Jack Butler (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername = Jack Butler


fullname = John Dennis Butler
dateofbirth = 14 August 1894
cityofbirth = Colombo
countryofbirth = Ceylon
dateofdeath = 5 January 1961
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = 5' 11"
position = Centre half
youthyears =
youthclubs = Dartford Fulham Thursday
years = 1913-1914 1914-1930 1930-1932
clubs = Fulham Arsenal Torquay United
caps(goals) = 267 (7)
nationalyears = 1924
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 (0)
manageryears = 1932-"?" 1938 1946-1947 1947-1949 1953-1955
managerclubs = Royal Daring Belgium Torquay United Crystal Palace Colchester United

John Dennis ("Jack") Butler (14 August 1894 – 5 January 1961) was an English footballer.

Born in Colombo (in what is now Sri Lanka) to English parents, Butler moved back to Britain as a child. He played for Dartford and Fulham Thursday as a youth, before signing for Fulham in 1913 and moving to Arsenal in 1914. He played in the Gunners' reserve side in his first season, before World War I intervened. Butler duly signed up for the Royal Artillery and served in France during the war, and returned to Arsenal after the end of hostilities. By then he had come of age, and with the resumption of first-class football, he soon made his first-team debut for the Gunners, against Bolton Wanderers on November 15 1919.

A tall, elegant and clean player, Butler initially played as a traditional "centre half" – i.e. as a central, deep-lying midfielder; he was in competition with the Gunner's regular centre halves, Chris Buckley and Alex Graham, but by 1924-25, he was the undisputed first-choice centre half, playing in all but three games of the club's League campaign that season. He also won his first and only cap for England, against Belgium on December 8 1924.

Butler continued to be a near ever-present for the next four seasons, playing in every match of the Gunners' FA Cup run in 1927, where they reached the final but lost 1-0 to Cardiff City. By now, Arsenal had taken advantage of a relaxation in the offside law and had changed formation, from the traditional 2-3-5 to the new "WM"; the centre half now played in defence with the full backs as a "stopper". Although Butler had some success in the role, Arsenal's manager Herbert Chapman thought the side could do better, and in 1929-30 replaced Butler with Herbie Roberts.

Butler left Arsenal in the summer of 1930. In all he played 296 matches for the Gunners, scoring 8 goals. He joined Torquay United, and stayed there for two seasons before becoming a coach at Belgian club Royal Daring, and was coach of the Belgian national side at the 1938 FIFA World Cup. He later had a spell as a trainer at Leicester City, and went on to manage Torquay United (1946–1947), Crystal Palace (1947-1949) and Colchester United (1953–1955). He died in 1961, at the age of 66.

Honours

As a player

;Arsenal

*FA Cup finalist - 1927

References

*cite book
author=George Allison (ed.)
title=Arsenal Football Club Officialhandbook for Season 1914-15
publisher=Arsenal Football Club
year=1914
id=N/A
*cite book
author=Harris, Jeff & Hogg, Tony (ed.)
title=Arsenal Who's Who
publisher=Independent UK Sports
year=1995
id=ISBN 1-899429-03-4