery Rock University and a coach at Edinboro University, joined his brother Tom Erdos and cousin Bill Erdos in the Hall.

He lauded Vargo, not as an umpire … but as a member of the Butler Recreation Department.

"Ed hired me as a swimming instructor to work with disabled children," Erdos said. "I wound up working with wheelchair aquatics at Edinboro.

"Pump McLaughlin guided me at the Butler YMCA and I wound up working with the National YMCA Swimming and Diving Championships. My career has paralleled some of the men who guided me. I'm grateful for their direction."

Paserba was a football, basketball and track standout at Butler who still holds some Golden Tornado track records.

"I can go all the way back to my Little League coach," Paserba said. "Bob Paserba, Ed Hepe, Art Bernardi, Dick Collodi, Bill Lennox … These people shaped who I am.

"Coach Hepe was one of my favorites. He always had a smile on his face. Art Bernardi was the best football coach Butler's ever had."

Malis owns basketball records at Slippery Rock High School and went on to set records at Clarion University before playing five years of pro basketball in Europe.

He credited his father, a former basketball official, for much of his development as a player.

"But I acquired other elements from coaches," Malis said. "Bob Cowoski gave me the killer instinct. Dick Hartung was one of the hardest-working athletes I've ever known.

"He got the most from his ability. I learned so much from him."

Stanley was so outstanding as a gymnast on the pommel horse at Butler and Penn State that gymnasts came over from Japan to study his technique.

"Guys like Dave McKinnis, Steve Heasley … They're in the Hall of Fame themselves and they coached me," Stanley said. "You need to learn the basics before you can go anywhere and I learned from the best."

Deahl was a standout pitcher from Butler who finished every game he started. He lettered in basketball and track at Edinboro and graduated in just two years there."Participating with and against so many great athletes from this area, it's a humbling experience to be standing here," Deahl said during his induction.Ifft was a Zelienople graduate and a stellar basketball and football player there. He went on to greater fame directing sports entertainment for the troops in the United Kingdom during World War II.Ifft was represented Saturday by his widow, Mary Ellen Ifft, and his daughter, Susan Christie."My father was a very modest man," Christie said. "Doing research for his resume was a journey of discovery for me."I found out he might have made the major leagues had his baseball career not been interrupted by the service. I found out they had an Ifft Day in Beaver Falls honoring his pitching exploits there."He had a baseball signed by the Queen (of England) sitting in the back of his sock drawer for decades. He had a golf handicap of four and won numerous awards. Dad would be so honored by this night - and I feel that honor for him," she added.Merril Moses accepted Vargo's commemorative award on behalf of the retired umpire."I've known Ed for 70 years or so," Moses said. "When we honored him in 1966, it was at the K of C Hall and there were 78 people there. I know how proud he is that his name started this 40-year tradition."Lokhaiser served as master of ceremonies at the fete for the 38th time in 40 years. His achievement award was a surprise to him.A former Butler Cubs quarterback and longtime baseball player and coach in the area, Lokhaiser has been a local radio broadcaster and banquet M.C. for decades."I love this town and I love these athletes," he said. "This is the greatest town in the world as far as I'm concerned."This Hall of Fame reflects how I feel about this county."Saturday's inductions brought the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame's membership to 290.