Mom's lessons of pluck, preparation served LeRoy Butler well

Growing up in a rough-and-tumble Jacksonville housing project, LeRoy Butler wore hand-me-down clothes, what he calls his “Forrest Gump” leg braces and a constant smile.

His grandmother, Rosa Lee Durham, used to tell him that his gift from God was his uncanny ability to “ignore anything negative" such as getting teased for daring to dream about playing in the NFL when he couldn't even walk straight or having to stay indoors when his siblings went outside to play.

When that happened, Butler would retreat to the kitchen where his mother, Eunice O. Butler, imparted both the secrets of the family's favorite recipes and how to handle neighborhood bullies.

The man who would become best known as the originator of the " Lambeau Leap ” and who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend spent much of his youth in a wheelchair, braces or casts. The bones in his feet were so weak and misaligned that he could only walk for short distances and he couldn’t run.

Being severely pigeon-toed meant he was constantly picked on by other kids who never picked him when choosing sides during recess.

By the time he was in seventh grade, however, Butler's legs had healed and by high school the lessons he learned from his mother about patience, pluck and perseverance had begun to pay off as he overcame his childhood challenges, which included a reading disorder, to earn a scholarship from Bobby Bowden at Florida State.

In 1990, after starring for the Seminoles, Butler received a call from Packers coach Lindy Infante during the second round of the NFL draft. Infante told Butler they were going to select him and did he have any questions?

“I do have one, Coach,” replied Butler. "Where's Green Bay?”

Butler would soon be joined by Reggie White, Brett Favre, Ron Wolf and Mike...