ntspring2017
NORTHERN TODAY 9 SPRING 2017 NORTHERN NEWS AFTER MORE THAN 50 YEARS, the time has come for Tom Butch to step down from running the clock at Northern State University basketball games. Butch started running the clock at Wolves games in 1965. He got started when he taught at Central High School, and the man who ran the clock for both Central and Northern asked if he’d be interested in learning it. “I said yes.” When that man stepped down, Butch took over. Between college and high school basketball and football games, he estimates he’s run the clock for around 4,000 games total. Out of all those events, it’s hard to pinpoint a specific game that stands out. Part of what’s kept him doing it for so long is an interest in sports. Along with running the clock, Butch officiated football, basketball and track, and was involved in city baseball. “I was just involved in all type of sports,” he said. In later years, he stayed because his grandsons started playing football for the Wolves. Brendon Hoellein just finished his senior year, and Landon Hoellein is going into his junior year. “I just stayed with it because of the interest in the games and the community and atmosphere,” Butch said. People ask if he goes away in the wintertime. “I enjoy the three seasons,” he said. “Most of all I stay busy and stay alert by doing the timing job.” The technology today is slick, he said. “Back then it was as simple as you can get.” There wasn’t a lot of data to put in the machine—no time outs, no shot clock, just the score and the time. Butch said he’s a little sad to step down from running the clock, but he’s also ready. So is his wife, Francella. “We’re both ready,” he said. Besides, he’s not stepping down entirely. Butch will still run the clock for NSU football games as long as his grandsons play. But he’ll also play golf in the summer, and he and Francella might do a little more traveling to see relatives. He and his wife have three children: Michael, Dean and Janet. Along with Brendon and Landon, they have one other grandson, Dawson. Butch, a native of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, graduated from Northern in 1962 with a teaching degree, majoring in industrial arts and minoring in social studies. NSU has played a pretty big role in Butch’s life. He came out of the Air Force and wasn’t sure what to do. His path eventually led him—as well as Francella and their oldest child—to Northern. “Well, to tell you the truth, if it wasn’t for Northern, I wouldn’t be in the status I’m in at this time,” Butch said. “I got the GI bill, went to Northern, started a teaching job, and have been there ever since. That has to be the ultimate right there for me.” Time’s up Tom Butch steps down after 50 years as clock runner at Northern State University basketball games. “Well, to tell you the truth, if it wasn’t for Northern, I wouldn’t be in the status I’m in at this time…”
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