Robb-Davon Butler (born September 14, 1981) is a former American football

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

who played one season with 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 ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He was a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

in both football and track at

Perry Traditional Academy Perry Traditional Academy, also known as Perry High School, is a high school in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Perry is one of ten secondary schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Opened during the 1922-1923 school y ...

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned All-State honors in football for his senior year in 1998. Butler played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Pittsburgh for two years as a cornerback. He then transferred to Robert Morris and played wide receiver. He redshirted his first season and caught 29 passes for 459 yards his second season. Butler converted to

strong safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

his senior season in 2003 and earned First-team Division I-AA All-American honors. After going undrafted in the

2004 NFL Draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...

, he signed with the Chargers. He played in five games for the Chargers in 2004, recording seven total tackles and two kickoff returns. He later spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Brigade,

Erie RiverRats The Erie Explosion was a professional American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, the Explosion played in the Professional Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, the ...

and

Wheeling Wildcats The Wheeling Wildcats were a professional indoor football team located in Wheeling, West Virginia. The team began play in the Continental Indoor Football League during the 2009 season as an expansion team. The Wildcats were the second indoor foo ...

Early years

Butler was a three-year

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he played receiver and defensive back. He earned First-team Associated Press Big School All-State honors in 1998. He was named to the 1999 AAA Pennsylvania Big 33 Team, which participated in the Big 33 Classic on July 24, 1999. Butler was named to the 1998 '' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' "Fabulous 22" Team. He was also named to the ''

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rem ...

''/ Fox Sports Pittsburgh "Terrific 25" Team. He gained first-team All-Pittsburgh City League recognition twice as well. Butler recorded 35 receptions for 631 yards his senior year and scored 14 total touchdowns, including two punt returns, two kick returns and one interception return for a touchdown. He accumulated six interceptions during his junior year and six interceptions in his senior season as well. He helped the team win the City League championship in 1997 and 1998. The team advanced to the PIAA Class AAA state championship game in 1997 but lost. Butler also lettered three years in track and field at Perry. He played football with future Pittsburgh Panthers teammate

Rod Rutherford Rod Rutherford (born December 12, 1980) is an American football coach and former quarterback. Rutherford spent time on both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers rosters, mostly as a practice squad player. Rutherford entered the N ...

at Perry. Butler visited Pittsburgh, Maryland, Michigan State, Wisconsin and NC State before choosing Pittsburgh. He signed his letter of intent on February 7, 1999.

College career

Butler played

for the Pittsburgh Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2000 and lettered both years. He was a reserve cornerback and special teams contributor each year. He played in the final eight games of the 1999 season, recording five solo tackles, five tackle assists and two passes defended. On November 13, 1999, Butler broke up a pass in the end zone on the final play in the history of Pitt Stadium. He played in ten games during his sophomore year in 2000, totaling three solo tackles and two tackle assists. After the 2000 season, he had transitioned to wide receiver after spending time, and impressing, on the scout squad at receiver. Butler then transferred to Robert Morris University in 2001. He played in 20 games, all starts, for the Robert Morris Colonials from 2002 to 2003. He caught 29 passes for a team-leading 459 yards in 2002. Butler converted to

in 2003. He accumulated 84 tackles, two interceptions, nine

pass breakups In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

, and two forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s for the Colonials during the 2003 season, earning him First-team Division I-AA All-American honors.

Professional career

Butler signed with the

of the National Football League (NFL) on April 25, 2004, after going undrafted in the

, becoming the fifth player in Robert Morris history to sign an NFL contract. He was released by the Chargers on September 5 and signed to the team's practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster of the Chargers on November 30, 2004. Butler played in five games for the team during the 2004 season, recording three solo tackles and four tackle assists. He also returned two kickoffs for 35 yards. He was released by the Chargers on September 3, 2005. On November 11, 2005, Butler was signed to the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. He was promoted to the team's active roster on December 30. He re-signed with the Ravens on May 18, 2006. Butler was released by the team on September 2, 2006. He had a workout with 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 ...

of the NFL in December 2006. He signed a two-year contract with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs on February 12, 2007. Butler was released by the Chiefs on September 2, 2007. He signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League on November 29, 2007. He was released by the team on February 16, 2008, signed by the Brigade on March 18 and placed on recallable waivers nine days later. The Brigade signed Butler to the team's practice squad on April 2 and promoted him to the active roster on April 12. He was placed on recallable waivers on April 29, signed by the Brigade on May 1 and placed on recallable waivers on May 7, 2008. Overall, he totaled eleven solo tackles, seven tackle assists and one interception for the Brigade during the 2008 season. Butler signed with the

of the American Indoor Football Association in May 2008 and played for them during the 2008 season. He played with former Perry Traditional and Pittsburgh Panthers teammate Rod Rutherford as a member of the RiverRats. Butler was signed by the

of the Continental Indoor Football League on December 21, 2008, and played for the team during the 2009 season. He again played with Rutherford in Wheeling. Butler also played under head coach

Shawn Liotta Shawn Liotta (born July 11, 1980) is currently the Head Football Coach at Fan Controlled Sports and Entertainment and is the author of the book "No Huddle No Mercy" which details his record setting offensive system that has been used by footbal ...

in both Erie and Wheeling.

Personal life

Butler has spent time working for

PPG Industries PPG Industries, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 70 countries around the globe. By revenue it is ...

after his playing career. He earned an MBA from Olin Business School. Butler currently works as the wide receivers and defensive backs coach at

Calabasas High School Calabasas High School is a four-year high school in Calabasas, California, United States. Calabasas High School, which serves Calabasas and portions of West Hills, Los Angeles, is one of three high schools in the Las Virgenes Unified School Dis ...

in Calabasas, California.

References

External links

Just Sports StatsScout.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Robb Living people 1981 births American football cornerbacks American football safeties American football wide receivers African-American players of American football Pittsburgh Panthers football players Robert Morris Colonials football players San Diego Chargers players Baltimore Ravens players Kansas City Chiefs players Kansas City Brigade players Erie RiverRats players Wheeling Wildcats players Olin Business School (Washington University) alumni Players of American football from Pittsburgh