Jim Butler (American football)

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Jim Butler
Career information
Cannonball Butler in 1972
Date of birth	(1943-05-04)May 4, 1943
Place of birth	Quincy, Florida, U.S.
Date of death	February 10, 2014(2014-02-10) (aged 70)
Place of death	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Position(s)	Running back
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	194 lb (88 kg)
US college	Edward Waters
NFL draft	1965 / round: 14 / Pick 186
Career history
As player
1965–1967	Pittsburgh Steelers
1968–1971	Atlanta Falcons
1972	St. Louis Cardinals

Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowls	1
Career stats
Games played	97
Starts	58
Rushing yards	2,768 (3.5 average)
Receiving yards	959 (10.8 average)
Fumbles	34
Touchdowns	16

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]

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.

Jim "Cannonball" Butler carrying the ball against the Los Angeles Rams, October 1971.

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]

References

^ "Obituary: James 'Cannonball' Butler / Former Steelers running back made lasting impression on punt". post-gazette.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^ "Jim Butler - 1971 Topps #2 - Vintage Football Card Gallery". footballcardgallery.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d D. Orlando Ledbetter, "James 'Cannonball' Butler, 1943–2014: Pro Bowl Running Back for Falcons," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 18, 2014, p. C8.
^ ^a ^b Tom Bennett, 1972 Atlanta Falcons (media guide). Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Falcons Football Club, 1972; p. 20.

External links

Career statistics from Pro Football Reference ·

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers 1965 NFL draft selections
Roy Jefferson Charlie Browning Bill Howley Tom Neville Dave Tobey Frank Molden Craig Lofquist J. R. Wilburn Cannonball Butler John Carrell Doug Dusenbury Whit Canal Bob Howard Lonnie Price Craig Fertig

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