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 Kevin Butler in 2007 | |
| No. 6 | |
| Placekicker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: July 24, 1962 | |
| Place of birth: Savannah, Georgia | |
| High School: Stone Mountain (GA) Redan | |
| Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Weight: 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Georgia | |
| NFL Draft: 1985 / Round: 4 / Pick: 105 | |
| Debuted in 1985 for the Chicago Bears | |
| Last played in 1997 for the Arizona Cardinals | |
| Career history | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Field goals made | 265 |
| Field goals attempted | 361 |
| Field goal % | 73.4 |
| Long field goal | 55 |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Kevin Gregory Butler (born July 24, 1962) is a former professional American football placekicker. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, and then played professionally for the Chicago Bears (1985–1995) and the Arizona Cardinals (1996–1997) of the National Football League (NFL). Since retiring, he has continued his affiliation with the University of Georgia as the cohost of the Budweiser Fifth Quarter Show on 106.1 WNGC and 960 WRFC in Athens.
Early life[]
Butler was born in Savannah, Georgia. He attended Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, outside Atlanta where he played football and soccer. He loved to play sports and play guitar. During Butler's senior year, Redan played Marist High School for the state championship. In the closing moments of a very close match, Butler kicked a 44-yard field goal that gave the winning margin to the Redan Raiders. Attending the game was Georgia Bulldog Head Coach Vince Dooley. In a brief, impromptu exchange outside the door to the visiting locker room, Dooley congratulated Butler and pointed out that Bulldog kicker Rex Robinson would be graduating at the end of the school year. Georgia, Dooley said, would be needing a new kicker. The next year, Butler began his illustrious career as the Bulldog's kicker.
Professional career[]
In his 11 seasons with the Bears, Butler became the team's all time leading scorer with 1,116 points, easily surpassing the old record of 750 points held by Walter Payton. Butler was also part of the oft-praised 1985 Chicago Bears team who won Super Bowl XX, setting a rookie scoring record with 144 points during the season and kicking three field goals in the Super Bowl.
It was said that Butler called his fiancée from training camp in Platteville, Wisconsin, and explained that "we're going to have to change the date of our wedding, because we're going to the Super Bowl and it's on January 26th."[1]
When he was released by the Bears after the 1995 season, he was the last remaining holdover from the Super Bowl XX team. Butler finished his 13 NFL seasons with 265 of 361 field goals (73%) and 413 of 426 extra point attempts, giving him 1,208 total points.
Butler holds the record for the most points scored by a player during their rookie season. In 1985, he scored 144 points for the Chicago Bears. That year, he made 31 field goals and all of his 51 extra point attempts.
Personal[]
Kevin is married to Cathy Butler. They have three children together: Katie Scarlett (goes by Scarlett), Drew, and Savannah Butler. Scarlett and Drew attend the University of Georgia; Drew was the starting punter for the Bulldogs and lead the nation in punting with an average of 49.7 yards per punt and a net average of 44.5 yards per punt. After college, he signed on as the starting punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is currently on the Bears roster.[2] Savannah is a student at Marymount Manhattan and is a ballet dancer.
References[]
- ↑ ESPN Page 2 - Kluck: '85 Bears vs. '07 Patriots
- ↑ "Bears Sign Kevin Butler’s Son To Reserve/Future Contract". WBBM-TV. December 31, 2013. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/12/31/bears-sign-kevin-butlers-son-to-reservefuture-contract/. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kevin Butler. |
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