Flamboyant production over a dozen years was just too much to ignore and LeRoy Butler, who invented the Lambeau Leap for heaven’s sake, has finally leaped into professional football immortality by getting elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Butler was introduced along with seven others in the Class of 2022 at the NFL Honors ceremony in Los Angeles Thursday night.
It ended a 16 year wait for the star safety of the Packers. It was the third straight year he was among the finalists under consideration and the third time indeed was a charm.
Joining Butler in this year’s class is offensive tackle Tony Boselli, the first player from the Jacksonville Jaguars to be enshrined. Defensive lineman Bryant Young of the San Francisco 49ers and Richard Seymour of the New England Patriots, wide receiver Cliff Branch of the Oakland Raiders who waited 32 years for the call to the Hall, the late linebacker Sam Mills of the Carolina Panthers who passed away in 2005, two time NFL Coach of the Year Dick Vermeil who took the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl XV and eventually winning Super Bowl XXIV as Head Coach of the St. Louis Rams and Art McNally, the first referee to be inducted.
Following the ceremony, Butler met with reporters and said he was part of a special team in Green Bay, it took a lot of teamwork and while he had to wait 16 years since first becoming eligible, it was definitely worth that wait.
Butler joined the Packers as a second round pick in the 1990 draft out of Florida State. He began his career as a cornerback but was moved to safety and he flourished. In his 181 games played, second most in franchise history behind only fellow Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke (190), Butler helped transform the safety position by not only covering the back end of the field, but getting involved at or behind the line of scrimmage. He intercepted 38 passes in his career, 4th most in Packer history and he also recorded 20.5 sacks. Butler was named first team All Pro four times and was a part of the league’s number one ranked defense that helped defeat the New England Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI. He had seven tackles and a sack in that championship victory. Butler was named the starting safety on the NFL’s All Decade Team of the 1990’s and was the last player on that team to make it to the Hall of Fame.
On a bitter cold day after Christmas in 1993, the Packers shut out the Oakland Raiders 28-0 and in that game, Hall of Famer Reggie White recovered a fumble and returned it a few yards but just before getting knocked out of bounds, he lateraled the ball to LeRoy who raced up the sideline for a touchdown but didn’t stop there, jumping into the south end zone stands of Lambeau Field. It was the first Lambeau Leap that has become an iconic tradition ever since.
It was teammate Brett Favre, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, who announced Butler’s selection before the national television audience. Favre said, “LeRoy was a great leader and teammate. In professional football, great players have a knack for being around the ball and producing big plays and LeRoy was that player.
His coach for nine of his 12 years, Mike Holmgren said of Butler’s election, “LeRoy was a great player and team leader who I always knew I could count on in any situation.”
Former Packer General Manager Ron Wolf, who was enshrined in Canton in 2015, was a strong advocate for Butler for years. “It is wonderful that the premier safety of the ’90’s is getting his just reward by entering pro football’s sacred chamber, THE HALL OF FAME”, Wolf said. “It is well earned due to his passion for the game and his dedication to the Green Bay Packers along with his superb play.”
Butler becomes the 28th member of the Green Bay Packers organization to enter the hall.
The induction ceremony will take place in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, August 6.
