As a player, coach and secretary-treasurer, Greg Brown spent a lifetime serving the Butler Area Midget Football League.

A lifetime that ended much too soon.

Brown recently died of a heart attack at age 58. He had been secretary-treasurer of the BAMFL for nearly 25 years.

"He was the backbone of this league in a lot of ways," league vice-president Steve Monteleone, also Brown's nephew, said. "The league was almost in financial ruin 20 years ago … It almost folded … and Greg set up a financial budget under which it's thrived for years."

Brown was a vice president and district manager with Citizen's Bank, which is working with the BAMFL to establish an annual scholarship in his memory.

"This football league was his second love and his employers knew that," Monteleone said.

Brown played for the Penn Street Cardinals and later coached that team with Mike Kelly and Bob Zavacky.

He lived directly across the street from Emily Brittain Elementary, where the Cardinals used to practice.

"Greg was so dedicated to the league and to the kids," Kelly said. "We stored equipment at his house. He used to leave a garden hose hooked up in his yard for the kids to drink from during practice breaks.

"He put together a financial game-plan for the league and saw that it was carried out. He was very good at detail, at keeping things straight.

"To say we'll miss his contributions doesn't do him justice. His absence will be felt by Butler midget football for a very long time," Kelly added.

The BAMFL put its files on computer recently and Brown kept everything updated on it at his home.

"We'll have to get the computer, download those files and see what's there," league president George "Red" Slater said. "He kept track of everything."

Zavacky, one of Brown's closest friends, described him as "one of the hardest-workers I've ever known."

Zavacky, 56, was good friends with Brown's younger brother when they were kids growing up on Penn Street.

He said Brown played hard, then worked hard.

"He did some kicking for the high school team and was pretty good at it," Zavacky said. "I hung the name 'Golden Toe Brown' on him … I knew how to make him smile.

"Greg was very business-like in everything he did. He was a serious-type person."

Pat Coyle served as the BAMFL's equipment manager for 15 years and worked closely with Brown.

"I know he made my job easier," Coyle said. "Greg kept up with every kid in the league. We had 200 kids playing in the mid-1990's. We had 400 last year and there's close to 500 this year.

"Greg had paperwork on all of them. I used his list to hand out equipment. He worked under so many different (league) presidents and worked well with all of them."

Brown's work ethic was a major reason.

"I never saw a guy work so hard," Zavacky said. "He worked long hours at the bank, he worked on building things at home, he worked on sustaining this league."

The BAMFL spent $20,000 on new equipment this season, due largely to the stringent budget Brown had put together.

The registration fee to play in the BAMFL has gone up a total of only $10 over the past 25 years.

"Any time we wanted to raise it, Greg always fought it," Slater said. "He was always afraid some kid wouldn't be able to pay and wouldn't be able to play.

"You just don't find people as dedicated as that guy was anymore. He's gonna be missed."

Kelly agreed.

"Greg was always involved in the league in some way," Kelly said. "He played. His two sons played. Even after his sons were through playing, Greg stayed with it.

"He was a real strong leader. He did everything. If Greg Brown told you he'd take care of it, it was done. He was that type of guy.

"He was just a solid, solid man, a tremendous husband, a tremendous father, a great community guy … He was a man for all seasons," Kelly added.

Slater described Brown as meticulous and caring.

"I've been through and seen a lot in my life," Slater said. "I'm an old man, and Greg Brown was one of the best."

The BAMFL is instituting a Greg Brown Memorial Traveling Trophy this season that will be presented annually to the league champion. A plaque honoring Brown will be placed in the league's building at Memorial Park as well.