Nunes joining Butler's HOF
This is the fifth in a series of articles profiling the 2013 inductees into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of FameBUTLER TWP — Consider Troy Nunes a throw-back.A talented athlete at a large high school, competing and excelling in three sports — and loving every minute of it.“I had something to do 99 percent of the time throughout the school year,” Nunes said. “It was practicing and playing sports with friends while trying to make myself better.“I enjoyed it. That was what I wanted to do.”Now the 1998 Butler graduate and former Golden Tornado football, basketball and track standout has gained enshrinement in the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame.Nunes and five others will be inducted during a 5 p.m. reception Sept. 20 in the high school cafeteria.“It’s an honor that somebody thought enough of me to put my name out there,” Nunes said. “I’m fortunate to still be thought of after all that time.”Nunes started at quarterback for four years at Butler and another four years at Syracuse University. He threw for more than 1,000 yards as a junior and senior with the Tornado.Nunes became the first freshman to play a regular position on the Butler varsity football team. Jeremy Rock had played special teams as a freshman.“I completed one pass in my first game and we beat the second-ranked team in the state, Penn Hills,” Nunes recalled. “I threw a long touchdown pass to Billy Horner and our strong running game and defense made it hold up.“We would have liked to have won more games during those years,” Nunes said. “We had a lot of good players, but our conference was tough and we always played the best teams out of conference, like Woodland Hills and Penn Hills.“I loved playing for Coach (Sam) Albert and Coach (Mark) Farabee. I appreciated those guys.”Nunes was a starter on Butler basketball teams that made the state semifinals. He was part of the school-record setting 400-meter relay team in track and reached the PIAA meet twice in his prep career.And he relished practices as much, if not moreso, than games.“You practiced a lot more than you played,” Nunes said. “Going to (basketball) practice for George Abraham was one of the most exciting things I ever did in high school.“We ran full-court, man-to-man defense, would score 80 points ... You never knew if he was gonna throw his whistle against the wall or make you run like crazy.”At Syracuse, Nunes received the Syrstone Keystone Award for Excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community. He participated in Orange Bowl, Music City Bowl and Insight.com Bowl with the Orangemen.“At 155 pounds, I had no business getting on the field as a college freshman,” Nunes said. “But I did it and I’m proud of that.”Though his collegiate career ended more than a decade ago, Nunes remains among the Syracuse top five all-time in seven quarterbacking categories, including second in completion percentage at 56.8 and fourth in touchdown passes with 32.“My name’s in the book and that’s nice. I suppose I can show that to my kids at some point,” Nunes said. “Stats are great, numbers are great, but people don’t remember that stuff.“I remember what we did as a team, playing in those three bowl games, how we got there — those are the memories I value.”Nunes works as a financial advisor for professional athletes today.“What I learned from sports is how to compete in a competitive atmosphere,” he said. “I’m still in competitive situations today, competing for clients in the business world.“Having gone through that and developing work ethic as a kid growing up gave me a big advantage in life.”
