By Jon Paul HoornstraShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberBefore Vince Lombardi was a statue, or a Hall of Famer, or even a championship-winning head coach, he was a rookie NFL sideline boss and general manager for the Green Bay Packers.
Lombardi drafted defensive back Bill Butler in the 19th round of the 1959 NFL draft — his first — and ostensibly thought he made a mistake soon after. He cut Butler after the second exhibition game of the season.
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Perhaps second guessing himself, Lombardi re-signed Butler one week into the regular season and tried him out at halfback and special teams. Butler, who died Nov. 28 at age 88, would go on to play six seasons in the NFL as a punt and kick returner — a role hand-picked for him by one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport.
...A native of Berlin, Wisconsin, a small town southwest of Green Bay, Butler did not last long with his home town team.
On March 13, 1960, the expansion Dallas Cowboys selected 36 players from active and inactive rosters around the NFL to fill out their inaugural roster. Head coach Tom Landry drafted Butler and installed him as the team's primary punt returner.
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Butler returned 13 punts for 131 yards, and 20 kickoffs for 399 yards for the inaugural Cowboys team. He also was credited with one interception and one fumble recovery on defense. Butler started 12 games for Landry. The Cowboys went 0-11-1 — the only winless season in franchise history.
In December 1960, the Cowboys traded Butler and offensive tackle Dick Klein to the Steelers for Dicky Moegle. Butler recorded three interceptions, including one pick-6 against the Cowboys, while also returning kickoffs and punts in his one season in Pittsburgh.
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Butler was traded to the Vikings after the season, and he played his final three seasons (1962-64) in Minnesota.
After his playing career ended, Butler opened an automobile agency in Milwaukee, and later coached high school and track. His football teams won two state football championships.
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