BUTLER TWP— For Jeff McAnallen, it was a job worth waiting for.

The 1990 Butler graduate and former Golden Tornado football player was approved as the high school's varsity football coach by unanimous vote Monday night during Butler's school board meeting.

McAnallen, 35, has been offensive and defensive line coach at North Hills High School since 1997.

He replaces Garry Cathell, who was fired as coach in December after compiling an 18-32 record over five years with no WPIALplayoff appearances.

Cathell, recently named head football coach at Elizabeth Forward High School, resigned his teaching position at Butler, effective March 9. McAnallen will take over that teaching job and has been named assistant athletic director as well.

"I've never applied for another head coaching position,"McAnallen said. "This is the only head coaching job I've ever wanted. It's the only job I'd leave North Hills for.

"I was in a comfort zone at North Hills. We've had the same staff there for 10 years. Any of those guys could be a head coach somewhere. But there's never a reason for anybody to leave."

Except to come home.

"I was the only member of that coaching staff who wasn't from North Hills,"McAnallen admitted. "All those other guys were already home. Now I am, too."

McAnallen said he considered applying for the Butler job when it was open five years ago, but did not after speaking with then-athletic director Tim O'Malley.

"I was only 29 then and didn't have that many years in coaching,"McAnallen said. "Tim told me if I wanted to apply, to go ahead, but they were looking for somebody with previous head coaching experience at the time."

The board received 33 applications for the head football position this year and interviewed eight applicants.

"Clearly, Mr. McAnallen was the choice of the board,"said Ed Fink, Butler superintendent, who added that McAnallen was named assistant athletic director "with the growth of athletics in our district."

The assistant athletic director role is a new position in the school district.

"I really feel Mr. McAnallen will bring back the program to what we expect it to be,"board member Craig Lucas said.

McAnallen was an offensive tackle for coach Tim Nunes at Butler and was a three-year starter. The Tornado went to the playoffs during his senior year. He received a full football scholarship to the University of Tulsa.

The three quarterbacks he blocked for in high school and college — Scott Milanovich at Butler, Gus Frerotte and T.J. Rubley at Tulsa — went on to play in the NFL.

McAnallen was a member of a North Hills staff that has been to the playoffs each of the last eight seasons while winning at least eight games during each of those years.

He coached under Florida high school coaching legend George Smith for two years at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale before coaching under Lon Hazlett for a year at Karns City.

Now that he's leading the Tornado, he has only one purpose: creating a successful team.

"The goal every year is to win every game,"McAnallen said. "You have to think that way."

McAnallen is inheriting a program coming off a 3-7 season and graduating 25 seniors. The Tornado have not been to the WPIALplayoffs since 1998.

"I don't think there's any starters coming back, but that's OK,"McAnallen said. "We'll get to camp and the best 11 kids are going to play, no matter who they are, and we'll get going."

Butler will employ a multi-spread offense and a 44 defense — the same system used by McCurry at North Hills.

"It's what I know. It's what we'll do,"McAnallen said.

McCurry said McAnallen is the first assistant coach he's ever lost to a head coaching post at another school.

"We're going to miss him sorely,"McCurry said. "Our loss is Butler's gain. He's ready to run a program. I give my assistant coaches free reign to do their jobs, and Jeff handled his extremely well.

"I'm anxious to see how he does up there. I wish him well — except for one game."

North Hills and Butler are members of the Northern Five and play each other annually.

"(McAnallen) knows the teams in our league well and he knows our program,"said Butler assistant superintendent of personnel Jerry Slamecka. "And he worked under one of the best high school football coaches in the state for 10 years.

"Those were all factors weighing in his favor. The big thing is that he's from here and passionately wants this program to succeed."

McAnallen was an assistant wrestling coach under Scott Stoner at Butler 10 years ago. He played youth football at East Butler and was a three-year letterman in high school track as well.

He is the nephew of Dess Schnur, president of the Butler County American Legion Baseball League.

"Jeff is a community person,"Schnur said. "That's the reason he came back."

McAnallen plans to be on staff at Butler within a month. Interviews for positions on his coaching staff will take place over the next two weeks.

"We'll have a full coaching staff in place within a month, get the conditioning program in place and be off and running,"McAnallen said.

The coach said North Hills wins consistently because of a commitment to the tradition of the program.

"Jack McCurry is successful because he's more than a football coach. He's a role model to kids,"McAnallen said. "It takes more than great players to win. For four months, a football coach spends more time with his players than their parents do.

"You instill pride. Kids play football for their coach, their community and their school. It takes pride to do that."

Staff writer Megan Duncan contributed to this report.