Connecticut College Athletic Hall of Fame
Jim Butler made his mark as a coach for the men’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field teams for 30 years. As head coach of the men’s cross country team from 1987-2017, he led the Camels to unprecedented success, both regionally and nationally.
In 2002, Butler’s cross country squad qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history. Following the season he was named New England Division III Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, and in 2004 he added NESCAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year honors.
Butler developed 14 NESCAC and New England Division III champions across his career, along with 23 individual NCAA Championship qualifiers and one relay squad. He also guided Michael LeDuc ‘14 to nine All-America finishes and three individual NCAA titles, with victories in the steeplechase in 2013 and 2014 and cross country in 2013. In 2014, LeDuc also won the steeplechase at the prestigious PENN Relays against all Division I competition; that year, Butler was named New England Division III Men’s Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year.
Butler graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science/Urban Planning in 1975, before getting his master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Haven in 1982. He was an active youth baseball coach over the years and also served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at UConn-Avery Point from 1979-85. He and his wife Debbie are proud parents of daughter Devon ’10, a former Camel track & field captain, and son Brendan.
