Mylan

BUTLER TWP — Longtime assistant wrestling coach Bill Mylan was hired as athletic director at Butler High during Monday night's school board meeting.

Mylan, 38, served as Scott Stoner's assistant coach for 12 seasons with Butler wrestling. He has been an assistant football coach for the Golden Tornado as well.

He succeeds Curt Phillips, who resigned after four years to accept a teaching and coaching position in Virginia.

"Once my career advanced, I figured it would be in the athletic director field," Mylan said. "I've studied for this. I've prepared for this."

Mylan was one of seven in-house applicants for the job. No applications from outside the school district were considered.

"If a fitting candidate was here, we were going to fill the position from within," said Jerry Slamecka, assistant superintendent of personnel at Butler. "Bill is very qualified to do this."

Butler has 30 varsity athletic sports and 76 total teams under the athletic director's watch.

Mylan is a 1990 Beth-Center High School and 1995 Slippery Rock University graduate. He was head wrestling coach at Beth-Center, where he produced five WPIAL champions, and coached football, baseball and track and field there.

"My diversity in sports will help me here and the head coaches at Butler are tremendous people," Mylan said. "I'm good friends with most of them."

He is best friends with Stoner. The two served as best man at each other's weddings.

Because of time restraints, Mylan will surrender his coaching position and his job as a health and physical education teacher at the intermediate high school.

"We'll have a different working relationship now and I'm happy for Bill and what this does for his career," Stoner said. "At the same time, I'm losing an incredible assistant coach."

Like Phillips did, Mylan is giving up coaching students on a daily basis in exchange for overseeing the entire athletic department.

"I'm hoping that fills the void, but I'll miss the daily interaction with the athletes. I'll miss it terribly," Mylan said.

Mylan served as game manager for two years under the tutelage of former Butler athletic director Tim O'Malley, who left to become executive director of the WPIAL.

"Tim influenced me greatly in wanting to pursue the AD job," Mylan said.

Mylan applied when O'Malley left. He received one interview, but not a second one.

Mylan will work with Phillips in the athletic office before the end of the school year.

"I talked to the board about that. Curt and I will get some time together, so I can get a feel for things. ... That will help in the transition," Mylan said.