CANTON, Ohio — LeRoy Butler, a Jacksonville kid who grew up in the Blodgett Homes housing projects and spent most of his early childhood in a wheelchair or leg braces after surgeries to correct a severe pigeon-toed condition, never stood taller than Saturday as the Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomed him into its exclusive club.
Butler’s relentlessly positive attitude, a mindset instilled in him for decades by his late mother, Eunice Butler, came through loud and clear Saturday when delivering his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in a surprisingly short time of under five minutes.
The Lee High (Riverside) graduate made sure to thank teachers from his elementary school days when he was a special-needs student.