Butler County Sports Hall of Fame: Meet 2026 inductee Brad Mueller
One game doesn't make a successful career.
It did make a special memory for Brad Mueller — and proved a small part of a career that has landed the 2003 Mars graduate in the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.
The Planet running back carried the football 27 times for 403 yards and seven touchdowns in a 46-30 win over Deer Lakes in 2002. He became only the eighth player in WPIAL history to rush for 400 yards in a single game.
“They were a little hostile toward me that night,” Mueller said of the opposition. “Always in my face, getting extra physical. … I guess we showed ’em that night, right?”
Mueller will join Kelly Coffield, Jence Rhoads, Melinda Rhoads, Jeff Schnur, Mike Seybert and William “Bee” Thoma at an induction ceremony at Butler County Community College’s Founder’s Hall. The ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. April 25. Individual tickets ($35) or for tables of eight are available at butlersportshall.com.
Mueller was inducted into the Mars Hall of Fame in 2013.
“This one is more special to me now,” he said of the BCSHOF induction. “My kids get to be a part of it. They'll see what can happen when you really work hard in life.”
Mueller showed what he was all about virtually every time he touched the ball.
He returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in a playoff game. He set Mars single-season records of 2,126 yards and 25 touchdowns his senior year.
He rushed for 3,460 yards in his high school career, scoring 37 touchdowns. Mueller also had a school-record seven interceptions his senior campaign.
“What I remember about high school was how close we all were,” Mueller said of he and his teammates. “We hung out together at football, outside of football, all the time.
“We reached the WPIAL championship game at Heinz Field. Playing on that field, going in those locker rooms, that's an experience I'll never forget.”
Mueller excelled as a sprinter in track and field, as well. He won three WPIAL titles in the 100 meters and two in the 200. He won two state championships in the 100 and another in the 200.
He was a junior high wrestler and played on the Mars ice hockey team for a couple of years.
“Football was always my favorite sport,” Mueller said. “Being able to use that to get a free college education meant a lot to me.”
Mueller accepted a full scholarship to play defensive back at Boston College, picking the Eagles over other options like Penn State. A starter for multiple years with the Eagles, he was part of a team that won four successive bowl games: the San Francisco Bowl, Continental Tire Bowl, MPC Computers Bowl and Meineke Car Care Bowl.
“Just qualifying for a bowl game was a task in itself,” Mueller said. “Visiting those places was like a vacation, a reward for the season. Winning the games just added to it.
After graduating with a degree in communications from BC, Mueller returned home and finished his college football eligibility at Slippery Rock University. He ran track for SRU as well, winning the Division II indoor 60-meter national championship in 2008.
Mueller received his safety management degree from SRU and is a safety consultant today. He and his family live in Mars, and Mueller works with his father, Paul Mueller.
He has remained active in Mars youth sports, serving as a volunteer coach for Mars Area Club Soccer, as safety director on the Mars Youth Football Board, and as a youth football coach.
He coaches his sons, Brayden, 10, and Nolan, 7, in football.
“They play other sports, too.” Mueller said. “They enjoy it, and I think kids can use different sports to develop their athletic ability.”
