SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Slippery Rock University is proud to announce that Paul Uram, a 1949 graduate of what was then Slippery Rock State Teacher's College and a 1986 inductee into the SRU Athletic Hall of Fame, was recently the recipient of honorary citizen status and had a day hamed in his honor by the Borough of Millvale.

Millvale Mayor Vincent Cinski bestowed the honor upon Uram and designated March 24, 2009, as "Paul Uram Day" in the borough, which is located a few miles north of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania.

Uram received the official proclamation during a luncheon held at Natili's Restaurant in Butler, Uram's hometown, that was attended by more than 20 of Uram's former students at Millvale High School.

"He left a very big footprint in Millvale," luncheon organizer and 1955 Millvale graduate Lee Rouse said in a March 27 feature story printed by the Butler Eagle. "He's been acknowledged by every organization that deals with athletics, but never by his own, where he started. Nobody really had a chance to say thank you."

Uram spent six years at Millvale, where he coached gymnastics, football and track and field. His gymnastics teams were undefeated in 120 straight dual meets, according to the Eagle story. 

Uram's greatest claim to fame, though, may have been the role he played in the Pittsburgh Steelers' success from 1973-81, during which time he served as the team's strength and conditioning coach. He was part of the Super Bowl championship efforts in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979.

In addition to being a member of the SRU Hall of Fame, Uram has also been inducted into the Butler Area Sports and Western Pennsylvania halls of fame.