Galante, former Tornado standout, dies at 66
Whether it was on the football field or baseball diamond, Rick Galante's raw talent was difficult to miss.
He was the starting quarterback for Butler High School his junior and senior seasons and starred in the spring as an infielder.
“He was an exceptional football player, but was probably an even better baseball player,” said Jim Lokhaiser, a longtime play-by-play announcer on local radio stations. “He was an all-around good athlete.”
Galante, a 1973 Butler graduate, died Monday at the age of 66.
Ed Codi was an assistant football coach under Art Bernardi while Galante was under center.
“I grew up near the Galante family on Butler's south side,” he said. “Rick was a great kid, always polite.”
But there was nothing friendly about Galante's tenacity on the field and his will to win.
He saw limited action for Butler's football team as a sophomore in 1970, throwing his first varsity touchdown pass.
His breakout effort came as a junior when he became the first quarterback in Butler history to throw double-digit touchdown passes in a single campaign.
Three of the scoring tosses came in one game, a 34-14 win at Sharon.
Galante's passes helped receiver Dirk Johnston snag over 20 passes in one season, another first for the Golden Tornado.
“Rick had a good arm and if he played now, he'd throw the ball much more,” Codi said. “But we played in a predominantly run, I-formation offense.
“There were games when he attempted just 10 passes and ran the ball seven or eight times. He was very mobile and Coach Bernardi did a lot of different things with him.”
Despite Galante's efforts, Butler struggled to a 4-5 record in 1971.
As a senior, the team's record more resembled the high-level of play of its quarterback as the Tornado went 7-1-1 in the regular season and Galante was named All-WPIAL.
“Back then, they used Gardner Points to decide who went to the playoffs,” said Codi. “You could finish with seven or eight wins and not go.”
At the time, Butler competed in the Midwestern Athletic Conference.
“Ambridge, Aliquippa, Sharon, Farrell ... it was a great conference with a lot of competitive teams,” said Lokhaiser.
Galante, who had a tryout with the Kansas City Royals and went on to earn a letter for Clarion State College's football team in 1974, helped the Tornado navigate the tough slate two years in a row.
“He could speak up when he had to, wasn't afraid to do that,” said Codi, “but he mostly led with his play on the field. He was a terrific quarterback.”
