Former FSU great LeRoy Butler enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame
It took too long probably.
But it was well worth the wait for LeRoy Butler.
The former Florida State great, who was a four-time All Pro and a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers, was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Canton.
“When you make the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens up,” Butler said from the stage. “It’s rare company. There’s only 362 guys in the Hall of Fame. And I’m Number 357.”
Butler is best known among NFL fans for being the inventor of the “Lambeau Leap” celebration in Green Bay.
He is, of course, best known among college football fans for his 78-yard sprint in the play forever known as the “Puntrooskie” against Clemson in 1988.
But he was so much more than those two highlights.
He grew up in the Blodgett Homes projects of Jacksonville. It was crime-ridden and as poor as you can imagine.
“Growing up in poverty, my mom made us think rich every day,” Butler said. “It’s not about what you have on or what you have, it’s how you act.”
He also was born with a bone condition that confined him to a wheelchair and then leg braces as a child. He burst out of those full-time by middle school.
And then he burst onto the scene at Lee High School, where he became one of the most coveted players in the country. That’s when he met Bobby Bowden.
“My life changed at Florida State,” Butler said. “I was a Prop 48. Coach Bobby Bowden wanted to drive into the inner city, into the projects. I said, ‘Coach, you can’t just drive in here.’ … He said, ‘I’m telling Miss Butler I’m giving your baby a scholarship.'”
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At Florida State, he was the next great defensive back after Deion Sanders, helping the program gain acclaim as “DBU” as it continually produced All-Americans. His senior season, after playing mostly safety the previous two years, moved to cornerback full time. All he did was record seven interceptions – including one on the first play against Miami – and become a consensus All-American as he helped lead the Seminoles to yet another Top 5 finish.
He was drafted by Green Bay in the second round.
After two seasons at corner, he was moved back to safety full time.
And he became quite simply one of the best defensive players in history, being named to four Pro Bowls, four All-Pro teams, winning a Super Bowl and being named to the NFL Hall of Fame’s Team of the 90s. He’s one of only six players in NFL history with at least 30 interceptions and 20 sacks.
On Saturday afternoon, after a longer wait than you would think for a resume like that, Butler was finally enshrined in Canton, becoming the fifth former Florida State Seminole to wear the gold jacket.
In the speech, he thanked all of his previous coaches, from Florida high school legend Corky Rodgers to Bowden to Mickey Andrews and then all of the ones he had in the NFL. He introduced his six daughters and one son to the crowd. He thanked his wife.
He thanked his uncle for making him take up team sports after his bout with his bone condition. And he thanked his mom.
In fact, Eunice helped write the speech with Butler before her death in 2016.
Somehow she knew that eventually his time would come. And she wanted him to be ready.
He was.
And now he’s immortalized forever.
“Thank you to the voters,” Butler said as he wrapped up his speech. “Sixteen years is a long time, but it’s worth the wait.”
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
