FSU Legend LeRoy Butler officially announced for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

He invented the Lambeau leap. He was the key player in the legendary ‘Puntrooskie’ play at Clemson. He picked off Gino Torretta on the first play from scrimmage in ‘89 vs. the hated Hurricanes. And now he’s headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He spent 12 seasons in the NFL all of them with my beloved Green Bay Packers and finished his career with one super bowl ring, 4 pro-bowl selections, 4 First-Team all-pro selections and a first-team selection of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team.

It took 15 close calls but 16 was the magic number as he is joined by Tony Boselli, Richard Seymour, Sam Mills, and Bryant Young.

In fact until now (excluding specialists) he was the only first-team member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team that hadn’t been enshrined in Canton and this August another legendary DB from DBU will have his bust preserved in bronze for all eternity at football’s most sacred amphitheater.

The FSU release:

Butler was a three-year letterman at Florida State, earning Consensus All-America honors at cornerback in 1989, before a 12-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. The Jacksonville native appeared in 32 games at FSU and recorded 194 tackles, including 3.0 for loss with 1.0 sack, nine interceptions, 14 pass breakups and three forced fumbles. In 1988, he was responsible for the “Puntrooskie” at No. 3 Clemson, gaining 78 yards on a fake punt that set up the Seminoles for a game-winning field goal in the 24-21 victory. His 109 interception return yards at Syracuse in 1989 still stands as FSU’s single-game record, and his seven interceptions that season are tied for fifth on the program’s single-season list.

After his Florida State career, Butler was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft.He is credited with inventing the Lambeau Leap, a tradition that has endured when Packers players leap into the stands at Lambeau Field in Green Bay to celebrate a touchdown. In 1993, against the Los Angeles Raiders, Butler forced a fumble that was recovered by Reggie White and lateraled back to Butler, who returned the fumble 25 yards for a touchdown and leaped into the stands to celebrate. Butler played in 181 professional games with 165 starts and was credited with 670 tackles, including 22.0 for loss with 20.5 sacks, 38 interceptions, 92 pass breakups, 13 forced fumbles and 10 fumble recoveries.

He was the first player in NFL history with 20 sacks and 20 interceptions. Butler was a four-time first-team All-Pro selection and played in two Super Bowls, helping Green Bay win Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots and returning the next year for Super Bowl XXXII against the Denver Broncos. He was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2007. He also was a first-team All-1990s Team selection by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Butler is the fifth Pro Football Hall of Fame selection from Florida State, tied for the 11th-highest total among all colleges nationally. He joins wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff in 1988, cornerback Deion Sanders in 2011 and linebacker Derrick Brooks and offensive tackle Walter Jones in 2014.

Personally speaking this is the peak of fandom for me and it’s about time that LeRoy got his due.

Go Pack Go, Go Noles, and congratulations to LeRoy Butler; Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers safety from Florida State University.