From Wheelchair to the Lambeau Leap

I don’t know why I’ve been picking up these Green Bay Packer biographies and memoirs this season, other than the fact that I’m a home-grown Packer fan. I’ve suddenly got 6 such books on my shelf, and there’s only a month of football left! I say “a month,” because it’s January, and this is going to be the Packers’ year. Finally.

Earlier this season, I read Driven, the memoirs of Packer wide receiver Donald Driver, a drug dealer, football star, and dancing legend. I followed that up with In the Trenches, Reggie White’s autobiography which he wrote just a few years before he died. Next I read this, The LeRoy Butler Story, about Green Bay’s great defensive player who led his team from 1990-1992. Also on my shelf are Gunslinger about Brett Favre, Golden Boy about Paul Hornung, and When Pride Still Mattered about Vince Lombardi himself. I’ll likely look for something about Curly Lambeau or Bart Starr sometime down the road, but for now, this is about as much Packers history as I can handle. And these final books will have to wait until next season…at least.

Like most kids in Wisconsin in the ’90s, I grew up loving LeRoy Butler, but not just because he invented “the Lambeau Leap.” I loved him because my brother loved him, and anything my brother did, I followed (except for that one time when he shoplifted some football cards from Shopko…but that’s another story). When I found a copy of this book in a thrift store a few weeks ago, autographed by Butler himself, my memory went instantly to my childhood and all the collectibles my brother and I savored. This would have been a gem 20 years ago, and I still think it’s pretty awesome. Before giving it to him, though, I had to read it for myself.

As far as writing goes, it’s about as simplistic as Driven. Butler recounts what seems to be his do-no-wrong history since childhood, his adulthood success, and his hopes for the future. The most drama comes from his wheelchair-to-ballfield story, and there’s really not much else to sing about.

I must admit, I was surprised to learn that Butler had spent his childhood either in leg-braces or in casts and wheelchair, all because of his pigeon-toed condition and his inability to walk correctly. That he ran for the first time at age 8 was incredible. That he learned to lead through character and personality rather than by any physical prowess is admirable. That he committed himself to being the fastest and best in his chosen sport because of his disability is inspiring. The LeRoy Butler Story certainly needed to be told! I just think that an investigative journalist, biographer, or basic writer would have done a better job in telling it.

I did enjoy the chapter describing the first Lambeau Leap, when Reggie White tossed Butler the ball after a defensive turnover, and, after scoring a touchdown, he was so excited that he jumped into the stands to celebrate. It’s a classic moment in NFL history and a tradition that continues to this day. I’ve watched the clip numerous times, and it certainly is exciting…but recounting that play was about as exciting as this book got.

The Afterword of the book by Butler’s mentor and best friend was, I’m quite sure, a personal and heartfelt gift…but it was also poorly written, so much so that it really should have been kept out of the book! Do you remember back in the day when you’d be at someone’s house, and they wanted to show you an hour-long slideshow of blurry photographs from a vacation they took to Missouri? And you felt like you had to be polite and sit through it, because after all, they’re you’re friends and they just cooked you a meatloaf! That’s sort of how the final pages of this book felt.

I realize that there’s really no reason for me to nitpick this book so harshly. After all, the only people who are going to read someone’s autobiography are the people who want to read it, and my review of a book like this isn’t going to change anyone’s mind one way or the other. Still, I do this for my own sake as much as for others’, because I want to remember what I’ve read, and I want to share that with whomever might be interested. There’s no recommendation I can make for a book like this. Simply read it if you’re inclined to read it.

All harshness aside, I do want to close with these final words from Butler himself recounting the inspiration he knows his story to be:

My success, in going from wheelchair to the Lambeau Leap, demonstrates what can be done if you never give up, keep a smile on your face and focus on your goals. If I had any wish for those reading this story, it is that you remain loyal to those who helped you along the way. And, never forget where you’re going. (175)

©2022 E.T.

Read More Football Books:

• In the Trenches: The Autobiography by Reggie White (1997)
• The LeRoy Butler Story by LeRoy Butler and James J. Keller (2003)
• Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (2007)
• The Two-Minute Drill to Manhood by John Croyle (2013)
• Driven by Donald Driver (2013)
• Gunslinger by Jeff Pearlman (2016)