 Butler, c. 1914 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tackle /end |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1891-04-04)April 4, 1891 Bloomfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1959(1959-12-17) (aged 68) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Montclair (NJ) |
| College | Wisconsin (1911–1913) |
| Career history | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Robert Parker Butler (April 4, 1891 – December 17, 1959) was an Americangridiron football player best known for playingcollege football for theUniversity of Wisconsin. Nicknamed "Butts", he was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1972.[2]
Butler was born in 1891 inBloomfield, New Jersey.[3][a] He grew up inGlen Ridge, New Jersey, and attended high school in neighboringMontclair, where he playedfootball (as afullback) andbasketball (as aguard) as a member of the class of 1910 atMontclair High School.[4][5][6][b]
Butler playedcollege football for theWisconsin Badgers football team during the 1911–1913 seasons. He played as anend during his sophomore season,[4] when the1911 Badgers had a 5–1–1 record. Thereafter, he played as atackle, and was selected byWalter Camp to the1912 College Football All-America Team.[4] Butler reportedly broke a thumb during a game early in the 1912 season, but played through the injury.[7] The1912 Badgers posted a 7–0 record, finishing atop theWestern Conference standings. The1913 Badgers slipped to a 3–3–1 record, while some selectors again named Butler to the1913 College Football All-America Team. Butler was also selected to the All-Western college football teams of1912 and1913.
In 1915, Butler was recruited byJack Cusack, manager of theCanton Bulldogs of theOhio League (a predecessor of theNational Football League), to bolster the Bulldogs' roster in their final game of the season, against the rivalMassillon Tigers.[8][9] The Bulldogs, who had lost to the Tigers two weeks earlier, 16–0, won the rematch, 6–0,[8] with all of Canton's points scored byJim Thorpe.[10]
Butler married Lillian Eastlund, a fellow graduate of theUniversity of Wisconsin, on December 31, 1918.[11][12] Butler moved toMemphis, Tennessee, in 1927.[13] At the time of his death at his Memphis home in 1959, he was operating a commercial chickenhatchery there.[13][1] He was survived by his wife and a daughter.[1]
In 1972, Butler was inducted to theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[2] In 1992, he was inducted to the athletic hall of fame at the University of Wisconsin.[14]