In college sports, there are often athletes whose careers span from one era to another. In the case of Columbia football in the 1960s, that man is Alison Butts.
A key contributor to the 1961 ivy league championship team, Butts’ career bridged the gap from Bill Campbell’s fearless leadership to Archie Roberts’ brilliant quarterbacking.
In his first varsity season in 1961, Butts contributed to the championship effort as one of four primary running backs. He did much of the Lions’ dirty work, contributing mainly as a lead blocker and pass-catcher out of the backfield. He also played on the other side of the ball as a defensive back.
He was the star against Yale, subbing for an injured Tom Haggerty. Butts scored the game’s only touchdown, a two-point conversion and picked off two Bulldog passes on his name to being named Ivy League Back of the Week.
In an era when three-yards-and-a-cloud of dust was a primary role for a halfback, Butts showed his prowess as a pass catcher, averaging more than 13 yards per reception for his career, and finishing in the top-10 in Ivy League touchdown receptions in both his junior and senior seasons.
His touchdown catch and run with 19 seconds remaining against Cornell in 1962 gave the Lions a dramatic come-from-behind win.
As a senior, he was named captain, led the team in yards from scrimmage and was the second-leading scorer behind fellow Hall of Famer Roberts. His seven career interceptions in three seasons placed him fifth on the all-time Columbia list at the time of his graduation.
A consummate leader, Butts played baseball for Columbia and was named captain of the Lions’ diamond squad his senior year. Butts played in 22 games from 1963-64, totaling 11 hits, four doubles, 11 RBIs and two stolen bases.
A 1968 Columbia Law School and Business School graduate, Butts practiced corporate and international business law in New York and Paris with the New York-based firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed. He is also a co-founder and chairman of Next Wave, a New York-based travel software company and launched a Tribeca fashion studio.
In 2003, he was honored by the Ivy Football Association for his contributions to the Ivy League both on and off the gridiron, and in 2005, Columbia College presented him with the prestigious John Jay Award.
