Well received
BUTLER TWP — A packed house and a packed Hall.
That's what the 49th annual Butler County Sports Hall of Fame banquet added up to Saturday night at the Butler Days Inn.
More than 300 people were on hand to witness the inductions of Terry Henry, Jimmy Stewart, Marlesse Schlott Hames, Jefferson Dickson, Jeff McAnallen, Scott Grinder, the late Steve Napora and the 1976-77 state runner up Mars High School girls basketball team.
The Hall of Fame began as a farewell dinner to Ed Vargo, a Butler resident embarking upon his major league career, in 1966. It now has 319 members.
Jim Lokhaiser has served as master of ceremonies for 48 of the 49 banquets.
“Every year, I get to welcome in a new group of inductees,” Lokhaiser said. “I'm always thrilled to death. I've watched a lot of them grow up.”
Grinder was a professional umpire for 12 years and now serves as president of Christian Sports International. He umpired with Vargo for 10 days in the major leagues.
“That was a dream come true for me,” Grinder said. “Ed Vargo was one of the most respected umpires I've ever worked with. He taught me so much about the game. He was one of the best of all time.
“I was working third base in a 1985 game between the Cardinals and Cubs when there were four stolen bases on one play. Vince Coleman stole third and home, Willie McGee second and third. That's the only time in baseball history that's happened.
“That's my claim to fame,” he added, laughing.
David Napora accepted his late father's induction by reading a congratulatory letter he composed to him. Steve Napora played on Butler's first golf team, medaled in the WPIAL and PIAA Championships, and went on to win every tournament at Butler Country Club.
“You always said more business deals were closed on the golf course than in any board room,” Napora said.
“I recall a conversation we had one day on the 10th tee, about your feeling about golf's code of honor. There's no room for cheating on a golf course. If you cheat in golf, you'll likely cheat in life, work and marriage.”
Henry was a winning football coach at East Brady and Seneca Valley after lettering two years as a quarterback at Slippery Rock University. He was 69-16-3 at East Brady, 74-48-2 at Seneca Valley.“At East Brady, I had two assistants. At Seneca Valley, I had five and a lot more experience,” Henry said. “At times we had nine or 10 coaches on the field, including the volunteers.“We just had to change the culture at Seneca. Before I got there, nobody wanted to play Butler, North Allegheny, North Hills,. I wanted to play those teams.“So many good things happen in athletics. An athletic budget is one percent of a school budget and I've seen athletics pull a community together,” Henry added.Stewart was a kick-boxing world champion who was 19-0 as a pro.“I thank God above for all of my success,” Stewart said. “He sent many angels down to look over me. It's a vicious sport, kick-boxing is, and things don't always go well.“I'm in four different Hall of Fames and a lot of people have told me that no matter what I do, I'll never be recognized in my hometown. Tonight, I guess those people are wrong.”Schlott Hames is still Seneca Valley's all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 1.062 points. She pitched the Raiders' softball team to a WPIAL title and state runner-up finish as well.“Through basketball, soccer and softball, high school and college, my parents never missed a game,” Schlott Hames said. “I only hope I can provide the guidance for my daughters that they did for me.My brother was 6-foot-2 and I remember fielding balls he'd hit at me. I had to catch it or I'd get hurt. He took no prisoners.”Dickson won the WPIAL golf title while at Knoch and became a two-time high school state champion.“I was playing golf one day at Foxburg and a guy playing behind us hit a shot that hit me in the head,” Dickson said. “It happened to be Bob Ford, the golf pro at Oakmont, and he wound up working with me and taking my game to another level.“My grandfather, Dr. Jack Smith, was influential in putting golf clubs in my hands. He taught us about golf and life.“Only three high school kids have ever become two-time Pennsylvania state champions: Jay Sigel, a standout on the Champions Tour, Arnold Palmer and myself. I never became the golfers they did, but I'm just as proud of my accomplishments in life,” Dickson added.McAnallen was an all-WPIAL lineman at Butler who went on start at the University of Tulsa.“I played football for 12 years and got to touch the ball once — when my best friend fumbled against Bethel Park,” McAnallen said. “I never had any statistics. All I had to do was move people.“But I had a blast playing that game.”Eleven of the 14 players on the 1976-77 Mars girls team — finishing 27-1 with the lone loss being in the PIAA title game — attended the banquet. Head coach Carol DeVenzio and assistant Marcia Semple were on hand as well.“On November 1st, 1976, we talked about team and individual goals and these girls said they wanted to go to Hershey,” DeVenzio said. “I sensed the determination and excitement, so I said, OK, let's get started.'”Mars became the fourth team inducted into the BCSHOF, joining the 2000 Karns City girls basketball squad, the 1950 Butler football team and 1995 Seneca Valley baseball squad.“The tallest girl on our team was 5-foot-7 ... tall by our standards, short by everybody else's,” DeVenzio said. “But our team GPA was 3.8 and that team had support groups that followed them everywhere.”Team captains were Linda Trump McLaughlin and Leda Best.“Girls sports at Mars were in their infancy back then,” McLaughlin said. “Our coaches gave us their knowledge, showed us we had the ability and gave us the confidence to go on the court and prove it.“If I was born four or five years earlier, I would never have had the opportunity to experience that season. I'm grateful for that.”
