Cherry Kicker
BUTLER TWP — What's in a name?
When soccer player Jason Cherry first approached then-Butler varsity football coach Sam Albert about kicking for the Golden Tornado, Albert had one simple request.
“He told Jason he would have to have a kicker's name,” then-Butler assistant coach Ralph McElhaney said, laughing. “So we started calling him Rashib.”
Regardless of his name, Cherry went on to impact place-kicking at Butler for years.
After his own three-year career with the Golden Tornado was over, younger brother Justin Cherry assumed the kicking duties a year later. And for a 14-year stretch, Jason Cherry volunteered his time as Butler's kicking coach.
For all of that, Cherry became the 58th individual since 2004 to be honored by the Butler Football Hometown Hero program. He was recognized for that honor prior to Butler's home game last Friday.
McElhaney served as master of ceremonies for the program.
“Jason is perfect for this program,” McElhaney said. “He coached all those years without being paid a dime.
“Before he started coaching, our kickers were pretty much on their own. We coaches didn't know anything about kicking back then. Anything we told them would have just messed them up.”
Cherry made 16 of 20 field goals as a kicker at Butler and kicked for the University of Massachusetts' Div. I-AA national championship team as a freshman. He went on to kick in Arena football.
“I never expected to get paid for coaching,” Cherry said. “I enjoyed working with kids and seeing them progress.”
Two of the kickers Cherry worked with — Ryan Soule and Marc Hunka — were on hand to see Cherry's Hometown Hero induction.
“This is a humbling experience,” Cherry said. “I've seen all of those great names be honored by the Hometown Heroes through the years. I never thought my name would be on that list.
“When I was playing soccer, I had no idea about how to kick a football. I went to (former Steeler) Gary Anderson's kicking camp. That worked out well because he was my idol growing up.”
Cherry said he was among 300 kickers at that camp and won the Most Improved Kicker award. He received a football signed by Anderson.
Justin Cherry presented his older brother with the Hometown Hero award on the 50-yard line at Art Bernardi Stadium.
“This recognition is long overdue,” Justin said of his brother. “He had a job, kids, and still donated all that time to coaching.
“He liked Gary Anderson, Jan Stenerud, all of those soccer-style kickers. I started kicking for East Butler in the Midget League because Jason was kicking up here. I wanted to do the things that he was doing.”
When Justin was kicking for Butler and Jason was doing likewise at UMass, their parents logged plenty of miles.
Both were teachers in the Butler district at the time — Ken Cherry at McQuistion Elementary, wife LouAnn at Center Avenue — at the time their sons were playing football.
“We'd teach on Friday, go to wherever Justin and Butler were playing that night, then drive overnight for nine and a half hours to Massachusetts,” Ken said. “We drove to the Carolinas and Louisiana for playoff games.
“We'd be in the (college) stadium on just a couple of hours sleep sometimes. We'd leave to come home at noon Sunday and be back in the classroom on Monday.
“We did that for four years, every weekend. I think we missed one of Jason's college games. With this ceremony, seeing him honored this way and Justin presenting ... I feel like it's all been worthwhile,” Cherry's father added.
