Butler High School football is bringing back some of its tradition.

The Butler Football Boosters, with support from head coach Garry Cathell, will debut Butler's Hometown Heroes Awards before Friday's game with North Hills at Art Bernardi Stadium.

"We're being careful not to call it a Hall of Fame because we don't want to confuse it with the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame," said Kevin Vogel, president of the Butler Boosters Club. "But it's a similar concept."

Eight legendary Butler football figures - Bill, Rich and Ron Saul, Paul "Red" Uram, Terry Hanratty, John Shipkowski, Dave McKinnis and Scott Milanovich - will be presented Hometown Hero plaques at 6:45 p.m. Friday at the stadium.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Hanratty and Milanovich will not be there because of coaching commitments. Shipkowski lives in New Mexico.

High school and college teammate Mike Kelly will accept Hanratty's award. Gary Milanovich, former Butler coach and athletic director, will accept his son's award.

"We need permission yet, but we're hoping to put the honorees' names and uniform numbers - or the years they played at Butler - on the walls in the locker room," Vogel said.

"This football program has a lot of tradition and we're trying to bring some of it back."

The Butler Football Hometown Hero Awards will become an annual event before an early-season Golden Tornado home game.

"People will be able to submit nominations in future years and we'll form a committee," Vogel said. "It's not limited to players. Anyone with significant contributions to Butler football is eligible for consideration."

Details on how to nominate a potential Hometown Hero will be announced.