SAXONBURG — Football wasn't going to last forever for Jennifer Kopac.

But sports in general always have been a constant in her life.

Still an active volleyball player and a part-time physical education instructor at Butler County Community College who is involved in sports performance training on the side, Kopac is being inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.

She is one of seven scheduled to be enshrined at the 45th annual banquet April 24 at the Butler Days Inn.

"I played football through eighth grade," said Kopac, a 1989 Knoch graduate whose maiden name is Crouch. "I was never told I couldn't play anymore, but I knew it wasn't going to lead me anywhere.

"I wasn't going to be offered a football scholarship at Penn State."

So she switched to volleyball and became a three-time all-section performer, was an all-WPIAL selection her senior season and was named team MVP.

Involved in track and field since grade school, Kopac broke the WPIAL javelin record and was a three-time WPIAL and state champion in that event.

She also placed in the shot put and discus at WPIAL and state meets.

"I always did well in the throwing events for my age," Kopac said. "I thought I had a chance to accomplish a few things in that area."

And she did receive that scholarship to Penn State in track and field.

Kopac was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball and track in high school, a three-year letterwinner in indoor track and a four-year letterwinner in outdoor track in college.

"I doubled up in events in college (shot put and javelin) at a time when most athletes specialized in one event," Kopac said.

She became the ECAC javelin champion and made all-Big Ten in the shot put and javelin. She was an Olympic qualifier participant in 1992.

"I didn't make the Olympic team. I fell short of my ultimate goal, but I was pretty satisfied otherwise," Kopac said.

She once served 18 aces in a volleyball match against Butler and her WPIAL javelin record of 165 feet, 9 inches will stand forever because of changes made in that event.

"With my arm strength in track, I could always serve the (volleyball) pretty hard, too," Kopac said.

"The day I set that javelin record, I was in second place going into my final throw in the WPIAL finals. I let go of it and knew it was a good one. I didn't think it would land 12 to 15 feet farther than my best throw ever," she added.

Nominated by a track official who witnessed her exploits, Kopac was inducted into the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2006.

She holds the Knoch record shot put throw of 43-7 and was a USA Today High School All-American as well.

When Kopac was a freshman on the Knights volleyball team, the squad won two matches. By the time she was a senior, "the program was on the verge of a breakthrough," she said.

Kopac later returned to serve for five years as an assistant coach under Diane Geist. Knoch volleyball now has been a consistent winner for years.

"I like to think I contributed to the turnaround of that program," she said.

Kopac has been contributing to the turnaround of numerous athletes through sports performance training. She works on athletes' speed and agility.

"I've worked with college football players and I've worked with 9 and 10 year olds," she said. "I've worked with entire teams and with individuals."

She also participates in coed volleyball tournaments and has played for numerous league and tournament champions in the Pittsburgh area.

Kopac has two children: daughter Abby, 9, and son Rocky, 7.

"I'm helping them through their athletic careers now," she said. "My son plays football, basketball and baseball; my daughter basketball and softball.

"I tried talking Abby into playing football. She didn't go for it."

Tickets to the banquet are $20 each with tables of eight available. Tickets are available at Bill's Beer Barn, Moses Jewelry Store at the Clearview Mall, Parker's Appliance in Chicora, Snack 'n' Pack in Butler and Saxonburg Drug.

<i>This is the sixth in a series of seven articles profiling the 2010 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.</i>