History means a lot to Bill Black.

That's the biggest reason he pushed to revive the Butler Eagle Amateur Open in 1995.

Butler County used to have an amateur golf tournament, spearheaded by Rich Minto, but it fizzled out a few years earlier.

"Bill really was the driving force behind getting it started again,"said fellow Eagle Amateur Open committee member John Carpenter. "He kept pushing for it.

"That was the only tournament we had for amateur players in the county. There wasn't anything else. Bill is primarily the one responsible for resurrecting it."

Last year's event attracted a record 184 golfers. Black shot a 2-over-par 72 during the afternoon round at Oakview Golf Club, topping all golfers who played that round.

He finished a stroke behind the overall winner, Doug Knox of Slippery Rock, and was denied becoming the tournament's first four-time winner.

Black previously won the event in 1983, 1991 and 1997.

"It's satisfying to be one of the guys running this tournament and also being able to play well in it,"Black said. "I can't say it's a goal to be a four-time champion, but it would be nice."

This year's Eagle Amateur Open is slated for Aug. 13 at Lake Arthur Country Club. Black's best chance to secure that fourth win might have been last year at Oakview.

Black, 53, has been a club member at that course for 20 years. He's won the club championship in stroke play three times, including last year. He also has won the Oakview club championship in match play twice.

Black has finished among the top 10 in the Jake Gittlen Memorial Tournament at Hershey Country Club two of the past three years.

"That's a charitable event for cancer research,"Black said. "I have a son living out there and he got me involved in it."

Black didn't begin playing golf until age 22. He was a baseball player at Butler County Community College and in the Eagle County League for a few years.

He met Benny Rubino, a school principal in Butler, one afternoon at Aubrey's Dubbs Dred.

"That was the beginning of my golf career,"Black said. "I gave up playing baseball."

The original committee members for the rebirth of the county Amateur Open in 1995 were Black, Tom Righi, Dave Butch and Dave Krason.

Like Black, Righi remains on the committee today.

"We approached Richie Minto and asked if he had a problem with us bringing the tournament back,"Black said. "He said he had no plans to do it again, so we just ran with it."

Courses hosting the event include Hiland, Pheasant Ridge, Lake Arthur and Oakview.

"Our lowest turnout was at Pheasant Ridge two years ago,"Black said. "We had 125 golfers or so. A lot of our regular players had never played that course and didn't know it well.

"That wasn't a problem last year and it shouldn't be this year. We're expecting another big turnout."

Applications will be mailed to all of last year's participants in early June. Applications also will be available at golf courses throughout the county.

Shotgun starts will be at 7:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Aug. 13. Entry fee is $70 and includes green fees, skins game, prizes and cart.