Bill Black

This is the fifth in a series of articles profiling the 2011 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of FameFrom baseball to hockey to golf, sports have always been a part of Bill Black’s life — and still are today.“I was an average infielder at best,” said Black, who was born and raised in Butler and played a season as a second baseman at Butler County Community College. “I was nothing to write home about.”Hockey and golf? Different story.Black, 58, won 243 games and a number of championships as a hockey coach and is a three-time Butler County golf champion.Those achievements have landed him induction into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. Black will be one of seven inducted into the Hall at the organization’s annual banquet April 30 at the Butler Days Inn.“I’m really honored and excited to be going in,” Black said of his induction. “There’s a lot of great names in there.”Black’s mother died when he was 11. He was sent to Milton Hershey School — an educational facility for either orphaned children or those with one living parent — in Hershey and attended school there for six years.He played hockey at Milton Hershey, an independent team not affiliated with any league.“I had a good high school coach who taught us the fundamentals of the game,” Black said. “You didn’t have to be a superstar to be an effective player if you’re playing in a system.“That’s what I took from him. You didn’t have to be a superstar to play this game.”Upon graduating from Milton Hershey, Black attended BC3 for only one year. He got a job working for the City of Butler and went on to work for the city for 31 years.When he saw Butler High School was beginning a hockey program and was looking for a coach, he decided to apply.From 1971-74, Black coached the Golden Tornado before moving on to Hampton, where he coached from 1975-87, winning three Class AA division championships.“From 1987-90, I didn’t coach because my three boys were involved in sports — baseball, soccer, basketball, football — and I was busy with them,” Black said. “I didn’t miss coaching, but I always thought I would get back into it.”He did, accepting the Butler job again in 1990 and coaching the team until 1997. The Tornado won the WPIHL Class A title in 1990 and the Class AAA crown in 1994.Black’s sons — Nathan, Willy and Derek — played hockey for him at Butler in 1993-94.“Having those three on the team and what we accomplished that year ... It was my most memorable time in coaching,” Black said.He went on to be named Dapper Dan All-StarCoach three times and the WPIHL All-Star coach on six occasions. He officiated hockey as well.Black took up golf in 1975 and won his first Butler County Open Championship in 1983. He repeated that title in 1991.When the county event returned as the Butler Eagle Amateur Open, Black won it again in 1997.“It was only through a lot of hard work that I’ve been able to play the game of golf,” Black said. “You only get out of that game what you put into it.”Black went on to serve as Butler Eagle Amateur Open committee chairman and coordinated the event for 12 years. He won the Armco/Oakview Golf Club championship in 1988, 1997 and 2005.Now employed by the Milton Hershey School, he qualified for the American Cancer Society PA State Team Championship in 1995 and the Oldsmobile Team Championship in 2001. Both events took place in Orlando, Fla.Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. banquet are $20 and are available at Bill’s Beer Barn and Snack ‘n Pack in Butler, Moses Jewelers at the Clearview Mall, Parker Appliance in Chicora and Saxonburg Drug.