Winning isn't everything.

Hank Keller demonstrated that in the relatively short time I knew him.

He was a winner — and so much more.

Keller, who began his 18th year as Butler High School golf coach this season, died Tuesday at 62.

He coached winning teams in each of his first nine years as Golden Tornado golf coach. He won the section title in 2002 with the likes of John Aubrey Jr., Jon Pratkanis and others who comprised perhaps the best golf team the program ever fielded.

Aubrey finished fourth and Pratkanis eighth in the state tournament that year, becoming Butler's first golfers to medal at the PIAA tourney in 10 years.

The following season, Butler struggled to a 5-12 record with an inexperienced team.

Both seasons might as well have ended exactly the same way.

All of Keller's teams could have because Hank's demeanor never changed.

He never missed phoning in his team's scores to the Eagle, win or lose. He always was upbeat, always smiling, ready to share a funny story or a good joke with anyone at anytime.

He loved life and wasn't afraid to show it.

Keller always said being a golf coach was the ideal job in any high school athletic department.

"When you're coaching, you're playing golf," he once described his job to me. "When your team's playing, you can't go on the course with the kids, so you hang around the clubhouse, grab a bite to eat or whatever.

"Who wouldn't want a job like that?"

Slippery Rock High coach Merle Whitmer, Seneca Valley coach Steve Mayes and Keller entered this season with a combined 61 years of coaching golf under their belts.

Whitmer and Mayes coach on. Hank was taken from us far too soon.

More to the point: he was taken from his players far too soon.

Besides coaching golf, Keller was a teacher in the Butler district for 40 years before retiring in 2008.

He could have bid adieu to all his duties at that point, but he didn't.

Even while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer a while back, Keller continued to coach his golf team.

Andrew Shakely tied the school record with a 33 during a nine-hole round in 2007. Keller was as proud of that achievement as any coaching victory.

A lot of adults — coaches or otherwise — claim it's all about the youngsters.

In Hank Keller's heart, it truly was.

In an age when everyone's caught up in wins and losses, who should be hired, who should be fired and berating officials and coaching decisions, Hank Keller never lost sight of the game.

And games are supposed to be fun.

Fun is why Hank Keller hung around sports and maintained unflappable loyalty to Butler athletics for so many years.

Rest in peace, Hank.

You've earned it.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle