Age: 23
1st
season in pro football
College: Georgia
Height: 6’1” Weight: 190
Prelude:
Butler kicked
77 field goals in college, which was a SEC career record, and his 60-yard
game-winning field goal against Clemson was one of 11 over fifty yards. He was
chosen by the Bears in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL draft and beat out
veteran Bob Thomas.
1985 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Kicking
Field goals –
31 [2, tied with Morten Andersen, 1st in NFC]
Most field
goals, game – 4 at Minnesota 9/19, at San Francisco 10/13, at NY Jets 12/14
Field goal
attempts – 37 [3]
Most field
goal attempts, game – 6 at Minnesota 9/19
Field goal
percentage – 83.8 [4]
PATs – 51 [2,
tied with Bob Thomas]
PAT attempts
– 51 [4]
Longest field
goal – 46 yards at Dallas 11/17
Scoring
Field Goals –
31
PATs – 51
Points – 144
[1]
Postseason: 3
G
Field goals –
4
Most field
goals, game – 3 vs. New England, Super Bowl
Field goal attempts
– 7
Most field
goal attempts, game – 3 vs. NY Giants, NFC Divisional playoff; vs. New England,
Super Bowl
PATs – 11
Most PATs,
game – 5 vs. vs. New England, Super Bowl
PAT attempts
– 11
Longest field
goal – 34 yards vs. LA Rams, NFC Championship
Awards & Honors:
2nd
team All-NFL: NEA
2nd
team All-NFC: UPI
Bears went 15-1
to finish first in the NFC Central with the conference’s best record while
leading the NFC in scoring (456 points). Won NFC Divisional playoff over New
York Giants (21-0), NFC Championship over Los Angeles Rams (24-0), and Super
Bowl over New England Patriots (46-10).
Aftermath:
After setting
a rookie scoring record in 1985, Butler followed up in ‘86 by leading the
league in field goal attempts (41) but he connected on only 28 of them as his
percentage dropped due to slumps. However, he performed well in clutch
situations and ended up staying with the Bears for 11 seasons, through 1995. He
made good on 243 of 332 field goal tries (73.2 %) and added 387 extra points
out of 397 attempts, scoring a total of 1116 points, all of which set club
records. Released by the Bears, Butler spent his last two seasons with the
Arizona Cardinals, adding another 22 field goals and 26 extra points to give
him career totals of 265 field goals, 413 PATs, and 1208 points. In 12
postseason games, he kicked another 17 field goals and 23 extra points, all with
the Bears. Butler was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. His son
Drew has been a punter in the NFL.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
