By DOUG DONNELLY

I threw my bat once while playing little league baseball.

I was probably about 10 or 11 years old when I struck out. Disappointed in myself, I took it out on the bat, tossing it in frustration toward the fence that served as the dugout.

Before I could pick up my bat, I noticed someone saw me throw the bat. It was Coach Butz.

I don’t remember his exact words, if he said anything at all, but I do remember suddenly being more upset about Mr. Butz seeing my ridiculous antics than I was about actually striking out. I’m pretty sure he pulled me from the game, deservedly so. It always bothered me that I might have disappointed him by slamming the bat on the ground.

Through the years, Mr. Butz taught me a lot about sports, sportsmanship and doing the right thing on the field. He taught me much more than that, too.

Robert Butz passed away last week in Florida. I was stunned when I heard the news.

Whether he knew it or not, Mr. Butz was a big part of my childhood, as giant of a figure in my young life as anyone. He was not only the father of one of my good friends in school, he was someone who was always visible in the community, someone who I respected.

When I played tackle football for the first time, he was one of the parents who volunteered to coach the team. He had an incredibly gentle way of teaching how to play football. I was a huge football fan, of course, totally immersed in watching football on television. I didn’t know how to tackle or block, however. He did. And he was gracious enough to teach me and the dozens of others who put on the helmet – most for the first time.

He knew baseball, too, and coached me for at least a season that I remember. When it came to sports, I always figured there wasn’t anything he didn’t know.

Beyond being a coach, Mr. Butz was a pillar in the community. He was president of the school board and the Whiteford Athletic Boosters. He was big part of getting youth sports going at Whiteford. All growing up, I would see him at football games and basketball games. When I was in high school, he kept statistics on the sidelines for the varsity football team. He later coached the football team.

When I started researching records and history on Whiteford sports, I found stories from The Monroe News about Mr. Butz when he was an athlete at Whiteford in the early 1960s.

He was the story of the 1962 team, having one of the best all-around seasons in Bobcat football history. He was named honorable mention All-State after leading the team in scoring, rushing, passing, total yards, kickoff returns, punt returns, punting and interceptions. He was second in receiving. In addition, he kicked four field goals and finished his career with records of 2,030 yards of total offense and 171 points. He scored at least one touchdown in each 1962 game, finishing his career with a streak of 13 straight games in which he scored a touchdown.

After college, I moved away from Whiteford for a couple of years to work at a newspaper in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Butz wrote me a note congratulating me on becoming a writer, something he knew I had always dreamed of doing.

When I became a parent, one of the reasons I wanted to coach my own kids was because I remembered Mr. Butz always being there, always being part of his kids’ teams. He was someone I admired, although I don’t think I ever told him that.

I always figured that time would come.