Josh Butler: The Strength Of A Spartan

As a high schooler, redshirt-senior cornerback Josh Butler visited Michigan State by himself after traveling 49 hours via Greyhound bus from Dallas, Texas. Over 1,000 miles away from his birthplace, the cornerback knew he found his second home in MSU.

"I didn't even know anything about Michigan State at first, until I was looking into the schools [that offered him]," he said. "They were one of the better schools I had when I was looking at academics. Then when I started looking at football, they were winning big games, making it to the Rose Bowl, number one overall defenses, and I was like okay, they're the real deal."

Playing football at a young age, the Texan didn't always enjoy the sport. It wasn't until he saw his older brother play well and receive praise that he bought into the idea of being a football player.

With dreams of becoming the Spartans' next star on defense, Butler was unaware of the trials and tribulations he would face on and off the field.

After earning his first letter in 2016, Butler was ready to assume his bigger role on the defense as a redshirt sophomore.

During this time, the cornerback was able to see immense growth on the field with guidance from several assistant coaches including Harlon Barnett, Paul Haynes and Mike Tressel.

"I've always been into studying film and stuff like that, but actually not only understanding my position but other players' positions as well," Butler said. "Understanding that and breaking down defenses, the game becomes a lot slower and you just seem like you're moving a lot faster. Our coaches have been helping our game go to the next level. That's why the team knows what they're doing."

In 2017, he started in three games before he was hit with the unimaginable hours before his start against Penn State. He got the news that his father had passed away.

With a heavy heart, Butler continued playing that season and the following season, Butler started in five games with 10 tackles and three pass break-ups. During that time he also graduated with his bachelor's degree in media and information.

No more than five months later, Butler's suffered another tragic loss, when his mother lost her battle with cancer.

Through his losses, Butler was surrounded and supported by his family, teammates, coaches and Spartan Nation.

"They have definitely been behind my back since everything happened and they heard about my story," the cornerback said. "It just feels great to know that someone out there, even though I don't really know them, really genuinely cares about me and will check up on me."

In their support, Butler found strength in other students who've experienced the same things he has. He said that his fellow Spartans sharing their stories with him and vice versa, allowed him to feel a great sense of relief.

Continuing his studies and improving on the field wasn't the easiest, but he holds the wishes on his parents close for constant motivation.

"What motivated me the most is knowing that they raised a great young man first off, and I know they would have wanted me to continue doing what I'm doing now," Butler said. "I've always been the one in the family, as far as the children, that always had it straightforward, who was focused. I just felt like I couldn't lose that focus now."

Till this day, Butler has kept one of the last messages between him and his father.

"We have a text between him and I, and he was just saying how good I was doing on the field, that he loved me and keep on grinding," Butler said. "I keep that with me as motivation to keep going, no matter what I'm going through."

Butler chose to continue his education by pursuing a master's degree in media and information. As he finishes his final season, Butler will walk across the stage for his second degree in December.

Even with his newfound motivation and continuous support, at times the cornerback has to step back and look at how far he's come.

"There's been a couple times people have told me to just relax and realize what I have accomplished and how big of a motivation I am to some people," he said. "Sometimes I have to sit and think like, I have a lot of success despite all the things I have been through. I've graduated high school, I am currently in college, I'm currently pursuing a master's degree, a lot of people in my hometown are proud of me and I am motivating a lot of people. Sometimes, I feel like I'm not doing enough, but when I sit back and think about it, I'm doing a lot more than anybody else who doesn't have that opportunity."

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