In this era of “SportsCenter” highlights, the most remarkable athletic feat is not Tiger’s majors or Bonds’ homers.
Nothing tops how Leroy Butler went from spending his childhood in leg braces and a wheelchair to the man who made the first Lambeau Leap.
At 8 months old, Butler was so pigeon-toed, a doctor broke both feet to reset them. He wore Forrest Gump-like leg braces until he was 10. Later, as a Green Bay Packers safety, he made a historic leap into history. Late in the 1993 season at Lambeau, the Pack needed to beat Oakland for a playoff spot. When Butler returned a late fumble for a TD, he leaped for joy into the stands.
The next two years, Packers receiver Robert Brooks popularized the Lambeau Leap. The Lambeau Leap was back in vogue when Bengals receiver Chad Johnson performed a variation into Cleveland’s Dawg Pound this year. Now, whenever a player makes a celebratory jump into the stands, it’s referred to as the “Lambeau Leap.”
