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California Athletics Hall of Fame

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Dave Butler

  • Class
    1987
  • Induction
    2011
  • Sport(s)
    Men's Basketball
Dave Butler combined the best of athletics and academics from 1983-87 during his Cal career. He was tabbed the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1983 when he averaged 7.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg. A four-year starter, Butler led the Bears in rebounding three times. He finished his career fourth on the school’s all-time rebounding list with 814 boards (now sixth), while he was also seventh at the end of his career in scoring with 1,291 points (now 17th). Butler set a school record for free throws made and attempted when he shot 20-of-24 from the line vs. Arizona State in 1987 and he still holds the Cal mark for games started at 113. He helped the Bears earn their first postseason berth in 26 years when Cal played in the 1986 National Invitation Tournament. The Bears returned to the NIT his senior year and advanced to the quarterfinals. Butler, who was a member of the U.S. National team during the summer of 1986, was chosen in the fifth round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. In the classroom, Butler was twice named first-team Pac-10 All-Academic. He was a second-team Academic All-American as a junior and claimed first-team status his senior year. He also was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. A Rhodes Scholar candidate, Butler received his bachelor’s degree in 1986 and went on to earn an MBA from Cal’s Haas School of Business in 1990
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