25 in 2025: Top athletes, coaches, teams and stories in Butler County sports since 2000
Twenty-five. A nice, round number.
The first quarter of the 21st century is (give or take) complete. Time to take stock.
The Butler Eagle sports staff has spent the past few months on a project called 25 in 2025, looking back at the last 25 years. We’re naming the top male and female athletes, coaches and teams the county has produced since 2000. And we’re breaking down some of the big changes sports have gone through in the area in that time — and are taking a peak at our crystal ball.
And you will get your say as well, with a chance to vote on who you think were the top athletes. We’ll run those results at the end of the week.
Throughout the week, a new Top 25 and story looking back at a key topic will drop every day on butlereagle.com and in the Butler Eagle print sports section. Check back daily for the latest Top 25 and rewind.
– Rank them: Vote for your top 20 athletes, coaches and teams since 2000 (voting ends Thursday)
– Meet the Butler Eagle’s Top 25 male athletes between 2000 and 2025, ranked 1-25
– Meet the Butler Eagle’s Top 25 female athletes between 2000 and 2025, ranked 1-25 (Tuesday)
– Meet the Butler Eagle’s Top 25 coaches between 2000 and 2025, ranked 1-25 (Wednesday)
– Meet the Butler Eagle’s Top 25 teams between 2000 and 2025, ranked 1-25 (Thursday)
– Here’s who you voted the top 20 athletes, coaches and teams since 2000 (Friday)
– Health and safety, girls sports and specialization have reshaped high school athletics
– A sports boom: lacrosse, girls wrestling and club sports have taken off (Tuesday)
– All-(non)natural: Why school districts have embraced turf fields in recent years (Wednesday)
– What’s behind Butler County’s soccer success? (Thursday)
– Looking ahead to 2050: 25 bold predictions and things to watch for in the next 25 years (Friday)
– Pullman Park: The Butler staple has weathered renovations, leadership turnover and more (Friday)
The Butler Eagle sports staff began this project several months ago, coming up with a dozens of nominees by looking through archives, various Halls of Fame and asking local athletic departments.
Sports editor Jake Merda Adams, sports reporters Derek Pyda and Brendan Howe, and former sports editor John Enrietto voted on the nominees, and ballots were combined to produce the Top 25s above.
Performances in Butler County between 2000 and 2025 were considered most heavily of all our criteria. Performances by athletes and coaches whose careers started before 2000 were also weighed during voting, as were careers that later extended beyond Butler County. Some athletes were classified as “community” athletes if they did not represent a local high school in this century but competed as a representative of a part of Butler County.
Share your thoughts and memories on these athletes, coaches and teams by voting in our fan vote above, leaving a comment on our Butler Eagle social media accounts or emailing sports@butlereagle.com.
