Harrison Butker
refer to caption
Butker in 2023
No. 7 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:Kicker
Personal information
Born: (1995-07-14) July 14, 1995
Decatur, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Westminster
(Atlanta, Georgia)
College:Georgia Tech (2013–2016)
NFL Draft:2017 / Round: 7 / Pick: 233
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2023
Field goals made:197
Field goals attempted:221
Field goal %:89.1
Longest field goal:62
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Harrison Butker (born July 14, 1995) is an American football kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Tech, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is second in NFL history in career field goal percentage (minimum 100 attempts) with 89.1.[1] Butker led the NFL in scoring in 2019, and is a two-time Super Bowl champion, having won LIV and LVII with the Chiefs. He is nicknamed "Butt Kicker" (a play on words on his last name and position).[2]

Early years

Butker went to The Westminster Schools, where he played on the football team after picking up the sport as a rising sophomore.[3] He broke the school record (at the time) for a field goal of 53 yards. He was a three-sport athlete in basketball, football, and soccer, winning three state championships in soccer, and, for all four years, the first-chair tuba player for the school's (upperclassmen) symphonic band.[3]

College career

Butker played at Georgia Tech from 2013 through 2016 under head coach Paul Johnson.[4] Butker is the all-time leading scorer in school history and was a captain of the team for his senior season.[5] In his collegiate career, he converted 208-of-210 extra point attempts and 43-of-60 field goal attempts.[4] He graduated from the school with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.[6]

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers selected Butker in the seventh round with the 233rd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.[7] He was the third and last kicker selected in 2017.[8] On May 5, 2017, the Panthers signed Butker to a four-year, $2.48 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $83,112.[9] He was waived on September 13, 2017,[10] and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[11]

Kansas City Chiefs

2017 season

On September 26, 2017, Butker was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs off the Panthers' practice squad.[12] On October 2, 2017, Butker converted a game-winning field goal in his debut game against the Washington Redskins. In the following game against the Houston Texans, Butker made all five of his field goal attempts and all three extra point tries.[13] In Week 8, he converted five field goals, including a 51-yarder, in a 29–19 win over the Denver Broncos, earning himself AFC Special Teams Player of the Week and AFC Special Teams Player of the Month.[14] In his first month in the NFL he earned two NFL records: Most made field goals in a month for a rookie kicker and the only player to make five field goals in multiple games of rookie season.[15] In Week 16, Butker converted five field goals in a 29-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[16][17] Overall, in the 2017 season, he converted all 28 extra point attempts and 38-of-42 field goal attempts.[18] Butker was named as an alternate to the 2018 Pro Bowl.[19] He finished the season tied for fourth in scoring with Chris Boswell with 142 points.[20]

The Chiefs finished with a 10–6 record and qualified for the playoffs in the 2017 season.[21] In the Wild Card Round against the Tennessee Titans, Butker converted three extra points and missed a 48-yard field goal in the 22–21 defeat.[22]

2018 season

In Week 2, Butker converted a career-high six extra points in the 42–37 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.[23] Overall, in the 2018 season, he converted 65 of 69 extra point attempts and 24 of 27 field goal attempts.[24]

2019 season

Butker alongside punter Dustin Colquitt

On April 15, 2019, Butker signed his exclusive rights free agent tender with the Chiefs. The tender gave him a one-year contract worth $645,000.[25] On June 13, 2019, he signed a five-year extension worth $20.3 million.[26]

In Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, Butker made two extra points and four field goal attempts, including a 44-yard game-winner, in the 26–23 win, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[27][28] On December 5, Butker was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for his play in November. [29] Butker led the NFL in regular season field goals with 34 completed field goals.[30] He finished the regular season with 45-of-48 extra points converted and 34-of-38 field goals converted.[31]

During the playoffs, Butker made one field goal and went 11-for-12 in extra point attempts.[32] In the Chiefs 31–20 Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers, Butker converted all four extra point attempts and his only field goal attempt, a 31-yarder in the second quarter.[33]

2020 season

In the Chiefs' Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Butker made all three field goal attempts he had in the game, including a franchise record tying 58-yarder, a game tying 30-yard field goal as time expired in regulation, and the game winning and franchise record tying 58-yard field goal to win 23–20 in overtime. The longest field goal record was broken in 2022 while Butker was injured.[34] For his performance, he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[35] After his fifth missed extra point of the season in a Week 7 game against the Broncos, Butker set a career high for missed extra points in a season despite only attempting 24 extra points up to that point.[36] He finished the 2020 season converting 25-for-27 field-goal attempts and 48-for-54 on extra-point attempts. In Super Bowl LV, Butker scored all of the Chiefs' 9 points in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[37]

2021 season

Butker was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 20, 2021[38] after testing positive for COVID-19. Due to the NFL's COVID-19 protocols, he missed the Chiefs' Week 16 game against the Steelers. It was the first game of his career he missed.[39] He was activated on December 29, 2021.[40] In the 2021 season, Butker appeared in 16 games and converted 47-of-49 extra point attempts and 25-of-28 field goal attempts.[41]

In the divisional round against the Buffalo Bills, he converted a 49-yard game-tying field goal in regulation to force overtime in the 42–36 victory.[42]

2022 season

Despite suffering an ankle injury in the game, Butker made a 54-yard field goal and all four extra point attempts in the Chiefs' Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals.[43] The day before the Chiefs’ Week 2 game against the Chargers, he was ruled out due to the ankle injury.[44] He was inactive for the Chiefs next four games.[45] In his first game back from the injury against the Bills, he broke the Chiefs' franchise record for longest field goal for the second time (his previous record of 58 had been broken while he was injured) with a 62 yard field goal. It was the 15th field goal in NFL history 62 yards or longer.[46] In his first five games after returning from injury, he missed an extra point or a field goal in each of those games, the longest such streak of his career. He ended the streak making all three field goal attempts and all three extra point attempts in Week 11 against the Chargers. Due to the injury, with the missed time and the injury causing kicking issues, he had what was statistically the worst season of his career. He had a career low field goal percentage (75%), a career high in misses (6), and a career low in attempts (24). In the AFC Championship Game, Butker hit a 45-yard game winning field goal to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 to send the Chiefs to Super Bowl LVII. In the Super Bowl, Butker kicked a 27-yard game winning field goal with 11 seconds in the 4th quarter to give the Chiefs a 38–35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles to win his second Super Bowl in his career.[47]

2023 season

Harrison Butker prior to a game against the Raiders.

Butker began the season making his first 24 field goals before his first miss in Week 15. In Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Butker went 6-for-6 on field goals and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance. His 6 field goals made set a career high.[48] Butker finished the season making 33 of his 35 attempts tying a career low for missed field goals and setting a career high in field goal percentage with 94.3%. Butker made all 12 of his attempts from over 40 yards, including his second successful field goal from over 60 yards. Butker did not miss a single extra point attempt for the 2nd time in his career. Butker's performance in the 2023 season moved him back into 2nd place in NFL history in career field goal percentage (minimum 100 attempts).

NFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team GP Overall FGs PATs Kickoffs Points
BlkLngFGAFGMPctXPAXPMPctBlkKOTB
2017KC 13053423890.52828100.007861142
2018KC 16054272488.9696594.2111072137
2019KC 16156383489.5484593.809860147
2020KC 16058272592.6544888.919572123
2021KC 16056282589.3494795.909361122
2022KC 13162241875.0413892.70684492
2023KC 16060353393.93737100.008172130
Total10626221919589.032630894.32623442893

NFL record

  • Field goals made by a rookie: 38[49]

Chiefs franchise records

  • Field goals made, season: 38 (2017)[50]
  • Points by a rookie: 142[51]
  • Points by a kicker, season: 142 (2017)[52]
  • Longest field goal: 62 yards (2022)[46]

Personal life

Butker is married with two children.[53]

He is a devout Catholic. Butker has publicly spoken out against Traditionis custodes, saying that he felt that he and other tradition-oriented Catholics were "persecuted" in the Church.[54]

Other endeavors

Butker is the co-founder, president and COO of MDKeller.[55][56] One of the companies that Butker co-founded as a subsidiary of MDKeller is Shepherd's that specializes in custom menswear.[57]

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Regina Caeli Academy, an accredited PK-12 Classical homeschool hybrid academy, located in cities across the United States and the United Kingdom.[58]

He was the 2023 Undergraduate Graduation commencement speaker at his alma mater Georgia Tech, receiving international attention[59] for his message to "get married and start a family," as well as "Sadly, we are encouraged to live our lives for ourselves to move from one thing to another with no long-term commitment. To have loyalty for nothing but ourselves and sacrifice only when it suits our own interests. This loneliness is rooted in the lies being sold about self-dependence and prioritizing our career over important relationships."[60]

Politics

Butker supported the 2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment, which would have overridden a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the Kansas constitution guarantees a right to abortion.[61]

In 2023, Butker wore a pro-life tie while attending the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII victory celebration at the White House in protest of Joe Biden's pro-choice views.[62]

References

  1. ↑ "NFL Field Goal % Career Leaders (since 1938)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ Curtis, Charles (October 3, 2017). "Andy Reid has the most hilarious nickname for the new Chiefs kicker". USAToday.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Sheehan, John (January 30, 2015). "Westminster alum Harrison Butker reflects on kicking career". The Westminster Bi-Line. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Harrison Butker College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Student Spotlight: Harrison Butker: Football Hero and Hometown Guy". Georgia Institute of Technology. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ "A Kick in the Pants". Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Summer 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ Henson, Max (April 29, 2017). "Panthers draft Harrison Butker in seventh round". Panthers.com. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Harrison Butker contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  10. ↑ Voth, Bill (September 13, 2017). "Panthers claim cornerback LaDarius Gunter". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018.
  11. ↑ Strickland, Bryan (September 14, 2017). "Panthers claim OT John Theus". Panthers.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  12. ↑ Kissel, BJ (September 26, 2017). "Chiefs Place Kicker Cairo Santos on Injured Reserve, Sign Harrison Butker". Chiefs.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans - October 8th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs - October 30th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  15. ↑ Lam, Quang M. (November 1, 2017). "Steelers' JuJu Smith-Schuster among Players of Week". NFL.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  16. ↑ Maya, Adam (December 27, 2017). "Todd Gurley, Dion Lewis among NFL Players of Week". NFL.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs - December 24th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Harrison Butker 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ Roesch, Wesley (December 20, 2017). "6 Chiefs named as 2018 Pro Bowl alternates". USA Today. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  20. ↑ "2017 NFL Scoring Summary". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "2017 Kansas City Chiefs Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Wild Card - Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs - January 6th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Chiefs' Harrison Butker: Tallies six points". CBSSports.com. September 18, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Harrison Butker 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Chiefs' Harrison Butker: Remaining with Chiefs". CBSSports.com. April 15, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  26. ↑ Scott, Jelani (June 13, 2019). "Chiefs sign Harrison Butker to 5-year, $20M extension". NFL.com. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Butker's late FGs help Chiefs rally past Vikings, 26-23". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  28. ↑ Bergman, Jeremy (November 6, 2019). "Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  29. ↑ Gordon, Grant (December 5, 2019). "Lamar Jackson among Players of the Month for Nov". nfl.com. The National Football League. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  30. ↑ "2019 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Harrison Butker 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  32. ↑ Felder, Justin (January 30, 2020). "Westminster proud to see alum Harrison Butker in Super Bowl". WAGA-TV. Fox Television Stations. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  33. ↑ Carney, Mitch (February 2, 2020). "Chiefs' Players of the Game in Super Bowl LIV win vs. 49ers". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Harrison Butker kicks OT game-winner, Chiefs win 23-20". WIBW-TV. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Chiefs K Harrison Butker receives AFC special teams honors for Week 2". USAToday.com. September 23, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Harrison Butker 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Super Bowl LV - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 7th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  38. ↑ Brisco, Joshua (December 20, 2021). "Travis Kelce, Charvarius Ward, Harrison Butker Placed on Reserve/COVID-19 List". SI.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Chiefs' Harrison Butker: Won't be available Week 16". CBSSports.com. December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  40. ↑ Koch, Makenzie (December 29, 2021). "Kansas City Chiefs get Kelce, Butker and more back from COVID list". Fox4KC.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Harrison Butker 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Divisional Round - Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs - January 23rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  43. ↑ Foote, Jordan (September 13, 2022). "Chiefs Injury Updates Ahead of Thursday Game vs. Chargers". Sports Illustrated Kansas City Chiefs News, Analysis and More. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  44. ↑ Teicher, Adam (September 14, 2022). "Chiefs K Butker, Chargers WR Allen out for TNF". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  45. ↑ Goldman, Charles (October 12, 2022). "Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates ahead of Wednesday practice". Chiefs Wire. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  46. 1 2 Goldman, Charles (October 16, 2022). "Chiefs K Harrison Butker reclaims franchise record with 62-yard field goal". Chiefs Wire. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  47. ↑ "Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  48. ↑ Dillon, John (January 3, 2024). "Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors". Chiefs Wire. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  49. ↑ Sabatino, Nicholas (July 14, 2022). "The 4 Greatest Records Harrison Butker Already Has". Pro Sports Outlook. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  50. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs Single-Season Kicking & Punting Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  51. ↑ "Most points scored by a rookie, Kansas City Chiefs". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  52. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs Single-Season Scoring Summary Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  53. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker and Wife Isabelle's Relationship Timeline". USMagazine.com. January 3, 2024.
  54. ↑ Bukuras, Joe (February 14, 2022). "Saddened by restrictions, NFL star speaks out in defense of Traditional Latin Mass". Catholic World Report. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  55. ↑ "Shared Values. Shared Success". MDKeller. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  56. ↑ Pompei, Dan. "Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker takes no shortcuts — in football or his faith". The Athletic. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  57. ↑ Pompei, Dan. "Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker takes no shortcuts — in football or his faith". The Athletic. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  58. ↑ "Board of Directors". Regina Caeli. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  59. ↑ Staff, A. O. L. (May 8, 2023). "Chiefs' Harrison Butker delivers poignant commencement speech at his alma mater". www.aol.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  60. ↑ "Chiefs' Harrison Butker gives commencement speech at alma mater". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. May 7, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  61. ↑ Nghiem, Andy (July 27, 2022). "NFL kicker Harrison Butker on Value Them Both: 'This amendment will let Kansas decide what we do on abortion'". Sunflower State News. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  62. ↑ "Biden's Abortion Views, Faith at Odds Like Never Before". TIME. May 13, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
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