Two Bills Drive

‘The Bills were a team of stars in the glory years, but Butler and his scouts had a rare gift for identifying late-round picks – Jeff Wright, Marvcus Patton, Carlton Bailey, Mike Lodish – the list goes on and on. He and A.J. Smith, the pro personnel guy he took with him to San Diego, had a knack for plucking the right free agents, too.’

‘Spurred by Butler’s deft drafting, the Bills went 140-83 in that period —- second only to the San Francisco 49ers —- and made the playoffs 10 times, including the four Super Bowls from 1991 through ’94.’

‘Smith, Butler’s right-hand man and confidant going back to their days as scouts for the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League in 1982, may find himself in charge of more than the draft. He has a good chance of becoming the Chargers’ general manager permanently, a team source said. Smith was said to have been devastated by Butler’s death and declined to be interviewed through a Chargers spokesman.’

‘His public image of tough, ex-Marine, old-school football mind was not the man I came to know in the last year. I found him to be funny but very focused on his work. And there was more depth to this man than I would have ever imagined.’

‘"It’s one of the saddest days in Bills history," said Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. "It’s sad. But it’s really not up to us. The good Lord above picks the time when you leave, and I guess it was John’s time. The toughest thing for me is I know how much of a fighter he is and how much he always had that never-say-die attitude."’

‘Wilson is being honored for his commitment to the area and his philanthropy. He donated $25,000 to food banks in Buffalo and Rochester last holiday season and plays a leading role in the team’s relationships with Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the United Way and Ronald McDonald House.’

‘It would be nice to see his name affixed to the Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium some day in the not-so-distant future.’

‘The exact circumstances of his exit from Buffalo and hiring in San Diego are murky.Wilson maintains that Butler had made up his mind to leave and no amount of money would have kept him with the Bills. Members of the front office say he’d have stayed had he been paid a competitive wage rather than being nickeled and dimed. No matter, 27 months ago, Butler, without a contract in Buffalo, signed with the Chargers.’

‘Levy said Butler showed up for his interview in Buffalo with a sheaf of paperwork detailing how he would conduct himself in the post for which he was being considered.’

‘Said Marcellus Wiley, who also played for Butler in Buffalo and San Diego: “Coming into the league, he had tremendous faith in me. He respected my potential and my work ethic and we grew to have a great relationship. I really respected him because he was so passionate. Through the years I’ve grown to love and respect him as a man . . . I’ll always remember John as a guy who wanted you to do your job and do it the right way. It’s going to be a tremendous loss to the football world, but an even bigger loss to humanity.”‘

‘The Butlers knew the end was coming. Tests Monday revealed lymphoma in John Butler’s body more aggressive than doctors had ever seen.’

‘”John was a tough guy,” Spanos was saying yesterday, “but he was a softie, too, especially when it came to his daughter. Andrea was the apple of his eye.”‘

‘Eight months after listing his Medfield home for $9 million, former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe has yet to sell the house, and recently cut the price to $6.5 million.’

‘What I’ll remember about John Butler is that he was a man who seemed to care most about his family and his football team. And one who was predisposed to fight the good fight. No matter the arena.’

‘While teams like San Francisco and Dallas faded away, Buffalo continued to stay on top through the 1990s – largely because Butler and his scouts were able to replace aging veterans with talent acquired through the draft. There was Eric Moulds. And Reuben Brown. And Peerless Price, Antoine Winfield, Sam Cowart and Marcellus Wiley.’