Donald Aubrey Butler (born October 17, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

. He played college football at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

. He was considered one of the top linebacker prospects for the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the fir ...

, and was selected with the 79th overall pick by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Early years

Butler attended Del Campo High School in

Fair Oaks, California Fair Oaks is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento– Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 32,514 at the 2020 census, up fro ...

. As a junior in 2004, he had 1,504 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, leading Del Campo to a 9-2 record and the Capital Athletic League championship. He was selected an All-Metro second-team and All-CAL MVP pick. Limited to seven games by a hamstring injury, Butler led Del Campo to an 8-3 record and a state playoff berth as a senior in 2005, rushing for 762 yards and 16 touchdowns, with an average of 9.29 yards per carry and 108.9 yards per game. He was named an honorable mention All-Metro selection by the

Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

. Butler also lettered in

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

while at Del Campo. He competed as a sprinter (11.38 seconds in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

and 23.53 seconds in the 200-meter dash) and long jumper (personal-best of 6.21m or 20'4"). Butler was named one of the Top 15 prospects in the Sacramento area by the

. He was ranked 55th nationally among

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

s by Rivals.com. On March 3, 2005, Butler committed to the

College career

In four years at Washington, Butler had 239 tackles (159 solo), 26.5 TFLs (for 78 yards), three sacks (for 35 yards), five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions (for 15 yards), and seven pass deflections. At the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

, he had 35 reps benching 225. At his

Pro Day The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

, he had a 4.61 40, a 35.5 vertical, a 121.0 broad jump, a 4.28 shuttle, and a 6.93 three cone drill.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

In the

, the

traded up 12 spots to select the Butler in the third round. Butler suffered a season-ending injury prior to the start of his rookie season as he tore his left Achilles tendon during a pass rush drill. He was placed on the injured reserve list on August 31. The linebacker spent all of the 2010 season rehabilitating. However, in the 2011 season, his first in the NFL, Butler had his breakout season as he became an immediate starter on the Chargers' defense. Butler had 96 tackles playing in all 16 games, including 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception, playing alongside veteran linebacker

Takeo Spikes Takeo Gerard Spikes (; born December 17, 1976) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn University. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 13th overall in ...

. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, Butler was already a well-known and vocal team leader for the Chargers. Playing in only 12 games, he managed to make 77 tackles, 3 of which were sacks. He had a stellar game against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 30, where he caught a tipped off ball and returned the interception for a 21-yard touchdown. Butler was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for that performance. Butler again was known as a team leader in 2013, being elected a team captain in his fourth year. Butler played 13 games, missing 3 with a groin injury, managing to make 84 tackles, half a sack, 1 interception, and a fumble recovery. In the wild card round vs the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

, Butler stripped running back

Giovani Bernard Giovani Govan Bernard (born November 22, 1991) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in t ...

from behind, which was ruled a fumble and recovered by the Chargers. Butler was an impending free agent for the 2014 NFL season, but on February 28, 2014, he announced on

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that he would be staying with the Chargers on a multi-year deal. He was placed on injured reserve with a dislocated elbow on December 15, 2014. Butler was released by the Chargers on March 3, 2016.

Arizona Cardinals

On July 27, 2016, Butler was signed by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Cardinals.

Miami Dolphins

On September 13, 2016, Butler was signed by the Dolphins.

NFL statistics

Personal life

Butler studied business and construction management at the University of Washington. After retiring in 2017, he returned to complete his studies, graduating in 2018. His mom, Janet Rice, has been in the housing and finance industries for a number of years. Her career path spurred his interest in the business side of construction and real estate development. Butler is currently pursuing his masters degree in real estate at Georgetown University.

References

External links

San Diego Chargers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Donald 1988 births Living people American football linebackers Players of American football from Sacramento, California People from Fair Oaks, California Washington Huskies football players San Diego Chargers players Arizona Cardinals players Miami Dolphins players