Barry Butler (footballer born 1934)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 July 1934 | ||
| Place of birth | , England | ||
| Date of death | 9 April 1966 (aged 31) | ||
| Place of death | Sprowston, Norwich, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Stockton West End | |||
| – | Billingham Minors | ||
| – | South Bank Juniors | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| South Bank | |||
| 1952–1957 | Sheffield Wednesday | 26 | (1) |
| 1957–1966 | Norwich City | 303 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Barry Butler (30 July 1934 – 9 April 1966) was a professional footballer who, after trials with Middlesbrough and Dundee, played for Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City. He is remembered by his team-mates and supporters as an inspirational captain and outstanding defensive player.
Butler, who played for Norwich until his death in a car crash in 1966, was often referred to as one of the best defenders in the league by opponents and is regarded as one of Norwich's greatest ever players.
Butler was educated at Richard Hind secondary school in his hometown of Stockton. Whilst there he captained both the football and cricket teams. Upon leaving school Butler took a job as an apprentice electrical fitter at ICI in nearby Billingham where he played in the works football team. He played for various minor clubs whilst at ICI including Northern League side South Bank.
Butler joined Sheffield Wednesday as a teenager in September 1952 with the Hillsborough club paying South Bank £300 for his services. After working his way up the ranks in the "A" team and reserves he finally made his first team debut for the Owls on 2 January 1954 at the age of 19. Butler replaced the injured Cyril Turton in a Division One game at home to Burnley; the game finished as a 2–0 win for Wednesday.
The match would be the start of a 19 consecutive game run in the first team for Butler, a sequence that ended in the 4–1 loss at home to Huddersfield Town on 3 April. The run included eight FA Cup games as the Owls reached the semi-finals, eventually being beaten 2–0 by Preston North End at Maine Road. He made several appearances the following season, but the increased competition caused by the signing of Don McEvoy in December 1954 spelled the end of his Wednesday career. Butler played just three more games in a Wednesday shirt – the final one as a centre-forward – before he was relegated to the reserves for the remaining two years of his time at Hillsborough. He played a total of 36 games for the club, scoring once in the 2–1 loss away to Blackpool on 19 February 1955.
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