Background
He was born in South Los Angeles, California.
He was born in South Los Angeles, California.
He was the first American medalist in the event at the Olympics since Levi Casey has also claimed silver in 1928. He narrowly missed making the team in 1972 and again in 1980, finishing in 4th place each time (the last time by a mere 1/4 of an inch-1 cm). He had to train at 5 a.m as it was the only time that fit his schedule.
Butts currently resides in Southern California and is the father of four.
He was inducted into the University of California, Los Angeles Athletics Hall of Fame on October 11, 2014.
Butts is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.