Duane Butler

Duane Butler

No. 31
Positions	Linebacker Safety
Personal information
Born	(1973-11-09) November 9, 1973 Trotwood, Ohio, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school	Trotwood (OH) Madison
College	Illinois State
NFL draft	1997: undrafted
Expansion draft	1999: 1st round, 18th overall pick
Career history
New York Jets (1997)* Minnesota Vikings (1997–1998) England Monarchs (1998) Cleveland Browns (1999)* Berlin Thunder (2000) Birmingham Thunderbolts (2001) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2001-2002) Montreal Alouettes (2003–2006)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Duane Butler (born November 9, 1973) is an American former professional gridiron football linebacker and safety. He played college football at Illinois State.

College career

Duane Butler attended Illinois State University. While there, he was a three time All-Conference selection, and left school with the school's fifth most career tackles record with 332 tackles.

Professional career

Butler began his career as a free agent, eventually playing in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, in 1997 for three games and in 1998 for fourteen games. In 1998, he also played for the London Monarchs of the NFL Europa. In 1999, he tried out for the Cleveland Browns. In 2000, he played for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europa. 2001 was a busy year, as Butler played 15 games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, and a season with the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL. After another season in Hamilton (2002), Butler found a home with the Montreal Alouettes, where he has played for the past 4 seasons (to 2006). In 2003, he tied the Alouettes records for most sacks in a game, with 5 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.