LeRoy Butler and Reggie White are two of the greatest defensive players ever to play for the Green Bay Packers. Later this summer, Butler will join his former teammate in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Saturday afternoon, the Hall of Fame Tweeted a video of Butler in front of Reggie White’s bust in Canton. In the video, Butler explains the effect White had on his career.
Of course, LeRoy Butler is the inventor of the most famous touchdown celebration in the NFL: the Lambeau Leap. Butler starts out his tribute to Reggie White by explaining that without the Minister of Defense, there would be no Lambeau Leap. He also mentions not wanting to debate whether White was out of bounds or not: “He was in.”
LeRoy Butler was the one who forced the fumble in the first place. Reggie White recovered the fumble and started to return it. As the Cowboys tried to drag him out of bounds, White lateraled the ball back to Butler who returned it the rest of the way for a touchdown.
After discussing the Lambeau Leap, Butler talked about how important Reggie White was in changing the narrative about Green Bay. Prior to him, no big-name free agents considered the Packers a destination. However, White famously chose to come to Green Bay “to win a championship.”
In the video, LeRoy Butler imitates Reggie White: “I think I’m going to come to the Green Bay Packers because God told me to come to the Packers.” Butler then points to the sky and says, “Thank you, God.”
Of course, the story of former head coach Mike Holmgren recruiting Reggie White is legendary. Over two years ago, Holmgren joined AM1250 The Fan in Milwaukee to share his story:
In the video, LeRoy Butler says, “I owe a lot to my counterpart.” He goes on: “Before Reggie came, I was an average player. But after Reggie came… All Decade, All Pro, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl Champion. So this is one of my first times I can say ‘thank you’ to Reggie White.”
Butler’s Hall of Fame Resumé
LeRoy Butler waited far too long to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He goes in with one of the best Hall of Fame cases in recent memory for defensive backs.
- Four-time First-Team All-Pro
- Four-time Pro Bowler
- Super Bowl Champion
- First player in NFL history with at least 20 interceptions and 20 sacks
- One of four defensive backs with at least 35 interceptions and 20 sacks
- The only player in NFL history with at least three interceptions and three sacks in three consecutive seasons.
- NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1990’s
LeRoy Butler and the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio on August 6, 2022. Recently, Butler announced that his wife and former teammate Gilbert Brown will be his induction speakers.
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