BUTLER TWP — Butler was looking for experience. Jim Rankin was looking for an opportunity.

Both got what they were seeking.

Rankin, 62, who won 144 games while reaching the WPIAL playoffs 17 times as head coach at North Allegheny before retiring in 2005, was hired as the Golden Tornado's new football coach during Monday night's Butler School Board meeting.

"We're thrilled to get a coach with the experience and pedigree of Jim Rankin," said Mike Strutt, Butler assistant superintendent. "We put together a search committee and the specific criteria we were looking for included extensive experience and previous success.

"Coach Rankin has plenty of both."

More than 50 applications were received for the position. Others, including Rankin, were sought by the committee. Five individuals were interviewed.

"We felt Mr. Rankin had the qualifications we were looking for, so we asked him to interview," Strutt said.

Rankin was hired with unanimous vote of 9-0. He becomes Butler's seventh head coach since 1992.

"I retired from a 35-year teaching career in 2005 and was football coach at North Allegheny for 18 years," Rankin said. "It was time for a change. It was time to move on.

"Coaching football is my life. Even though I retired, I've never stopped coaching."

A Pittsburgh resident, Rankin served as an assistant football coach at Carnegie Mellon University for three years. He joined the staff of brother-in-law Ray Reitz at Jeannette High in 2008 and helped the Jayhawks compile a 10-2 record and reach the PIAA semifinals.

When Reitz moved on to Latrobe High last year, Rankin joined him and another longtime friend in coaching, Art Tragesser, who was hired as Norwin's coach Feb. 8.

"Art, Ray and I grew up together in Jeannette," Rankin said. "I'd never gotten the opportunity to coach with Art until last year."

Butler's search committee approached Rankin weeks ago.

"My passion for football made me look at this," Rankin said. "I love being around the game and working with kids. Honestly, living in Pittsburgh, I haven't been following what's been going on with the program up here.

"It's not something that's going to be turned around yesterday. But it may not take as long as some people think, either."

Rankin replaces Jeff McAnallen, who was 3-24 in three seasons, including winless campaigns in 2007 and 2009. McAnallen still lives and teaches in the district and has interest in becoming an assistant in the new regime.

Rankin said he hopes to compile a "healthy mix" of assistant coaches, including some Butler residents who are interested in turning the program around.

"It's tricky assembling a staff at the high school level," he said. "Teaching jobs have to work out. I want longtime professional coaches, young coaches, locally based coaches — I want guys committed to winning."

Rankin said he was attracted the town atmosphere and Butler's facilities.

"Butler is a town and I love town atmosphere with football," he said. "People in the community care and want to win. It's important to them.

"There's a turf field there now, a beautiful press box, renovated stadium, outstanding weight room. ... Usually, you have to win first to get those things. When we won a state title at NA, we got a turf field.

"To see Butler putting those changes in place shows me a district wanting to be better. I thought it was an attractive thing," Rankin added.

The coach plans to begin rebuilding the program immediately.

"The No. 1 thing is to meet and talk with the boys who are coming back," he said. "The No. 2 is to ask them about some of the other good athletes in the school not playing football and how we can get them to come out.

"I'm going to establish the weight training and conditioning program they use at Carnegie Mellon because it's outstanding. Selling that conditioning process to the kids is an important step."

The final steps include "establishing in the kids' minds a vision of what could be," Rankin said.

"At some point, you need that signature win, beating somebody you're not supposed to beat. Accomplish something you weren't sure you could do and it rolls from there.

"That's the mission we're looking at right now," the new coach added.