Butler Grizzly Football History: A Story of JUCO Dominance
Written by Michael Gambill
Twitter: @MichaelGambil10
When most people speak about the storied programs in college football, most fans’ minds will automatically drift to the pomp and pageantry of a school such as Alabama, USC, Notre Dame or Michigan. At these schools and other universities around the country, the very embodiment of college football lives on every Saturday each fall. The tradition of winning college programs transcends generations and the mere mention of a name such as the Crimson Tide, the Trojans, the Fighting Irish or the Wolverines exudes success and dominance in NCAA football.
College football fans need to remember, however, that there are multiple levels of collegiate athletics and at the junior college (JUCO) level one program has exuded complete dominance in football for decades – Butler Community College.
Butler Community College is a cultural and athletic rockbed in El Dorado, Kansas, and the name Butler Grizzlies epitomizes NJCAA football success. In the past 20 years, no other JUCO program has statistically been more dominant than the Butler Grizzlies. Butler teams have played in a total of 11 National Championship games including nine times in the last 20 years and have claimed the NJCAA title no less than five times – 1998-99, 2003, 2007 and 2008. What is even more impressive is the fact that Butler is the only JUCO team to win two back-to-back National Championships with victories in both 1998-99 and 2007-08.
When Butler is placed up against the top collegiate teams since 1998, the Grizzlies are at the top of a very elite groups of schools who have dominated their divisions of college football:
Team College Division Wins/Losses Win %
Mount Union DIII 222-9 .961
Butler CC NJCAA 169-20 .894
Grand Valley State DII 175-32 .845
The dominance of Butler over JUCO football also shows in the fact the Grizzlies have the best collegiate record for all levels with a 303-93-3 record since 1980 (76.7% win ratio.) Butler has amassed an enormous winning record and has finished its seasons ranked in the Top 20 of JUCO programs 30 times and won the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) football title 25 times. Butler has appeared in 15 bowl game appearances with the most recent being a win in the Midwest Classic Bowl against Trinity Valley Community College (TX) last December with a final score of 33-23.
Part of the secret of Butler’s football success lies in the longevity of its coaching staff. Head Coach Tim Schaffner has been with the Grizzlies in some capacity or another for over 16 years including six as the current head coach. Stability and re-loading with talent is the norm in El Dorado as 21 Butler players from last seasons’ squad recently signed Letters of Intent to play for Division I programs including Kansas State, which currently has 12 former Grizzlies on its playing roster. Even more impressive is the fact that no less than 54 former Butler players have moved on at one point to play in the NFL which is a statement in itself that testifies to the dominance that Butler Community College exerts over JUCO football.
As the 2020 season approaches, Butler again will no doubt continue to make strides towards winning another conference title and earning a postseason bowl bid.
Photo credit: Twitter.com; Butler head coach Tim Schaffner
Photo credit: Butler County Times Gazette; Butler Grizzlies football practice