Kevin Butler shatters collegiate kicking records at the University of Georgia and blasts his way to a Super Bowl victory as a rookie with the legendary Chicago Bears.
Football Bio
July 24, 1962 – Kevin Butler was born. He was a kicker out of Georgia, playing for the Dogs from 1981 to 1984, and he was selected for induction in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
According to the FootballFoundation.org, Kevin booted through 77 field goals and 122 extra points, a total of 353 career points. His specialty seemed to be long-range scoring opportunities, as his accuracy on attempts from 50 yards or longer was 52.4 percent, an NCAA record.
His longest field goal made? It was 60 yards against Clemson in 1984, as it dramatically gave Georgia a 26-23 victory. He had other successful kicks too that were really long: a 59-yard, a 53-yard, and a 52-yard field goal, and Butler finished college by being good on 122 of 125 extra points and 77 of 98 field goals.
Mr. Butler kicked for the NFL’s Chicago Bears for 11 seasons, then finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals. In just his rookie season, he was an NFL champion as the 1985 Bears won Super Bowl XX. Now, that’s one way to start a career, and what a kick he got out of that.
Kevin Butler redefines the placekicker position by pairing incredible leg strength with clutch accuracy in the game’s biggest moments. He proves that kickers hold the power to dictate the outcome of a season, from his heroic 60-yard game-winner in Athens to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Chicago. Today, his legacy stands immortalized as the first pure kicker ever inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- College Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2001 (the first pure placekicker to earn the honor).
- Super Bowl XX Champion: 1985 (Chicago Bears).
- Consensus First-Team All-American: 1984.
- 3× First-Team All-SEC: 1981, 1983, 1984.
- NCAA Long-Distance Accuracy Record: Set the collegiate record for accuracy on field goals of 50+ yards (52.4%).
- Georgia Longest Field Goal Record: 60 yards against Clemson in 1984.
- NFL Rookie Scoring Record: Set an NFL rookie record with 144 points in 1985.
- Chicago Bears All-Time Leading Scorer: Held the franchise record (1,116 points) for 20 years.
