The Undefeated

Malcolm Butler: Champion of Perseverance

Tom Brady may be the 2015 Super Bowl MVP but Malcolm Butler is our Champion of Perseverance.  A little-known corner back for the New England Patriots, Butler became an immediate sensation with his goal-line interception of Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson with 20 seconds left in the game, a play that secured a Super Bowl win for his team by protecting their 28-24 lead.  Like most “overnight sensations,” however, Butler had worked arduously for many years to put himself in position to make a play.

Butler grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he was a high school standout in football but struggled academically and had to work for everything positive in his life both on and off the field.  When he could not get into a Division I school, Butler attended Hinds Community College before transferring to West Alabama for his last two seasons of eligibility.  While in college he worked as a fry cook at a Popeye’s fast food restaurant and as a janitor at the student fitness center and was known as a diligent, reliable, uncomplaining employee at both jobs.  He was also a hard worker on the field culminating in a key play in which he returned a kickoff for a touchdown that helped to lead West Alabama to its first-ever conference title in his senior season.

An undrafted rookie in the 2014 NFL season, Malcolm Butler nevertheless made an impression on everyone from Patriots scouts watching him in college – who didn’t hesitate to sign him as a free agent – to Patriots sports writers in summer training camp to Brady during the season in practice where Butler is said to have picked off his starting quarterback routinely.  Then, on the ultimate football stage, he made a lasting impression on the Seahawks and football aficionados everywhere on Super Bowl Sunday.

With his improbable rise from humble beginnings in Mississippi to NFL superstar, Malcolm Butler persevered through difficult times and an under-the-radar football career to make the critical interception to win Super Bowl XLIX.  He’s an inspiration and, for that, Malcolm Butler is our Champion of Perseverance.