RIP Tom Butters

[dukejim1]

One of the more influential drivers of Duke Athletics success has passed away per tweets from MickyK and Capel. Prayers to the family.

[Indoor66]

Rest well. Tom was tough, fair, gruff and gentle. He loved golf, baseball, Duke, Ohio and, most of all, Lynn. My prayers to Lynn and family. I will miss him; we will miss him.

[devildeac]

The man who called K back for a 3rd (?) interview as he was on his way to the airport to return to Army. The man who, instead of firing K as a number of alumni were clamoring for, tore up his contract after about 3 years and gave him an extension. Genius. Quite a loss for Duke University.

[dyedwab]

The man who called K back for a 3rd (?) interview as he was on his way to the airport to return to Army. The man who, instead of firing K as a number of alumni were clamoring for, tore up his contract after about 3 years and gave him an extension. Genius. Quite a loss for Duke University.

Duke Athletics as we know it today would not exist but for Tom Butters. Rest In Peace. May his memory be a blessing.

[OldPhiKap]

Prayers for his family. His contributions to Duke were immeasurable.

[weezie]

...His contributions to Duke were immeasurable.

Tom Butters was highly intelligent and also had courage in his convictions. Godspeed Mr. Butters!

[Olympic Fan]

While Butters will always get the credit for the courageous decision to hire the unknown Mike Krzyzewski and to support Coach K when a large segment of the fan base was clamoring for his dismissal, his impact on Duke sports goes far beyond that.

Tom founded and was the original director of the Iron Dukes -- the fund-raising organization that has financed Duke athletics in the modern era. He used his influence in the 1970s to convince administrators (who were under some pressure to de-emphasize athletics) to treat athletics like any department of the university -- and to strive for excellence.

As athletic director, he hired such coaches as John Rennie (soccer), Dan Brooks (women's golf), Jamie Ashworth (women's tennis), Kerstin Kimmel (women's lacrosse), Mike Pressler (lacrosse) Gail Goestenkors (women's basketball) and Steve Spurrier.

The Spurrier hire is interesting -- he was an out-of-work coach (just fired at Georgia Tech) when Butters convinced Red Wilson to bring him in an offensive coordinator. That revived Spurrier's career and was the start of his reputation as an offensive genius. Butters brought Spurrier back in 1987 as head coach (after a stint in the USFL).

I will say that aside from the two Spurrier hires, Butters struggled to get Duke football out of the doldrums (in an era when the university resisted efforts to help the program). I think he made some mistakes (the timing on the Red Wilson dismissal ... promoting Barry Wilson after Spurrier's departure), but on the whole he was a strong, decisive leader.

Maybe his greatest legacy is that when Tom Butters became Duke's AD in 1977, Duke had never won a national title -- in any sport. Duke now has 16 national titles in five different sports. All of these were won by coaches he hired, except the three lacrosse titles -- and Pressler's work certainly laid the groundwork for that success.

We also forget that Butters was quite an athlete in his own right. He was just emerging as a top relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates when his career was cut short when he was badly injured in a traffic accident as he was driving to spring training. He remained an enthusiastic golfer -- he had tremendous length off the tee.

There are plenty more -- as chairman of the NCAA men's basketball committee, he negotiated the first billion dollar NCAA TV deal.

So RIP Tom Butters ... you certainly made your mark on Duke athletics.

[Tom B.]

There are plenty more -- as chairman of the NCAA men's basketball committee, he negotiated the first billion dollar NCAA TV deal.

One of my saddest moments as a Duke fan was watching on TV as Tom Butters had to hand the men's basketball national championship trophy to Jerry Tarkanian in 1990.

Fortunately, things worked out OK after that. :)

There's a poetic circularity to the fact that Tom Butters passed away on the 25th anniversary of Duke's first basketball championship.

Godspeed, sir. You will be missed.

[Mike Corey]

Thoughts and prayers to the Butters family.

[jimsumner]

My freshman P.E. instructor.

As Olympic Fan so accurately summed up, a truly significant person in Duke, ACC and NCAA athletics.

[martydoesntfoul]

RIP Tom. You were one of the greats.

[Pghdukie]

Mr. Butters, Bill Mazeroski, Jerry Lynch, and Dick Groat,all former Pirates played golf together when possible. The stories they could tell !

[Tripping William]

The world has lost a genius. If identifying, hiring, and sticking by Mike Krzyzewski isn't genius, I don't know what is. And, of course, there's also that long list above from Oly. Wishing peace & comfort for his family & friends.

[duke79]

While Butters will always get the credit for the courageous decision to hire the unknown Mike Krzyzewski and to support Coach K when a large segment of the fan base was clamoring for his dismissal, his impact on Duke sports goes far beyond that.

Tom founded and was the original director of the Iron Dukes -- the fund-raising organization that has financed Duke athletics in the modern era. He used his influence in the 1970s to convince administrators (who were under some pressure to de-emphasize athletics) to treat athletics like any department of the university -- and to strive for excellence.

As athletic director, he hired such coaches as John Rennie (soccer), Dan Brooks (women's golf), Jamie Ashworth (women's tennis), Kerstin Kimmel (women's lacrosse), Mike Pressler (lacrosse) Gail Goestenkors (women's basketball) and Steve Spurrier.

The Spurrier hire is interesting -- he was an out-of-work coach (just fired at Georgia Tech) when Butters convinced Red Wilson to bring him in an offensive coordinator. That revived Spurrier's career and was the start of his reputation as an offensive genius. Butters brought Spurrier back in 1987 as head coach (after a stint in the USFL).

I will say that aside from the two Spurrier hires, Butters struggled to get Duke football out of the doldrums (in an era when the university resisted efforts to help the program). I think he made some mistakes (the timing on the Red Wilson dismissal ... promoting Barry Wilson after Spurrier's departure), but on the whole he was a strong, decisive leader.

Maybe his greatest legacy is that when Tom Butters became Duke's AD in 1977, Duke had never won a national title -- in any sport. Duke now has 16 national titles in five different sports. All of these were won by coaches he hired, except the three lacrosse titles -- and Pressler's work certainly laid the groundwork for that success.

We also forget that Butters was quite an athlete in his own right. He was just emerging as a top relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates when his career was cut short when he was badly injured in a traffic accident as he was driving to spring training. He remained an enthusiastic golfer -- he had tremendous length off the tee.

There are plenty more -- as chairman of the NCAA men's basketball committee, he negotiated the first billion dollar NCAA TV deal.

So RIP Tom Butters ... you certainly made your mark on Duke athletics.

Thank you for this comprehensive summary of his accomplishments at Duke ! He had a great run as the AD and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. My thoughts go out to his family and friends!

[Reilly]

Stats from baseball-reference.com:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/butteto01.shtml

[Devilwin]

Met Tom once outside Cameron, and he chatted with us for about 15 minutes. Super nice guy, and a giant in ACC lore. Rest in peace, Tom.

[Edouble]

Without Tom Butters, Duke probably does not hire Coach K, probably does not become the basketball powerhouse that we know it as today, and I am probably an alum of either UPenn, Cornell, or Dartmouth.

A sincere thank you to Mr. Butters.

RIP

[Merlindevildog91]

Prayers for his family and all who loved him.

And a sincere thank you for all the good you did for all of us.

[OldPhiKap]

While Butters will always get the credit for the courageous decision to hire the unknown Mike Krzyzewski and to support Coach K when a large segment of the fan base was clamoring for his dismissal, his impact on Duke sports goes far beyond that.

Tom founded and was the original director of the Iron Dukes -- the fund-raising organization that has financed Duke athletics in the modern era. He used his influence in the 1970s to convince administrators (who were under some pressure to de-emphasize athletics) to treat athletics like any department of the university -- and to strive for excellence.

As athletic director, he hired such coaches as John Rennie (soccer), Dan Brooks (women's golf), Jamie Ashworth (women's tennis), Kerstin Kimmel (women's lacrosse), Mike Pressler (lacrosse) Gail Goestenkors (women's basketball) and Steve Spurrier.

The Spurrier hire is interesting -- he was an out-of-work coach (just fired at Georgia Tech) when Butters convinced Red Wilson to bring him in an offensive coordinator. That revived Spurrier's career and was the start of his reputation as an offensive genius. Butters brought Spurrier back in 1987 as head coach (after a stint in the USFL).

I will say that aside from the two Spurrier hires, Butters struggled to get Duke football out of the doldrums (in an era when the university resisted efforts to help the program). I think he made some mistakes (the timing on the Red Wilson dismissal ... promoting Barry Wilson after Spurrier's departure), but on the whole he was a strong, decisive leader.

Maybe his greatest legacy is that when Tom Butters became Duke's AD in 1977, Duke had never won a national title -- in any sport. Duke now has 16 national titles in five different sports. All of these were won by coaches he hired, except the three lacrosse titles -- and Pressler's work certainly laid the groundwork for that success.

We also forget that Butters was quite an athlete in his own right. He was just emerging as a top relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates when his career was cut short when he was badly injured in a traffic accident as he was driving to spring training. He remained an enthusiastic golfer -- he had tremendous length off the tee.

There are plenty more -- as chairman of the NCAA men's basketball committee, he negotiated the first billion dollar NCAA TV deal.

So RIP Tom Butters ... you certainly made your mark on Duke athletics.

Unfortunately, I am unable to spork the same poster twice in the same day. Not that Oly needs them, but a little help please.

[fogey]

Tom Butters was hired to coach baseball at Duke after Jim Bly passed away, 1967 I think, and I was privileged to have him as a coach and friend. An honorable, dedicated, intense, funny, decent man. He will be missed. RIP, Tom.

[fogey]

Sorry, did not notice this thread was already started. Please feel free to move. DJ

[Indoor66]

Tom Butters was hired to coach baseball at Duke after Jim Bly passed away, 1967 I think, and I was privileged to have him as a coach and friend. An honorable, dedicated, intense, funny, decent man. He will be missed. RIP, Tom.

IRRC Tom was hired into the Development Office by then Director of Development Tom Brose. That was during the 5th Decade Fund Raising Campaign. He moved over from there to coach Baseball.

[-jk]

Funny, certainly: He gave me a butter knife as a wedding present!

-jk

[Indoor66]

Funny, certainly: He gave me a butter knife as a wedding present!

-jk

Back about '85 I was living in Casper, Wyoming and was calling a friend at Duke. I mis-dialed the phone number and reached Tom at his "super secret" phone. He recognized my voice and after a pleasant catch up moment he asked me how the hell I got that number. We both had a good laugh.

[devildeac]

Unfortunately, I am unable to spork the same poster twice in the same day. Not that Oly needs them, but a little help please.

Refractory period...

[Native]

Like a punch to the gut. We lost a good one today.

Condolences to the Butters family.

[DukieInKansas]

May the memories of a life well lived bring comfort to his family and friends.

[jv001]

Some well deserved praise for a great man. Prayers for Tom's family and may God give them peace. RIP Tom Butters and GoDuke!

[grossbus]

"Unfortunately, I am unable to spork the same poster twice in the same day. Not that Oly needs them, but a little help please."

how does one spork?

i have never known.

[OldPhiKap]

"Unfortunately, I am unable to spork the same poster twice in the same day. Not that Oly needs them, but a little help please."

how does one spork?

i have never known.

1. On post you like, click/touch odd rectangle icon on bottom far left (supposed to be smile and frown, I guess)

2. When comment pop-up appears, "approve" post and leave comment.

[House G]

When I was at Duke, I took an elective called "Coaching Baseball and Track". I believe it was taught in a small classroom in Cameron. Tom Butters and Al Buehler were the teachers. I had played baseball throughout my childhood and was enthralled to be in the presence of a former major leaguer. I still remember many of his coaching pearls and will always have fond memories of Tom.

[jimsumner]

There's an unsung hero in the Butters-hires-Krzyzewski-narrative.

I've been told the story below by all three principals, who are/were in agreement on the fundamentals.

The story involves Butters, Krzyzewski and then assistant AD Steve Vacendak, a former Duke standout.

K has his interview with Butters, with Vacendak sitting in.

K knocks it out of the park. As the interview winds up, he's expecting an offer.

One is not forthcoming.

K leaves, surprised and disappointed. He and Mickey are on the way back to the airport. It looks like Iowa State has its new coach.

Meanwhile, back in the Gothic Wonderland.

Butters tells Vacendak something along the lines of "Steve, I think we've found our man."

Vacendak responds "then why are we letting him get on a plane?"

Butters sends Vacendak to RDU to track down K before they leave. He gets there in time, finds K, K comes back to Duke and the rest is history.

Second nugget re the famous Butters-Bob Knight phone call.

Butters actually called Knight to talk about Bob Weltlich, a former Knight assistant then at Ole Miss. Knight is complimentary regarding Weltlich. But Butters asks Knight if there's someone else out there that Duke should be looking at. That's when Knight tells him about K, who he calls the best young basketball mind in the country.

There's an old saying that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Tom Butters was both.

Final nugget. Butters told me he received death threats when he refused to dismiss K after his 38-47 start. Some pretty prominent Iron Dukes demanded K be let go and Butters responded by extending K's contract.

That extension-IMO-was every bit as meaningful as the initial hiring. Talk about a leap of faith. And talk about a pay-off.

[budwom]

and he was a swell volleyball coach as well...(back when we had to take a certain number of Phys Ed courses).

[75Crazie]

I am intensely interested in the plaudits being paid to Butters. It makes me think seriously about the overall negative impression I had of him, at least until now. In my case, this impression was colored by his atrocious handling of Red Wilson. That was really my earliest memory of any personal interest I took of his actions. It upset me to such an extent at the time that I dropped out of the Iron Dukes, and all of the subsequent success in Duke athletics that he obviously played a big part in did not dissuade me in my negative opinion of him. Now that I am seeing personal reports of the positive nature of his Duke tenure, I am more than willing to re-consider my blind prejudice. I still hold him to blame for how he handled that one situation, but I am also cognizant that a person's legacy is much more than one action. Thank you all for helping me to realize that.

[budwom]

I am intensely interested in the plaudits being paid to Butters. It makes me think seriously about the overall negative impression I had of him, at least until now. In my case, this impression was colored by his atrocious handling of Red Wilson. That was really my earliest memory of any personal interest I took of his actions. It upset me to such an extent at the time that I dropped out of the Iron Dukes, and all of the subsequent success in Duke athletics that he obviously played a big part in did not dissuade me in my negative opinion of him. Now that I am seeing personal reports of the positive nature of his Duke tenure, I am more than willing to re-consider my blind prejudice. I still hold him to blame for how he handled that one situation, but I am also cognizant that a person's legacy is much more than one action. Thank you all for helping me to realize that.

Canning Wilson was surely not one of his better moves, that's a really valid point. Wilson did an awful lot with minimal (really minimal) support from Duke.

[devildeac]

There's an unsung hero in the Butters-hires-Krzyzewski-narrative.

I've been told the story below by all three principals, who are/were in agreement on the fundamentals.

The story involves Butters, Krzyzewski and then assistant AD Steve Vacendak, a former Duke standout.

K has his interview with Butters, with Vacendak sitting in.

K knocks it out of the park. As the interview winds up, he's expecting an offer.

One is not forthcoming.

K leaves, surprised and disappointed. He and Mickey are on the way back to the airport. It looks like Iowa State has its new coach.

Meanwhile, back in the Gothic Wonderland.

Butters tells Vacendak something along the lines of "Steve, I think we've found our man."

Vacendak responds "then why are we letting him get on a plane?"

Butters sends Vacendak to RDU to track down K before they leave. He gets there in time, finds K, K comes back to Duke and the rest is history.

Second nugget re the famous Butters-Bob Knight phone call.

Butters actually called Knight to talk about Bob Weltlich, a former Knight assistant then at Ole Miss. Knight is complimentary regarding Weltlich. But Butters asks Knight if there's someone else out there that Duke should be looking at. That's when Knight tells him about K, who he calls the best young basketball mind in the country.

There's an old saying that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Tom Butters was both.

Final nugget. Butters told me he received death threats when he refused to dismiss K after his 38-47 start. Some pretty prominent Iron Dukes demanded K be let go and Butters responded by extending K's contract.

That extension-IMO-was every bit as meaningful as the initial hiring. Talk about a leap of faith. And talk about a pay-off.

Knight also apparently told Butters at some point that K "had all his good traits and none of his bad.":o

[Atldukie79]

I recall Tom Butters showing up to a DUMB rehearsal in the music building soon after his appointment as AD.

Prior to this point, we marched in the rather iconic white turtlenecks, and blue/white beany caps. Let's say we were rather slack.

He delivered the news about "upgrading" the band program This was to include ditching the goofy look and acquiring new, but traditional marching uniforms.
This was not met with great joy!

In hindsight, I can see this was part of an overall plan to upgrade all things associated with duke athletics. No detail was too small. Even the band was on the radar early in his tenure.

His lasting mark on Duke is significant...including shaping up the band!

Thanks Tom Butters.

[devildeac]

Lots of interesting comments/links sent to me from his tribute yesterday. I found this one in particular to be interesting:

"I got hired twice by Duke University when I had no job," Spurrier said. "That's why I love this place so much." He also greatly appreciated that Butters encouraged him to pursue/accept the Florida job and leave Duke in the process.