WPIAL champion Richland QB earns posthumous Hall of Fame induction

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, July 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Keith Buterbaugh can still remember running routes in the backyard while his brother Mike threw him the ball.

Younger brother Joe Buterbaugh took it all in and was happy to catch some passes when called upon.

Both got an up-close look at their brother’s work ethic and passion for sports.

Mike Buterbaugh’s dedication helped him lead the 1969 and ‘70 Richland Rams to the first two WPIAL football championships in school history.

He died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 49 in 2002, but his place in Richland sports history will forever be preserved.

Mike is one of the inductees in the Pine-Richland Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

“We’re just elated,” Keith said. “It’s so awesome. The family is so happy.”

Mike will be inducted with Bill Colpo, Matthew Crummy, Kevin McCabe, Kristen Murslack and the 1960 Richland football team at a banquet Oct. 7 in the Pine-Richland High School cafeteria. All the inductees will be honored during a pregame ceremony prior to the Central Catholic/Pine-Richland football game the night before.

Joe said it’s a well-deserved honor for his brother.

“It didn’t matter if it was football, baseball or basketball, Mike was always doing something with a ball,” Joe said. “He was pretty driven as far as that goes. Really, really competitive. He was also a big team guy. He got a lot of praise and recognition, but he really didn’t like that. He always said without his teammates he wouldn’t be winning that much.”

Keith was a senior when Mike was a junior and the two formed quite a connection in ’69. Keith led the team with 22 receptions.

The Rams had been close the previous two seasons, going 8-2 and 9-1, but in ’69 they qualified for the WPIAL championship game.

They were considered underdogs against New Brighton in the Class A finals but ended up blowing the Lions out 30-0 to claim the title.

“We were supposed to get slaughtered,” Keith said. “We were this little team. They called us a bunch of farmers, because back then Richland wasn’t very developed. There was still a lot of farmlands. I think New Brighton outweighed us on average by 50 pounds a man. They thought they were going to roll over us, but we went down to Ambridge High School and beat them.”

Joe didn’t play on the ’69 team because he was a freshman, but he made varsity as a sophomore for Mike’s senior year.

The Rams played Beaver in the 1970 championship and trailed most of the game, 7-0, until they scored a late touchdown.

Joe said Rams coach Gene Sullivan didn’t want to tie, so he told Mike they were going for a two-point conversion.

“I was sort of close by, and I could hear them, and Coach Sullivan said, ‘Well, Mike we can run this or this’,” Joe said. “I don’t remember what the plays were, but they went with one and coach said, ‘OK, Mike, go in there and get your guys going’. Mike threw a pass to Ed Fleming and we won the game, 8-7.”

Mike was also a standout on the Rams boys basketball team and held the all-time scoring record when he graduated in 1971.

He went on to play quarterback at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove. He was a three-year starter and held two school records when he graduated.

Mike then moved to Charlotte and had two children, a son and daughter, with his wife Lisa.

Joe said there will be plenty of family at the induction ceremony, inlcuding Mike’s son and daughter, who are coming up from Charlotte, as well as former teammates.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Joe said. “Mike was the man when it came to those teams. I’m a little biased, of course, in my opinion, but when they took the field, he was the man in charge. Everyone respected him.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland