Saul brothers made mark in Butler
Nobody has to tell Ed Codi about the Saul brothers.
He experienced them where they were known best — on the football field.
Codi, 80, a 1964 Butler High School graduate, still lives in Butler. He recently published a 110-page book entitled “The Brothers Saul … A Football Legacy.”
“Their careers were legendary from the start,” Codi said of Bill, Rich and Ron Saul. He was a teammate of the latter two during his senior season with the Golden Tornado. “Myself, Bill Rettig, Tom McGrath were seniors, Rich and Ron were sophomores — acted like and were treated like seniors. That’s how well-respected they were.”
Codi’s book details the Saul brothers’ gridiron legacy from their high school careers all the way up to their many years in the NFL. But he got to know twins Rich and Ron well before high school.
“I was playing for South Side in the Butler (Area) Midget Football League and they were playing for Institute Hill,” Codi recalled. “We played them in the championship game. That’s where it all started for them.
“While they’ve passed on, what they accomplished was such a huge part of Butler history. I wanted to document their careers and approached Eileen, Rich’s widow, about writing this book about them. People should know about the Saul brothers.”
From 1963-65, Butler varsity football went 26-1 in the regular season, reaching the WPIAL championship game twice. The 1963 team went 9-0 before losing to West Mifflin in the WPIAL final in front of 22,000 fans at Forbes Field.
Codi said he thinks that it was the largest crowd to see a high school football game at that venue. The Tornado attracted 9,000 fans to Pullman Park to see a 21-13 victory over Aliquippa that year.
“People working at Armco and Pullman used to lobby to have Friday night off to go to the football games,” Codi recalled. “Guys who were working had transistor radios on listening to the games. There were 30 student buses for road games.
“Everybody was into it. The Sauls were a big part of that.”
From 1963-65, Butler sent 18 players to Division I football programs. Eventual Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Hanratty was one of them, as he went to Notre Dame. The Saul brothers, both linemen, went to Michigan State.
Hanratty wrote the foreword for Codi’s book.
Bill Saul, seven years their elder, was a linebacker who went on to Penn State. He was a three-sport star at Butler — he was the leading scorer and rebounder in basketball and an outstanding catcher and pitcher in baseball. Bill was offered a contract by the Cincinnati Reds.
Codi said he gained information for the book through his own recollections, along with talking to Rob Baxter — whose mother was a Saul — retired Steelers player Rocky Bleier and former Penn State standout Don Jonas, among others.
All three Saul brothers were outstanding college students. Rich majored in business while Ron majored in physical education. When home during his NFL career with the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins, Ron worked as a substitute teacher in Butler.
Rich played 12 years with the Los Angeles Rams. Ron spent 13 years combined with the Oilers and Redskins. Bill spent eight years in the NFL, primarily with the Baltimore Colts and Steelers. He was the first NFL player to wear a microphone during a game.
“To have three brothers combine for that many years in pro football is unheard of,” Codi said. “Their passion for the game, their toughness and physicality carried them a long way.
“Bill proved to be inspiring to the twins. They saw him do it. They wanted to do it. (Longtime NFL line coach) Dan Radakovich said Rich was the best offensive lineman he ever coached. Rich was a six-time All-Pro who should be in the Hall of Fame.”
Codi described the Saul brothers as “fierce competitors and great teammates, friends for life.
“Every time they came home, we always got together. They never forgot where they came from.”
Now Codi wants to make sure nobody forgets them.
“The Brothers Saul … A Football Legacy” is available at 3B Tobacco in Butler. The cost is $25.
