Sacco

Relatively speaking, Jim Sacco got a late start in gymnastics.

His career caught up to and surpassed most of his competition, however, and the 1963 Butler graduate is entering the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame as a result.

Sacco will be one of seven inductees honored during the organization's 43rd annual banquet April 26 at the Butler Days Inn.

Despite not starting his gymnastics career until seventh grade, Sacco wound up winning the Western Pennsylvania Gymnastics all-around championship in 1963 and gaining a full scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh.

"I was only 5-foot-4 or so, too small to play football or basketball,"Sacco said. "My first experience in gymnastics was at the Lyndora school.

"Paul Uram used to take his gymnastics team in there to do exercises. I was watching them and wanted to give it a try."

Sacco wound up lettering in the sport for four years in high school.

"I loved the parallel bars," he said. "The flow of that event connected so many disciplines — strength, flexibility, etc. — that I loved the challenge of it.

"Most gymnasts enjoyed the floor routines more. I guess I was different."

His performance level certainly was.

Sacco went on to place fourth in all-around at the Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League Championships as a senior at Pitt in 1967. He placed sixth in that competition as a sophomore and junior.

"The three guys ahead of me that last year were from Penn State and Temple,"Sacco recalled. "Those two programs were among the best in the country. It was tough competing against them."

Co-captain of the Pitt squad his senior year, Sacco also was named Pitt Varsity Lettermen's Club MVPduring his final year in college.

Sacco graduated from Pitt with an engineering degree, but he wasn't through with gymnastics.

He got into coaching at the Brandywine YMCA in 1981, beginning as developmental gymnastics program there.

"I coached there for about 10 years,"Sacco said. "The team was part of the Chester County YMCAsystem. I had a young girl come through the program toward the end of my time there. She wound up as my assistant coach and is still coaching the program today."

Sacco has an adopted son and daughter, both of whom competed in athletics and went to college at Pitt. His daughter played softball and his son played baseball and football.

"I'm glad our kids got to experience sports,"Sacco said. "It was fun for us, too. My wife and I enjoyed going to all of their events.

"I'm thrilled to be going into the Hall of Fame," he said. "I was really surprised when they called me because so many years had gone by, but it's worth the wait."

<I>This is the third in a series of articles profiling the 2008 inductees into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame.</I>