Jim Butler (American football)
American football player (1943–2014)
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James "Cannonball" Butler (May 4, 1943 – February 10, 2014) was an American professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons and the St. Louis Cardinals. Butler grew up in Delray Beach, Florida and played college football at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. To this day, he is the only alumnus from the school to ever play in the NFL.[1]
Quincy, Florida, U.S.
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Butler in 1972 | |||||||||||||
| No. 23, 33, 36 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 4, 1943 Quincy, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | February 10, 2014 (aged 70) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Carver (Delray Beach, Florida) | ||||||||||||
| College | Edward Waters | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1965: 14th round, 186th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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In the NFL, Butler was the leading rusher for the Atlanta Falcons in each of his four seasons with the team (1968–1971), and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1969.[2]
Biography
Jim Butler was born May 4, 1943, in Quincy, Florida.
Butler played collegiately for Edward Waters College, a small historically black university located in Jacksonville.[3]
Butler was selected in round 14 of the 1965 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who made him that year's 186th pick overall. He played halfback for the Steelers for three years, gaining a little more than 500 yards rushing and an additional 233 catching passes out of the backfield.[4] He was also a frequent kickoff returner for Pittsburgh, running back one kick 93 yards for a touchdown in 1966.[4]
Butler was named a member of the NFL Pro Bowl following the conclusion of the 1969 NFL season.
After his retirement from the NFL, Butler worked for the city of Atlanta and on special projects with the Atlanta Public Schools system.[3]
During his later years Butler suffered from dementia,[3] a common ailment among aging football players of his era due to repetitive brain injury.
Butler died February 10, 2014 in Atlanta. He was 71 years old at the time of his death and was survived by a daughter and a son.[3]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1965 | PIT | 14 | 3 | 46 | 108 | 2.3 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 117 | 13.0 | 43 | 1 |
| 1966 | PIT | 14 | 3 | 46 | 114 | 2.5 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 93 | 23.3 | 66 | 1 |
| 1967 | PIT | 11 | 6 | 90 | 293 | 3.3 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 13 | 0 |
| 1968 | ATL | 12 | 7 | 94 | 365 | 3.9 | 60 | 2 | 15 | 127 | 8.5 | 31 | 0 |
| 1969 | ATL | 14 | 14 | 163 | 655 | 4.0 | 39 | 3 | 17 | 297 | 17.5 | 65 | 2 |
| 1970 | ATL | 14 | 12 | 166 | 636 | 3.8 | 33 | 0 | 24 | 151 | 6.3 | 25 | 1 |
| 1971 | ATL | 13 | 13 | 186 | 594 | 3.2 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 143 | 9.5 | 27 | 2 |
| 1972 | STL | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 |
| 97 | 58 | 797 | 2,768 | 3.5 | 60 | 9 | 89 | 959 | 10.8 | 66 | 7 | ||