KEVIN BUTLER: BORN TO BE AN ’85 BEAR
Kevin Butler was the right guy at the right place at the right time.
The headstrong kicker from Georgia was a surprise fourthround pick by the Bears in the 1985 draft. It was a surprise not just because it was rare for a kicker to be drafted that early, but because the Bears had a reliable veteran in Bob Thomas.
At 33, in his 10th NFL season, Thomas held six franchise records and was coming off his best season. He made 22 of 28 field goals in 1984, including his last 11 in a row, a franchise record. He was 2-for-3 from 50-plus yards. His .785 percentage was a franchise record and ranked sixth in the NFL among kickers with 20 or more attempts.
But the Bears liked what they saw in Butler, who was obviously younger and had a stronger leg. Butler beat Clemson in 1984 with a 60-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. And his 71-yard attempt on the final play of the Citrus Bowl against Florida State was short by two or three yards.
After saying the job was Thomas’ to lose, coach Mike Ditka chose Butler after both players kicked well in training camp. As unfair as it seemed to be for Thomas, it was a bold move by Ditka that paid off. The confident Butler fit right in with the brash ’85 Bears and responded with a record-setting season.
As the Bears (15-1) cruised to Super Bowl XX, Butler set an NFL record for rookies with 144 points, breaking Gale Sayers record of 132 set in 1965. He was 31-for-38 on field-goal attempts, including 28-for-29 inside of 40 yards. He was 51-for-51 on extra points. He set five franchise records, including two previously held by Thomas: 12 consecutive field goals made and an .816 field-goal percentage.
And, as though it mattered, he was 3-for-3 on field goals in Super Bowl XX, hitting from 28, 24 and 24 yards.
Butler ended up setting 19 franchise records in his 11-year career with the Bears, including career points (1,116), field goals (243), career percentage (.729), longest field goal (55, tied with Thomas), 50-yard field goals in a career (26) and in a season (five) and consecutive field goals (24).