Ed Codi knows all about championship games.

The 1964 Butler graduate has played in them, coached in them, even broadcast them.

"I've been involved in nine WPIAL championship games and one state championship game," Codi said. "There's all kinds of memories there."

Codi, 58, played and coached in six WPIAL championship games. Because of his championship versatility, Codi will be inducted into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame during the organization's annual banquet April 24 at the Butler Days Inn.

He will become the 10th member of Butler's 1963 football team to enter the Hall.

"That's probably what I'm most proud of, being part of that team," Codi said. "I don't know if any other team in the area can say it has 10 guys in this Hall of Fame. Butler's 1950 football team has done it, maybe."

Codi was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Golden Tornado from 1961-63 and played on fellow Hall of Famer Art Bernardi's first football team at Butler.

Butler was 33-3 during that three-year stretch - losing just one home game - and Codi made fourth-team all-state his senior year.

The 1963 team finished 9-1, losing only to West Mifflin North, 12-6, in the WPIAL championship game at Forbes Field.

"They had more than 20,000 people at that game," Codi said. "It's believed to be the largest crowd ever to watch a football playoff game there.

"Butler played in the same conference as teams like Aliquippa, New Castle, Sharon and Farrell, when the steel mills and steel towns were booming. It was a wonderful era for high school football," he added.

After accepting a scholarship to play football at Kent State University, Codi transferred to Slippery Rock, where he was a two-year starter at defensive end for coach Bob DiSpirito.

SRU did not have a winning season while Codi played there.

"My first game was against defending national champion Waynesburg and we lost 61-7," Codi said. "That was more points than we gave up during my senior year at Butler.

"I had no regrets playing there, though. I made a lot of great friends and had a lot of fun," he added.

Once he got into coaching, Codi resumed his winning ways.

He was an assistant football coach at Oil City from 1969-71, then was assistant football coach at Butler from 1972-79 and assistant track coach for the Golden Tornado from 1973-75.

Codi coached a jumper to the state finals twice and led Butler's high jumpers to the WPIAL relay championship in 1975. The Tornado track team won three straight conference championships.

Coaching defensive ends and offensive line, Codi was part of a Butler coaching staff that led the team to a 33-2 record from 1975-77, concluding with a WPIAL championship in 1977.

Codi broke into broadcasting in 1980 and has done Butler football, basketball and baseball games on the radio. He is still the voice of Butler football and basketball.

"For a while, I was coaching baseball and football at Butler and broadcasting basketball," Codi said. "I was involved in all three sports."

He was also an assistant football coach at North Allegheny in 1996-97, helping the Tigers to win 19 of 23 games and to reach the playoffs twice.

Codi was an assistant baseball coach at North Allegheny from 1996-98, helping the team finish 24-2 and win the state championship in 1996.

"I've enjoyed coaching and broadcasting because it's kept me in the game," Codi said. "Being around the kids and watching them develop is what it's all about.

"You get spoiled, watching all of the football and basketball playoff games," he added. "With Mark Jula and George Abraham, we were in the playoffs every year. We took it for granted we'd be there. It's been a lot of fun."