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SHAWN WOOD
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photo provided by the Pro Football Hall of Fame
On Dec. 26, 1993, LeRoy Butler — then a safety for the Green Bay Packers — scored a pivotal touchdown on a freezing winter day, pushing the team into the playoffs. Butler launched himself into the stands, caught by a group of fans who hugged him back. That moment created a celebration still performed by athletes today — the Lambeau Leap.
“I love people. That’s why I love that celebration,” says the Wisconsin resident. “When we put a statue out front by the Packers Pro Shop by the stadium, I didn’t want it to be me in the statue doing the leap. I wanted it to be the fans.”
Butler got his wish. Visitors to Lambeau Field can now snap photos of their own version of the leap, surrounded by bronze spectators.
“Without the fans, we’re nobody. Sometimes, players forget that,” he says. “That’s why Canton is so special. Because it’s football heaven.”
Butler, enshrined in Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022, was the first to participate in its residency program — an initiative in which enshrinees visit Canton and the hall and interact with guests. (Upcoming visitors are set to include former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller June 19 to 22, former San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts June 26 to 29, former New York Jets running back John Riggins July 10 to 13, former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff Aug. 21 to 24 and more.) Butler’s road to the hall, however, was paved with challenges.
He grew up in a Jacksonville, Florida, housing project, and due to a foot issue, wore leg braces as a child. After discovering he was able to run, Butler began playing football in his neighborhood and later at what is now Riverside High School. He accepted a scholarship to play football at Florida State University, joined the Packers in 1990, and exploded onto the scene — playing in four Pro Bowl games from 1994 to 1999.
“They wish they had that jersey on, but they can’t. So they live through you,” Butler says of the fans. “You make the team on the front of your jersey proud, but also the name on the back.”
So, when asked to kick off the residency program, Butler accepted. He completed his stint in early April.
“It was brilliant working with the hall, because my liaison [Jonathan La] … he basically said, What do you want to do? What do you like to do? I was like, I like to speak at schools. I like to visit nonprofits, and I like… community. I like to meet people I don’t know. I want to be a greeter at the hall,” Butler says. “It was a lot of fun. That’s what I love doing, so I thought it was a brilliant way to show Canton that the Hall of Famers really do visit there.”
Butler did just that. He visited restaurants like Basil Asian Bistro and Fronimo’s Downtown, spoke to athletes at McKinley High School, told stories and worked as a greeter in the hall — meeting fans of all ages and sharing anecdotes about his life and time in the NFL.
“When people come up, they don’t expect a Hall of Famer to greet you. I loved doing that,” Butler recalls. “They had field trips …. I walk in there with my gold jacket, and I tell the kids, Hey, let’s go take a picture by my bust — you should have saw their faces.”
He took time to interact with visitors individually, joking with them and even video-calling the son of an older fan. Some, of course, were starstruck.
“Think of the thousands of players who played, and out of all these thousands of players ... you are his favorite,” Butler says. “That is amazing.”
