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posted 02/05/2007
LeRoy Butler has an appreciation for the history and tradition of a franchise like the Green Bay Packers, which is why he doesn't take his upcoming induction into the Packers Hall of Fame lightly by any means.
"It's kind of surreal," Butler said. "It's one of those things where you step out of your body and watch yourself (wondering) do you even deserve that, looking at all those great guys already in there and looking at all the tradition around our team."
Butler certainly does deserve it and he and former teammate Robert Brooks will be inducted at the annual banquet on July 21.
Butler, a Green Bay safety his entire 12-year career (1990-2001), was in town on Monday and spoke with a small group of local reporters in the Hall of Fame, appropriately in the area of the "Lambeau Leap" exhibit.
He noted that it's special to be inducted with Brooks, who is a good friend and also helped popularize the "Lambeau Leap" into the end zone stands after a touchdown, an act spontaneously performed for the first time by Butler in 1993 on a fumble return.
"Robert helped me pretty much put that on the map," Butler said.
"If you can see the look on the fan's face and know that you kind of started that ... man, it gives you goose bumps. It makes you feel like it was the start of a legacy."
Butler carved his own legacy in Packers' history by playing more games than any other Green Bay defensive back (181), ranking fourth in team annals in interceptions (38), and making the prestigious Associated Press All-Pro team five times.
Butler's career came to an abrupt end in November of 2001 at Lambeau, when he broke his left shoulder in three places making what he referred to as a routine tackle. But he doesn't dwell on an injury ending his career and instead focuses on the fact that he spent his entire career in Green Bay, convinced by then-general manager Ron Wolf not to even consider free agency.
"I restructured my contract three times to stay here," he said. "I loved being here. It was the fans. That's the only reason why I played the game, because of the fans.
"That's why the 'Lambeau Leap' is so special. It shows the love of your fans with the players."
In addition to earning induction into the Packers Hall of Fame this year, Butler also made the preliminary list of 115 eligible inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Though he wasn't named one of the 25 finalists, Butler wasn't disappointed because it was just his first year of eligibility, and he's still optimistic about his chances for induction. Contemporaries Thurman Thomas, Michael Irvin and Bruce Matthews make up half of the six-member class of 2007.
Butler credits all the coaches he worked with in Green Bay for giving him a chance at such recognition.
"You look at all the great guys who were up for it, I was just thrilled to be in the 115," he said. "I'm just a safety. Safeties are down there next to kickers. You really don't get a lot of publicity.
"But there's one thing that Mike Holmgren changed, and Ray Rhodes and Dick Jauron and Fritz Shurmur and Bob Valesente, they changed in me, it's don't be a normal safety. Do something different. Be a guy who can blitz, cover the best receiver on third down, and do these things, and hopefully one day they'll recognize that and I will be able to get in there. But I knew it wasn't going to be the first year. Hopefully in another three, four, five years I'll be lucky enough to get in there."