100 Things Packers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Rob Reischel

Author:Rob Reischel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2013-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

50. LeRoy Butler

LeRoy Butler was just eight years old. And when his mother, Eunice, asked what he wanted to be, Butler was quick with his response.

“I told her I wanted to play professional football,” Butler said. “I knew what I wanted to be. I was very focused. I don’t think you’ve ever seen a more focused kid. I made an agreement with God that I’d get my Mom out of the projects by playing professional football.”

That certainly seemed like a pipe dream. Butler had just gotten out of a wheelchair and was still wearing braces on his legs. And those closest to Butler would have been thrilled to see him live a life of normalcy.

But Butler always aimed for the sky. He was the ultimate overachiever, someone who defeated every challenge ever placed in front of him. And his fire, passion, and zeal helped him become one of the greatest Packers of all-time and arguably the NFL’s top safety in the 1990s.

“The kids who have dreams and aspirations to want to go out and be a lawyer or a doctor or a professional football player and have an element that presents a different challenge—whatever it is, you can still get to those dreams,” Butler said. “But in order for those dreams to come true, you have to work hard accordingly.”

No one would know better than Butler. When he was born, the bones in his feet were extremely weak, creating a misalignment, which, as he grew older, allowed him to walk only short distances and prevented him from running. For much of Butler’s childhood, his feet were in braces or casts, and there were periods he was confined to a wheelchair.

In addition, Butler had to escape the Jacksonville projects. Butler succeeded on both counts and went on to become Green Bay’s top safety since Willie Wood in the 1960s.

“He’s one of the best football players I’ve ever been around,” former Packers general manager Ron Wolf said of Butler. “He really helped make us go.”

Butler, a second-round draft choice out of Florida State in 1990, spent his first two seasons at cornerback. But when Mike Holmgren’s staff arrived in 1992, they moved Butler to strong safety, and his career took off.

“[Defensive coordinator] Ray Rhodes was the one who convinced me,” Butler said. “He called me up and he said, ‘We’re going to take [Terrell] Buckley with the fifth pick and we’re going to move you to safety.’ And I said, ‘Ray, I’m only 191 pounds. I can’t play safety. I’m going to get killed.’

“He said, ‘No, no, no. I’ve got this thing about moving guys. You’re one of my best cover guys. I want to move you on the inside on third downs, so I need to move you to safety so I can put [Terrell] Buckley at corner.’ And it worked. It worked. And I loved corner, but I absolutely loved safety.”

There wasn’t anything Butler couldn’t do on a football field. He was a terrific tackler. He could take tight ends out of a game.

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