Thursday, January 26, 2006

Tonya Butler, we get a kick out of you

The leading scorer for the University of West Alabama football team in 2003 was a woman: place kicker Tonya Butler, the first woman in NCAA history to successfully kick a field goal.

Butler's career record at West Alabama: 48 of 53 extra-point attempts. Her all-male teammates twice elected her special teams captain.

Tommy Deas in The Tuscaloosa News reports today that Butler's jersey (No. 37) and cleats are on display for the next six months in the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis, as part of the NCAA's celebration of 25 years of women's championships.

Before coming to West Alabama, Butler was an All-State star of the football team at Class AAA Riverdale High School in Georgia. From there she got a two-year athletic scholarship to Middle Georgia Junior College in Cochran. Her hopes for a Division I scholarship didn't pan out, but when the Middle Georgia coach moved to West Alabama, he told his former place kicker: "Hey, you have eligibility left. Are you looking for a free master's?"

The Tuscaloosa News reports that Butler graduated from West Alabama in 2005 with her master's in psychology and counseling, but doesn't say what she's doing now. If anyone knows, please pass the info along.

1 Comments:

Blogger Gramps said...

Tonya is currently a corporatre recruiter with a leading communication corporation in Atlanta. In her spare time she plays amature soccer. Incidently, The NCAA ehxibition in the NCAA Hall Of Champions in Indianapolis was called "A Century of Champions" celebrating the great NCAA Chanpions of the 20th Century. Her display was next to Pat Summitt's and near Walter Peyton's.

11:15 AM  

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