LeRoy Butler’s long wait is over. The creator of the Lamebau Leap has leapt into football immortality.
The former Green Bay Packers safety has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 after being a finalist the past two years and a semi-finalist for a few years prior. While the wait was not nearly as long as the one Jerry Kramer had to endure before finally being enshrined in 2018, Butler’s enshrinement is overdue and arguably should have come before both John Lynch (class of 2020) and Steve Atwater (2019).
Butler finished his career with more sacks, forced fumbles, and interceptions than both Atwater and Lynch and he played in 43 fewer games than Lynch (181 to Lynch’s 223) while Atwater played the fewest games with 167.