Longtime Butler Area Midget Football League secretary and coach Greg Brown died of a heart attack last year.

League officials have taken measures to see that his name never passes away.

The organization has established two scholarships in Brown's name that will be awarded annually to two graduating Butler High School football players.

Much of the funding for these scholarships will come from the Greg Brown Memorial Golf Outing, with the inaugural event slated for July 29 at Aubrey's Dubbs Dred.

"We had talked about putting a scholarship fund together even before Greg's death," BAMFLsecretary Steve Monteleone said. "Once he died, it just seemed natural to do it in his honor.

"This is a man who dedicated 28 years of his life to this league as a player, coach, secretary, board of director and financial planner."

Monteleone said the league was a financial disaster 12 years ago before Brown established an organized budget.

"He completely turned it around,"Monteleone said.

The BAMFLwill award two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from the Golden Tornado football team each year. Criteria for eligibility include three years of play in the BAMFL, a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher and being at least a two-year letterman.

"The recipients have to keep their grades at a certain level and show hard work and dedication in life, because those are the traits that Greg had,"said former BAMFL coach Bob Zavacky and a good friend of Brown's.

The golf outing costs $60 per person and is a four-man scramble. Through last week, 25 foursomes had registered, and Monteleone hopes to get as many as 40 to 45 foursomes on the course.

Family and friends of Brown from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut and Texas are coming to play in the event.

"That's going to be a big day for a man whose name deserves to be honored,"Zavacky said.

League treasurer Fred Reese said tying Brown's name to the scholarships will educate future youths about the type of person he was.

It's a good way to keep Greg alive in the Midget system,"Reese said. "We won't let his name die. He did a lot of work for this league behind the scenes that nobody really saw.

"A lot of kids will have interest in striving for these scholarships. At the very least, they'll understand who Greg Brown was."

There were 200 players in the BAMFL10 years ago. Nearly 500 were in the league last year.

"I don't think there's an athletic organization around stronger than the Midget Football League,"Zavacky said. "Greg is responsible for a lot of that."

Travis Brown, 34, one of Brown's sons, played for the Penn Street Cardinals while his father coached the team years ago.

"When I was a kid growing up in Butler, everybody played in that league,"he said. "Having Dad coach me is a great childhood memory.

"To this day, a lot of guys around here get together and talk about their Midget Football League days."

Brown has one brother, Josh, and two sisters. Lindsay and Holly. Their mother, Marie, now lives on North McKean Street.

"My whole family is excited about this,"Brown said of the golf outing and scholarship fund. "Dad would have loved this."

Anyone interested in participating in the Greg Brown Memorial Golf Outing can call Monteleone at 724-282-7616.