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Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1976
- Class:
- 1936
Charles W. Butler '36 was one of the hardest hitters in modern Brown baseball history. A versatile athlete, he was also the first of the great rushing defensemen at Brown and one of the finest hockey players in the East. A 6-6, 205-pound power hitter, Butler owned seven career batting marks when he graduated: most at bats (253), runs scored (52), hits (67), RBI's (52), doubles (11), triples (8), and batting average (.328). He also owned the career record for stolen bases with 17. Forty years after his graduation, Butler still holds two of these records - RBI's and triples. "Charlie Butler was a right-handed slugger who hit screaming line drives that really climbed," says Jackson Skillings '37, a fraternity brother and friend. "His drives were the kind that would hit the left field wall at Fenway Park for a single but would climb out of many other parks. Most college fields in Charlie's day didn't have outfield fences and so the players played him deep, robbing him of many home runs." The native of Newton, Mass., also was a good fielding first baseman, offering a big target to his infielders. Butler played one year of pro ball with Albany of the Eastern League and spent several summers with Falmouth of the fast Cape Cod League. Some feel that Butler was equally good as a hockey player. He was influenced by the great Eddie Shore who made it fashionable for defensemen to rush up ice with the puck. Butler was a good stick-handler and knew how to use his large frame to move around the other team's defensemen and get off his wrist shot. Butler had great confidence in his own ability, was aggressive, and scored many big goals in key games for the Bears. He's now living in Boston.
