Craig Butler
Craig Butler (born December 19, 1988) is a Canadian former professional football defensive back who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for Saint Thomas Aquinas Flames high school football team and played CIS football for the Western Ontario Mustangs where he co-won the Dr. Claude Brown memorial trophy for top male student athlete. Butler was also named an OUA All-Star and All-Canadian in his senior season. He was also a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Butler was named the first-team safety on the CFL 2010–2019 All-Decade team.
 Butler with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2019 | |
| No. 28 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 19, 1988 London, Ontario, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| University | Western Ontario |
| CFL draft | 2011: 2nd round, 12th overall pick |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 2011–2013 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| 2014–2017 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
Coaching | |
| 2017–2018 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats
(Assistant coach) |
| 2019–2021 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Defensive backs coach) |
| 2022 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Special teams coordinator and assistant defensive backs coach) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Craig Butler (born December 19, 1988) is a Canadian former professional football defensive back who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for Saint Thomas Aquinas Flames high school football team and played CIS football for the Western Ontario Mustangs where he co-won the Dr. Claude Brown memorial trophy for top male student athlete. Butler was also named an OUA All-Star and All-Canadian in his senior season. He was also a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Butler was named the first-team safety on the CFL 2010–2019 All-Decade team.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Saskatchewan Roughriders
[edit]He was drafted 12th overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2011 CFL draft and signed with the team on June 1, 2011.[2] In his first season with the Roughriders, Butler was named a West division All-Star.[3] Butler spent three seasons with the Riders and won the 101st Grey Cup to conclude the 2013 CFL season. In his three seasons with the Riders, Butler amassed 135 tackles, 34 special teams tackles, 4 quarterback sacks, 11 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
[edit]On February 11, 2014, the first day of CFL free-agency, Butler signed a contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.[4] He was named a divisional all-star at safety in 2014 and played in his second consecutive Grey Cup, a loss to the Calgary Stampeders. He had a career high in sacks with four in 2015, while only playing in 15 games, en route to being named a league all-star for the first time in his career. He missed all of the 2016 season due to injury and only played in two games in 2017 before announcing his retirement on September 2, 2017.[5]
Coaching career
[edit]Immediately following his retirement announcement, Butler was named as an assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats mid-season on September 2, 2017. He was promoted to defensive backs coach for the 2019 season. After two seasons in that role, he was then named the special teams coordinator and assistant defensive backs coach on February 7, 2022.[6] In May 2023, it was revealed that Butler would not be returning to his coaching role, choosing rather to spend time with his family.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "ALL-DECADE TEAM PRESENTED BY LEO VEGAS". CFL.ca. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ^ "Riders sign four Draft Picks and add Canadian Talent to Roster". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- ^ "2011 East & West Division All-Stars announced". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2017-08-26.
- ^ "FA14: Butler chooses Tigertown". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
- ^ Craig Butler retires; joins Ticats' coaching staff
- ^ "Tiger-Cats announce 2022 coaching staff". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. February 7, 2022.
- ^ Hodge, John (2023-05-17). "Craig Butler chooses family over coaching career with Hamilton Tiger-Cats". 3DownNation. Retrieved 2023-05-17.