Vincent Deon Butler is an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 for the Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...

 of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft

2009 NFL Draft

The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...

. He played college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions football

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...

.

College career

Coming out of C. D. Hylton High School

C. D. Hylton High School

C.D. Hylton Senior High School is a public high school located in Woodbridge in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, and part of the Prince William County Public Schools division....

 in Woodbridge, Virginia

Woodbridge, Virginia

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...

, Butler was offered scholarships to several smaller schools, but decided to follow his mother's advice of "shooting for the moon", and enrolled at Penn State

Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...

 without an athletic scholarship

Athletic scholarship

An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...

 as a defensive back

Defensive back

In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

.

After redshirting

Redshirt (college sports)

Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...

 as a freshman, Butler rose to the top of the depth chart alongside Derrick Williams to provide a solid deep threat for quarterbacks Michael Robinson

Michael Robinson (American football)

Burton Michael Robinson is an American football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted in the 4th round by the 49ers in the 2006 NFL Draft...

 and Anthony Morelli

Anthony Morelli

Anthony Michael Morelli is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008...

. During his freshmen season, Butler broke four school freshmen records: season receptions (37), receiving yards in a game (125, versus Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers football

The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...

), season yards (691), and touchdown

Touchdown

A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

 catches (9). Butler also holds the single game receiving yards record with 216 yards on 11 receptions against Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats football

The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...

 on September 30, 2006. He finished 2007

2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2007 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2007 college football season. The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania....

 with 47 receptions for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had a season high 7 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in Penn State's 38-7 blowout win over Wisconsin. In the 2008 season

2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the 2008 college football season. The team is coached by Joe Paterno and plays its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.-Previous season:...

, Butler caught 47 passes for 810 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught eight passes for 105 yards against Michigan

2008 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...

.

Butler was a record-setting receiver for Coach Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno

Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...

's Nittany Lions. Butler passed Bobby Engram

Bobby Engram

Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is currently the offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...

 to become Penn State's all-time receptions leader in November of his senior season against the Indiana Hoosiers

2008 Indiana Hoosiers football team

The 2008 Indiana Hoosiers football team represented the Indiana University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hoosiers were coached by Bill Lynch and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.-Schedule:...

.

Pre-draft

Butler was invited to the 2009 NFL Combine where he ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash (fourth among wide receivers at the combine) and 11.32 in the 60-yard shuttle (third among wide receivers at the combine).

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...

 traded up to select Butler in the 3rd round (91st overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft

2009 NFL Draft

The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...

. They traded the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 a 5th- and 7th-round pick plus a 3rd-round pick in 2010

2010 NFL Draft

The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...

 in order to position themselves to select Butler. The team's interest in Butler reportedly stemmed, in part, from conversations with Butler's college teammate, Aaron Maybin

Aaron Maybin

-Buffalo Bills:On August 21, 2009, Maybin agreed to a five-year deal with the Buffalo Bills after being drafted with the 11th pick in the first round. He finished the season with 18 tackles and zero sacks while playing in all 16 regular season games during his 2009 rookie year.In his second season,...

, during a pre-draft interview in Seattle. He signed a four-year, $3.2 million contract with the team on July 24, 2009. He received a $680,750 signing bonus

Signing bonus

A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...

.

2010 Season

He got his first receiving touchdown on September 12, 2010 against the San Francisco 49ers. It was his only catch of the game and it was for 13 yards. His second touchdown came against the Chicago Bears. After Deion Branch was traded to the New England Patriots Butler was named a starter, only to be replaced in the starting line-up several weeks later by fellow teammate Ben Obomanu. He was put on injured reserve after breaking his leg during a touchdown catch against the San Francisco 49ers in week 14.

Personal

Butler earned a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in Crime, Law & Justice from Penn State in 2008. He has mentioned being interested in a career in forensic science after football. Butler spent the summer of 2008 as an intern

Intern

Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...

 with the Philadelphia Police Department

Philadelphia Police Department

The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

's Crime Scene Unit, observing several homicide

Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...

 crime scenes, and augmenting his degree with valuable field experience. He currently resides in Bellevue, WA.

External links

• "Butler Sets New PSU Standard at Wide Receiver", Steve Navarol, York Daily Record
  York Daily Record
  The York Daily Record/York Sunday News is a morning newspaper that serves York, Pennsylvania.The paper, printed in a broadsheet format, is published seven days a week...
  
  , November 16, 2008.
• Deon Butler Talks At Indy, The Morning Call
  The Morning Call
  The Morning Call is a daily newspaper based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The newspaper is owned by the Tribune Company, whose other publications include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun....
  
  , February 20, 2009
• Radio interview: Deon Butler, Dave Mahler Show, KJR-AM, July 31, 2009.