Advertisement

Al Butler may be the greatest high school player ever to come out of Rochester

Sean Lahman
·2 min read

Perhaps the greatest high school basketball player ever from our region, Al Butler averaged 32 points per game as a senior at East High in 1957. The second-leading scorer that year averaged 22 points.

That's just one indicator of how dominant he was. Butler was Rochester's first four-time All-City first-team basketball selection. In 1996, a panel of experts voted him Section V's all-time best player. He was a near-unanimous selection.

Butler went on to a stellar collegiate career at Niagara University, where he averaged 22.8 points per game. He ranks second on the school's all-time average scoring list behind only Calvin Murphy (33.1 points per game).

Al Butler, left, a Niagara University basketball star pays a surprise visit to Don Youngman, coach at East High School in Rochester in this late 1950s photo. Butler, a former player at East, is among the best players ever to come out of Section V.
Al Butler, left, a Niagara University basketball star pays a surprise visit to Don Youngman, coach at East High School in Rochester in this late 1950s photo. Butler, a former player at East, is among the best players ever to come out of Section V.

Butler was drafted at No. 17 by the Boston Celtics in 1961, but had a hard time cracking a starting lineup that featured three other guards who would end up in the basketball Hall of Fame: Bob Cousy, Sam Jones and K.C. Jones.

A trade sent Butler to the New York Knicks, and he took advantage of the opportunity to get more playing time, scoring a career high 14.7 points per game.

He played three seasons with the Knicks before being dealt to the Baltimore Bullets for the 1964-65 season. He finished his four-year NBA career with Baltimore. In 234 career games, he averaged 9.8 points.

Butler retired from the NBA to return to Niagara and earn his degree in counseling. He was a guidance counselor at Monroe Community College for 28 years before retiring in 1997.

Al Butler stands outside his alma mater, East High School, in 1996.
Al Butler stands outside his alma mater, East High School, in 1996.

Butler died of cancer in 2000, just days after his 62nd birthday.

After his death, a scholarship was established in his name at MCC. The Elbert “Al” Butler Scholarship is presented annually to one player each on MCC's men’s and women’s basketball teams. It will be handed out this year between the women's and men's basketball games (approximately 6:30 p.m.) Thursday, Jan. 11.

If you are interested in making a donation to the scholarship, contact the MCC Foundation at (585) 685-6020, or click this link to go to the foundation's online giving page and to note that it is for the Al Butler Scholarship.

This story was first published in November 2014 as part of the RocJocks series.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Al Butler was star basketball player from Rochester who made it to NBA