Wendell Ralph Butcher (March 28, 1914 – December 18, 1988) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

back who played five seasons with the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

of 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 ...

(NFL). He 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 ...

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its nam ...

and attended Worthington High School in

Worthington, Minnesota Worthington is a city in and the county seat of Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,947 at the time of the 2020 census. The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, S ...

Early years

Butcher

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

three years in football, two years in basketball and two years in track at Worthington High School. He graduated in 1932. He was inducted into the Worthington High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

College career

Butcher played for the

Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its na ...

. He lettered one year as a halfback and three as a

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

. He helped the Gusties to three straight State Championships while the team won the conference all four years he played for them. Butcher was the leading scorer, rusher and passer in the conference during his junior and senior seasons. He earned All-State honors three times and was named a Little All-American in 1937. He was nicknamed the "Worthington Walloper" during his time at Gustavus Adolphus. Butcher also participated in basketball and track for the Gusties. He graduated in 1938. He was a charter member of the Gustavus Adolphus Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978.

Professional career

Butcher signed with the NFL's

in 1938. He played in 44 games, starting 17, for the Dodgers from 1938 to 1942.

Personal life

Butcher served in the

United States Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He worked at the family business, Thermopax, a heating equipment manufacturing company in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, with his two sons. He retired in March 1979. Wendell's son, Ron Butcher, scored the first touchdown in the

1963 Rose Bowl The 1963 Rose Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Tuesday, January 1, at the end of the 1962 season. The top-ranked USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42–3 ...

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butcher, Wendell 1914 births 1988 deaths American football quarterbacks American football defensive backs Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties football players Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) players College men's basketball players in the United States Basketball players from Minnesota College men's track and field athletes in the United States Players of American football from Minnesota People from Worthington, Minnesota American men's basketball players