Marion Stevenson Butts, Jr. (born August 1, 1966) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

for seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL) for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

, the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

and the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

from 1989 to 1995.

Professional career

Butts was immediately used as a starter, for the Chargers. On December 17, 1989, late in his rookie season, he rushed for 176 yards against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

on a Chargers record 39 carries. He led the team (Chargers and Patriots) in rushing his first six seasons. He gained a career-best 1,225 yards in 1990, finishing third in the NFL in rushing yards, despite missing the final two games of the season due to injury. He was elected to the 1990 Pro Bowl. In the 1992 playoffs, Butts rushed 15 times for 119 yards and 1 touchdown against the Chiefs, setting the franchise records with 7.9 yards per carry. In 1994, citing the new salary cap, as well as declining numbers due to a string of injuries, the Chargers traded Butts to the Patriots for a third- and a fifth-round pick.

NFL career statistics

References

1966 births Living people American football running backs Florida State Seminoles football players San Diego Chargers players New England Patriots players Houston Oilers players American Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Sylvester, Georgia Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen football players {{runningback-1960s-stub