Former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams and former team general manager John Butler will be inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame this year, according to a report by Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News. The Hall of Fame, founded in 1991, recognizes the men and women who have left their mark on sports in the Buffalo region. Their class of 2021 will be officially unveiled on June 23rd.
Neither Williams nor Butler need any introduction, but there’s always time to recognize their achievements. Williams, a six-time Pro Bowler, wrecked the line of scrimmage week after week for some very mediocre Buffalo Bills teams. Williams played his entire 13-year career for the Bills after they drafted him in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Buffalo Rumblings readers voted Williams to the All-Drought team and the 2010s All-Decade Team, and chose him as the Player of the Decade for the 2010s.
Butler became the personnel director for the Bills in 1987, and was an integral part of the front office that built up the roster that won four straight AFC Championships. He was promoted to general manager in 1993, and held that position until he was fired in 2000 for being uncertain about whether or not he wanted to leave for the San Diego Chargers. While Butler was GM, the Bills posted a 74-54 regular-season record and made the playoffs five times in eight seasons.
Butler did leave the Bills for the Chargers after 2000, and in his first two seasons with the team, drafted foundational players like Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson. He died of lymphoma in April 2003 at the age of 56.