Post by Sly Fox on Sept 30, 2005 9:16:42 GMT -5
Could someone please explain to me how we never offered this Lynchburg kid (whose dad played for us) a scholarship?
Cavaliers' line buster might try filibusters
Pol position: From the left or the right, Brad Butler is a standout offensive tackle
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Sep 30, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE Republican or Democrat?
The University of Virginia's biggest -- literally -- political junkie smiled at the question.
"I don't know. We'll wait and see one day when I run for office," said senior Brad Butler, who stands 6-8 and weighs a meal or two less than 300 pounds. "That's one of my plans later on in life."
When the political science major from Lynchburg isn't watching "Hardball with Chris Matthews" or "Imus in the Morning" or serving as an intern at U.Va.'s Center for Politics, he finds time to play a little football. Butler has started 29 consecutive games at right offensive tackle for 19th-ranked Virginia, though he may line up on the left side tomorrow against Maryland, depending on D'Brickashaw Ferguson's health.
RELATED
Listen: Sportswriter Jeff White takes a quick look at the Cavs vs. the Terps
I n U.Va.'s win over Duke at Scott Sta- dium last weekend, Butler, who had missed the previous week of practice because of a shoulder injury, shifted to left tackle after Ferguson sprained his left knee in the first half.
Left or right -- it doesn't matter to a guy who says that politically he doesn't "really lean a certain way. I like it all."
Larry Sabato, the U.Va. professor who directs the Center for Politics, calls Butler "a classic scholar-athlete." Such students were more common at the university, Sa- bato said, "back when U.Va. used to lose every game" in football.
"He excels in both sectors, and he loves politics," Sabato said. "There really aren't that many football players -- or, for that matter, nonfootball players -- who get up for 'Imus in the Morning' or watch the Sunday morning talk shows."
It wouldn't surprise Sabato, a passionate U.Va. football fan, to see Butler hold public office one day. "He knows all the names and has some ideas of where the bodies are buried," Sabato said with a laugh. "So in one sense he's halfway there."
Butler, whose father played football at Liberty University, is a graduate of E.C. Glass High. Baseball was Butler's favorite sport when he was growing up, and he didn't play organized football until he was a 10th-grader. Two years later, he committed to U.Va., the only school to offer him a scholarship.
At Virginia, Butler's arrival coincided with that of Ferguson. A heralded recruit from Long Island, N.Y., Ferguson moved immediately into the starting lineup at left tackle and now is widely considered the nation's best at his position. That his close friend's accomplishments on the field have overshadowed his, Butler said, doesn't bother him in the slightest.
Any time Ferguson "gets awards or anything like that, I'm happy for him," Butler said. "I don't mind being behind the scenes and just doing my job. In fact, I prefer it."
Make no mistake, though, Butler is a talented tackle, too, and he'll almost certainly draw an NFL paycheck before he gets around to running for office.
"He definitely doesn't get as much recognition as I think he should," said Cavaliers defensive end Brennan Schmidt, who battles Butler in practice. "I go against some of the best offensive tackles in the country in this conference, and I promise you I don't have as much trouble with them as I do with Brad in a lot of respects."
As a true freshman in 2002, Butler made his first start in the Continental Tire Bowl, in place of the injured Mike Mullins. Back then, neither he nor Ferguson weighed more than 260 pounds -- "Which is absurd," Butler noted this week -- but their work under strength coach Evan Marcus has paid huge dividends.
The weight room is still a constant in Butler's life, but he manages to spend six to eight hours a week at the Center for Politics. His football obligations don't leave him much time for outside interests, but working with Sabato is "something I enjoy and I love," Butler said.
"It's the same thing with football. I don't mind being over here six hours a day."
www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785365059&path=!sports!colleges&s=1045855934926
virginiasports.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/butler_brad00.html
Cavaliers' line buster might try filibusters
Pol position: From the left or the right, Brad Butler is a standout offensive tackle
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Sep 30, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE Republican or Democrat?
The University of Virginia's biggest -- literally -- political junkie smiled at the question.
"I don't know. We'll wait and see one day when I run for office," said senior Brad Butler, who stands 6-8 and weighs a meal or two less than 300 pounds. "That's one of my plans later on in life."
When the political science major from Lynchburg isn't watching "Hardball with Chris Matthews" or "Imus in the Morning" or serving as an intern at U.Va.'s Center for Politics, he finds time to play a little football. Butler has started 29 consecutive games at right offensive tackle for 19th-ranked Virginia, though he may line up on the left side tomorrow against Maryland, depending on D'Brickashaw Ferguson's health.
RELATED
Listen: Sportswriter Jeff White takes a quick look at the Cavs vs. the Terps
I n U.Va.'s win over Duke at Scott Sta- dium last weekend, Butler, who had missed the previous week of practice because of a shoulder injury, shifted to left tackle after Ferguson sprained his left knee in the first half.
Left or right -- it doesn't matter to a guy who says that politically he doesn't "really lean a certain way. I like it all."
Larry Sabato, the U.Va. professor who directs the Center for Politics, calls Butler "a classic scholar-athlete." Such students were more common at the university, Sa- bato said, "back when U.Va. used to lose every game" in football.
"He excels in both sectors, and he loves politics," Sabato said. "There really aren't that many football players -- or, for that matter, nonfootball players -- who get up for 'Imus in the Morning' or watch the Sunday morning talk shows."
It wouldn't surprise Sabato, a passionate U.Va. football fan, to see Butler hold public office one day. "He knows all the names and has some ideas of where the bodies are buried," Sabato said with a laugh. "So in one sense he's halfway there."
Butler, whose father played football at Liberty University, is a graduate of E.C. Glass High. Baseball was Butler's favorite sport when he was growing up, and he didn't play organized football until he was a 10th-grader. Two years later, he committed to U.Va., the only school to offer him a scholarship.
At Virginia, Butler's arrival coincided with that of Ferguson. A heralded recruit from Long Island, N.Y., Ferguson moved immediately into the starting lineup at left tackle and now is widely considered the nation's best at his position. That his close friend's accomplishments on the field have overshadowed his, Butler said, doesn't bother him in the slightest.
Any time Ferguson "gets awards or anything like that, I'm happy for him," Butler said. "I don't mind being behind the scenes and just doing my job. In fact, I prefer it."
Make no mistake, though, Butler is a talented tackle, too, and he'll almost certainly draw an NFL paycheck before he gets around to running for office.
"He definitely doesn't get as much recognition as I think he should," said Cavaliers defensive end Brennan Schmidt, who battles Butler in practice. "I go against some of the best offensive tackles in the country in this conference, and I promise you I don't have as much trouble with them as I do with Brad in a lot of respects."
As a true freshman in 2002, Butler made his first start in the Continental Tire Bowl, in place of the injured Mike Mullins. Back then, neither he nor Ferguson weighed more than 260 pounds -- "Which is absurd," Butler noted this week -- but their work under strength coach Evan Marcus has paid huge dividends.
The weight room is still a constant in Butler's life, but he manages to spend six to eight hours a week at the Center for Politics. His football obligations don't leave him much time for outside interests, but working with Sabato is "something I enjoy and I love," Butler said.
"It's the same thing with football. I don't mind being over here six hours a day."
www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785365059&path=!sports!colleges&s=1045855934926
virginiasports.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/butler_brad00.html
