Florie

This is the last in a series of seven articles profiling the 2009 inductees into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame.ZELIENOPLE - He's now a Hall of Famer, but he's not done yet.That's an apt description for longtime high school baseball coach and basketball official Dave Florie, who will be inducted into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame at the 44th annual banquet Saturday night at the Butler Days Inn."It feels good to be included with this fraternity, all of the famous Butler County coaches and athletes," Florie said. "It's a feeling of elation, really."Florie, 68, was the baseball coach at Seneca Valley High for 16 seasons, compiling a record of 220 wins, 112 losses, a WPIAL championship in 1994 and a state title in 1995.Now in his fourth season as head baseball coach at Butler, Florie guided the Golden Tornado to a 13-7 record in 2008 that included the program's first WPIAL playoff win in 12 years.He also has served as a high school basketball official for more than 30 years and coached Seneca Valley's varsity basketball team from 1969-74."We held all of the Seneca Valley basketball records until a couple of years ago," Florie said. "I got fired in 1974. When the school board decides to make a change, it's all over."I stayed involved in basketball through officiating and I did some coaching with the Zelienople baseball program for a few years. My own kids were playing at that time and I coached them."A 1958 Ellwood City graduate, Florie lettered in basketball for two years as a point guard and in baseball for two years as a shortstop. He also played two seasons of basketball and four years of baseball at Geneva College.He was invited to try out by the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field during his senior year in high school."Back then, Pirates scouts would come around the local areas and a high school would pick a couple of players to try out."They had us down to Forbes Field. I remember being hit ground balls to deep shortstop and having to make that long throw across. We played a scrimmage game against each other and (Hall of Famer) Pie Traynor was the home plate umpire."Florie grew up in the small town of Koppel, located between Ellwood City and Beaver Falls. His father started the Little League program there and went on to manage numerous teams in numerous leagues."He was a baseball nut," Florie said of his father. "And I loved it. I grew up on a baseball field. We played all day and my dad and I talked baseball all the time."My desire to coach came from him. I was the bat boy on teams he managed and I took a liking to it. From a very young age, I knew I wanted to teach and coach," he added.Florie went on to earn similar respect. When the Raiders won the PIAA title in 1995, they had only two starters back from the 1994 team that claimed the WPIAL crown."That 1995 team came together at the right time," Florie said. "We were 3-5 in the section at one point and had to win six of our last seven games just to make the playoffs. We won 13 of 15 and won the whole thing."During his years of coaching baseball at Seneca Valley, Florie had 103 players go on to college baseball, including 44 who received scholarships. Six were drafted into professional baseball with two, Jason Conti and Zach Jackson, reaching the major leagues."Baseball kids are special," Florie said. "They're usually good people and good students and they're easy to coach. I'm not just happy for the guys who get to the big leagues, I'm happy for the mailman in Zelienople who I once coached, for anyone I've coached who went on to a solid career in any field."Part of coaching is teaching kids life lessons you hope go on to benefit them."Seemingly retired from coaching, Florie got back in the game when then-athletic director Tim O'Malley asked him to consider the Butler baseball job."My family knows how much I love the game and how much I missed coaching," Florie said. "I told Tim I'd coach as long as my health stays in good shape."Knock on wood, I'm still feeling pretty good."Tickets for the banquet are $20 and are available at Bill's Beer Barn or from any HOF committee member.