LeRoy Butler

LeRoy Butler III (born July 19, 1968) played safety for the Green Bay Packers from 1990 to 2001, spending his entire 12-year NFL career with the team. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

Butler grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, facing physical challenges that required leg braces and a wheelchair at times during childhood. He overcame these issues to excel in high school football, and in 2007 was named one of the 33 best Florida high school football players ever. He started for three years at Florida State University, then was picked by the Packers in the second round (48th overall) of the 1990 NFL draft.

Across his 12 seasons in Green Bay, Butler earned first-team All-Pro honors four times. He recorded a sack in the Packers’ Super Bowl XXXI victory over the New England Patriots and is credited with inventing the Lambeau Leap touchdown celebration. He was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

Butler attended Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, playing under Corky Rogers, the all-time winningest high school football coach in Florida history. Rogers coached at Robert E. Lee from 1972 to 1988, guiding both Butler and fellow future NFL player Edgar Bennett, and later won eight state championships at The Bolles School from 1989 to 2016. Butler was a standout for the Robert E. Lee Generals before moving on to Florida State.

Butler played for Bobby Bowden at Florida State from 1986 to 1989. He was ineligible as a freshman due to academic standards under Prop-48. He played safety his first two seasons and switched to cornerback for his third year to replace Deion Sanders. This position change created uncertainty among NFL scouts about where he would fit professionally. On September 2, 1989, No. 6 FSU lost 30–26 to Southern Miss in a season-opening upset led by Brett Favre.

Butler started for three seasons, totaling 194 tackles and nine interceptions. He is best remembered by FSU fans for his role in the “puntrooskie.” In 1988, with FSU tied 21–21 against Clemson and backed up to its own 21-yard line with 1:30 left on fourth down, Bowden called a fake punt. Upback Dayne Williams took the snap and slipped the ball to Butler, who ran 78 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.

On January 22, 1990, Butler played in the Senior Bowl for the South team, coached by Buddy Ryan, which lost 41–0 to the North team led by Marty Schottenheimer. He earned Top Player honors alongside Richmond Webb, Bryce Paup, and Terrance Mathis. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he completed all positional and combined drills. Most analysts projected him as a late first- to second-round pick, but his switch from safety to cornerback left teams unsure of his best position, possibly hurting his draft stock.

The Packers selected Butler in the second round (48th overall) as the fourth cornerback taken in the 1990 draft. While watching the 1997 NFL Draft with family at his mother’s apartment in Jacksonville, Butler grew discouraged when the New Orleans Saints picked cornerback Vince Buck from Central State—a small HBCU NAIA school—at 44th overall. Central State was virtually unknown in NFL draft history; Buck was only the fourth player selected from the school since 1967 and the first since 1979.

On July 26, 1990, Butler signed a three-year, $970,000 rookie contract with a $270,000 signing bonus. He entered training camp as a cornerback, with no plans to play safety, and provided depth after Van Jakes left. On July 26, the Packers placed starting cornerback Dave Brown on the physically unable-to-perform list with Achilles tendinitis. Defensive coordinator Hank Bullough considered Butler, Jerry Holmes, and Mark Lee for starting roles. Butler credits Dave Brown and Mark Lee as mentors. Head coach Lindy Infante listed Butler as the third cornerback behind Jerry Holmes and Mark Lee to start the season.

On September 9, 1990, Butler made his regular-season debut in the Packers’ home opener against the Los Angeles Rams, recording three solo tackles and one pass deflection in a 36–24 win. On October 28, he made one solo tackle, two pass deflections, and a season-high two interceptions off Rich Gannon in a 10–24 win over the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 16, he set a season-high with six solo tackles, one pass breakup, and an interception of Rodney Peete in a 24–17 loss to the Detroit Lions. He finished his rookie season with 24 solo tackles, six pass deflections, and one interception.