Butters to retire after 20 years as athletic director
Twenty years ago, Tom Butters assumed the reigns of an athletic program devoid of any women1s programs or national championships and a department that raised little more than $50,000 a year for University sports. And when Butters finishes his duties as athletic director next June, he will leave behind the legacy of a program now among the nation1s elite. 3I honestly don1t know of an AD anywhere who has done a better job than Tom has with the Duke program,2 said Gene Corrigan, former Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner. 3Everything about it represents quality. They haven1t sold out in order to do anythingDthey1ve made it fit into the personality Duke has as an institution. 3They haven1t had to sacrifice the name, the quality or the standards,2 he continued. 3Tom doesn1t just think in terms of athletics. He really thinks about how athletics fit into the whole picture.2 The contributions and accomplishments during Butters1 reign run the gamut from national championships to new facilities. Since the beginning of his tenure in 1977: _ Duke has created all 12 of its women1s intercollegiate teams, including NCAA Final Four teams in soccer (1993) and tennis (1992, 1996 and 1997). _ A program that raised $50,000 a year in the 1970s has generated nearly $30 million since. _ Butters has hired all but one of the Blue Devils1 current head coaches (men1s track and field coach Al Buehler). Included in that list of coaches is perhaps Butters1 most noteworthy accomplishmentDthe hiring of men1s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski in 1980. The former major league baseball player took some flak when he hired the young, 34-year-old coach fresh off a 9-17 season at Army. Seventeen years, eight Final Fours and two national championships later, the men1s basketball program now serves as a model of excellence not just at Duke, but across the country. At Tuesday1s press conference, Krzyzewski repayed the favor that started it all. 3He1s done a pretty good job for a baseball guy,2 Krzyzewski said. 3This is an emotional day for me. Tom1s been a great friend to me, and although that will never be retired, the day-to-day contact and the guidance he has given me has been invaluable. Without it, I wouldn1t be where I am as a basketball coach today.2 Butters1 national recognition includes his listing as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful People in Sports by College Sports Magazine and, in 1985, being labeled as the world champion of fund-raisers by The Sporting News. The reasons are obvious. In addition to the $30 million raised for the athletics department, Butters headed a $30-million facilities project three years ago that will ultimately lead to a new student recreation center on West Campus as well as a Cameron Indoor Stadium Annex that will feature new offices and locker rooms for the basketball teams, the Duke Sports Hall of Fame and a student-athlete academic center. Last year, the $5-million Brodie Recreation Center opened on East Campus. Along the way, Butters has presided over major renovations to Wallace Wade Stadium and Cameron as well as the construction of Duke1s Finch-Yeager Building and the Bill Murray Building. Still, Butters has served Duke as more than just a sports ambassador. In 1988, he was named a vice president of the University. 3Tom has been a respected national leader in his profession during a period of rapid change,2 President Nan Keohane said. 3It is rare that an athletic director is also a university vice president. Tom1s stature in his field combines with his depth of commitment to Duke to make him an important player in university governance at Duke and externally as well. I have relied greatly on his wise and experienced counsel.2 The results continue to improve every year. Four years ago, Duke1s men1s and women1s teams finished in the top 10 in USA Today1s overall ratings of 10 different sports. Just this past season, the Blue Devils placed fifth among private universities in the Sears Cup competition for all collegiate sports. Beyond the results on the field, Duke players under Butters1 watch have succeeded in the classroom as well. Duke now boasts 146 endowed athletic scholarships and, since the College Football Association began giving out its annual Achievement Award in 1980, the Blue Devils have captured the graduation rate-based award nine times, including each of the last five years. Overall, about 95 percent of the University1s student-athletes have earned Duke degrees. 3When I asked people in athletics about Tom Butters [before arriving at Duke], they all said he does things the right way and you can trust him,2 football coach Fred Goldsmith said. 3I have found this to be 100 percent true. He is a brilliant athletic director, but more importantly, his passion is for the kids, the coaches and their families.2 Aside from his work with the University, Butters has also served as chairman of the NCAA Men1s Basketball Selection Committee and the CFA1s Football Championship Study Committee. Butters began his service to Duke in 1967 as director of special events. The Ohio Wesleyan University graduate, who played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1962-64, became the Blue Devils1 head baseball coach in 1968 and remained so until 1970, when he was named the Iron Dukes1 first director. He moved up to assistant director of athletics in 1972 and associate athletic director in 1976. Former President Terry Sanford named Butters the University1s athletic director in 1977.