Tonya Lynn Butler (born October 20, 1980)[1] is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score a field goal in a college football game. She accomplished this feat on September 13, 2003, as a placekicker for the University of West Alabama Tigers, who were competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II.
| West Alabama Tigers – No. 37 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Kicker |
| Class | 2004 |
| Major | Psychology & counseling |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 20, 1980 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 140 lb (64 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Middle Georgia (2000–2001) West Alabama (2003–2004) |
| Bowl games | Golden Isles Bowl Classic 2000 |
| High school | Riverdale High School |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Playing career
editHigh school
editButler was raised in Fayetteville, Georgia, where she played the placekicker position for Riverdale High School.[2] She won the starting kicking job when she was in tenth grade after serving as the junior varsity kicker for her freshman year.[3] As a sophomore, Butler converted seven of eight field goal attempts and 28 of 31 extra points and became the first female to both make the all-area team for Clayton and Henry Counties and honorable mention for Class AAA all-state team as picked by the Georgia Sportswriters Association.[2][4]
Butler converted five of ten field goal attempts and 20 of 23 extra points as a junior; and seven of thirteen field goals and 64-of-65 extra points as a senior.[2][5] She completed her Riverdale career with 165 total points, for second place all-time in points scored at Riverdale.[5] For her performance on the field, Butler was named to the 1998 Class AAA all-state football team as picked by the Georgia Sportswriters Association as the first female ever selected.[5] She also lettered in soccer in high school.[1]
College
editDuring her senior year of high school, Butler received interest from Central Michigan in Division I-A and over two dozen schools in Division I-AA for her services as placekicker.[2] In January 1999 Butler announced she would play college football at Middle Georgia College for head coach Randy Pippin and signed a national letter of intent for a football scholarship to compete as placekicker on February 3, 1999.[6][7] The signing made Butler the first female to earn a football scholarship at a state school.[7] During her two years at Middle Georgia, Butler made 36 of 42 extra points and one field goal for the Warriors.[8] After earning her associates degree at Middle Georgia, she did not receive any scholarship offers to compete as a placekicker elsewhere.[8] Butler ended up going to Georgia Southern where she graduated in 2003.[9]
After graduating from Georgia Southern, former Georgia College head coach Randy Pippin, who was now the head coach at West Alabama, offered Butler a scholarship to serve as placekicker for the Tigers.[10] With two years of eligibility remaining, she enrolled as a graduate student and won the starting placekicker position for the Tigers 2003 season.[10] In the first game of the season, Butler scored on a 27-yard field goal attempt against Stillman with 9:41 remaining in the first quarter.[10] Although initially unconfirmed by the NCAA as gender was not differentiated in their all-time records, it was later confirmed that Butler was the first female player to score a field goal in an NCAA college football game.[11][12][13]
Butler served as placekicker for both the 2003 and 2004 seasons playing for West Alabama. For her career she made 13 of 19 field goal attempts with a long kick of 39 yards, and 48 of 53 in extra point attempts.[13] Her 50 total points made during the 2003 season led the squad, and she was named special teams captain in both her years at West Alabama.[13] Butler also was named Academic All-Gulf South Conference in 2004 and graduated in 2005 with a master's degree in psychology and counseling.[13] In January 2006, her West Alabama helmet, jersey and cleats were displayed at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis in recognition of her accomplishments as a student-athlete.[13]
Butler held the record for the most points scored by a female college football player with 87 through the 2010 season when Brittany Ryan from Lebanon Valley College established the new mark.[14]
See also
edit- List of female American football players
- Sarah Fuller, the first woman to score in a Power Five conferences football game
- Liz Heaston, first female to play and score in a college football game
- Katie Hnida, the first woman to score in a FBS game
- Becca Longo, first woman to receive an NCAA football scholarship to a Division II or better school
- Haley Van Voorhis, the first female to play a non-kicking position in an NCAA game at any level
References
edit- ^ a b "2004 Tiger Football: #37 Tonya Butler". West Alabama Tigers. 2004. Archived from the original on January 18, 2005. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Newberry, Paul (November 1, 1998). "Georgia kicker wants to blaze trail for female football players". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Awtrey, Stan (September 6, 1996). "Riverdale debuts with female kicker". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 4D.
- ^ Lee, Michael (August 21, 1997). "Getting her kicks in; Butler's earning fame for skill, not gender". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 1E.
- ^ a b c "All-State list boasts first female". The Augusta Chronicle. Associated Press. December 25, 1998. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Carvell, Michael (January 23, 1999). "Butler will kick at Middle Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 1E.
- ^ a b Carvell, Michael (February 4, 1999). "Middle Georgia signs Butler". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 6D.
- ^ a b Towers, Chip (February 9, 2001). "Female kicker unsigned but not discouraged". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 2C.
- ^ Rosen, Karen (October 17, 2003). "Pioneer still gets her football kicks". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 8D.
- ^ a b c Carroll, Andrew (September 14, 2000). "UWA's Tonya Butler aims for NCAA history". The Tuscaloosa News. p. C1. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ "Feat accompli". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. September 13, 2003. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ McIntyre, Jeff (November 4, 2004). "Girl power!". TimesDaily. Florence, Alabama. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Deas, Tommy (January 26, 2006). "Former UWA kicker has own NCAA display". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
- ^ Vecsey, George (October 8, 2010). "Kickers form bond and find sorority". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2011.