Sept. 26, 2001
Not many people get a second chance at their dream, Jomar Butler is an exception to the rule.
Butler's dream was to play Division I football. However, his dream took a detour into a nightmare before he awoke as an all-conference Aztec.
He underwent physical and emotional injuries before having to reprove himself as a football player. He accomplished his ultimate goal when he became the most valuable defensive player for the Aztecs during the 2000 season.
The journey to the end of that standout season is what makes Jomar Butler such a remarkable person.
A former high school standout from San Pedro High School in Carson, Butler was a two-way starter during his junior and senior years. A first-team all-Southern Pacific Conference selection, he was also a first-team all-Los Angeles City choice. A three-time academic all-star, he graduated with a 3.0 grade-point average.
Butler got the first shot at his dream when he accepted a scholarship to San Diego State to play football for the Aztecs in the fall of 1997. He redshirted his first year on campus and was ready to play by the fall of 1998. He played in six games that season, including at Tulsa, where he intercepted a pass and ran it back for the game-winning touchdown. He was the hero of the game, giving the Aztecs their first win of the season and launching the drive to the Las Vegas Bowl.
Butler's touchdown became known as the play of the year, as the Aztecs finished the rest of the season 7-5. It should have been the greatest time of Butler's life, but painfully it was not.
It was in Oklahoma where Butler's nightmare began.
"I was having pain all through the groin area," said Butler. "After Tulsa, it got worse and worse -- by the next weekend I couldn't even run."
Finally the pain became too much, and Butler's season ended. He was soon diagnosed with a sportsman's hernia, which usually only affects athletes who participate in sports that require repetitive twisting and turning at speed. Surgery was recommended.
Almost as bad as the injury was the image it portrayed. There was doubt among his teammates. The injury was not visible, like a broken arm or pulled muscle. No one, including Butler, really knew how to deal with the ailment.
Butler became the brunt of his teammate's jokes. He lost his confidence and his grades began falling, drastically. They eventually dropped so low he became ineligible to play football, and he was a semester away from being expelled from the university.
He underwent surgery in April 1999 and although the pain disappeared, Butler was not motivated to keep up with the rehab expected of him by his coaches. By summer, he gained 25 pounds, stopped working out, and was a physical and an emotional mess. He became severely depressed.
"I was so miserable. I was fat and couldn't play. I felt like I was never going to be healthy again. It took me almost a full year to get over the depression. I was hurt mentally and physically. I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do, and I had no love for the game anymore. I just needed to take some time off and heal."
SDSU head coach Ted Tollner had almost given up on Butler. The linebacker was not meeting the coach's demands and he eventually pulled Butler's scholarship.
"I told him I wasn't quitting, I just needed a break," Butler said. "But he was so frustrated... and had other people to worry about."
The linebacker paid his own way through school that next semester and got his grades back on track without the normal academic support unit in the athletic department. But it was spring break, of all things, that motivated Butler to go back into the weight room.
"There was no way I was going to go anywhere for spring break looking like I did," he said. "I was so fat, it was embarrassing."
Once he got back into shape, Butler's confidence came back as well. Having played football since the age of five, the game was part of his life. With the support of his family, he approached the coaches about coming back to the team.
"Jomar really had to convince us that he was ready to come back," Tollner said. "We put some pretty specific marks out there he had to reach, in every area. Even then we still weren't sure we would take him back."
Tollner's reaction was not what Butler had expected. He was invited to attend fall camp, but he would have to prove himself before even getting his spot back on the team. There was no guarantee, and there was no scholarship this time. He would be starting at the bottom, lower than he was when he left high school. But to Butler it was a challenge he was ready to meet.
Butler rejoined the team as a walk on, became a starter, and was eventually placed back on scholarship. He became a force on the field, and is now one of the best defensive players in the conference.
He has definitely proven himself.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound linebacker led the Aztecs with 112 tackles (89 unassisted), despite not making his first start until the third game of the season. His tackle total ranked second in the conference, and in league games he had an average of nearly two tackles per contest more than any other player in the league.
Butler was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week after turning in a 16-tackle performance in SDSU's thrilling win over Brigham Young in October. He was a second-team all conference selection by the league's coaches, and is a candidate for first-team all-conference and All-America honors in 2001.
His teammates who once doubted him are now singing his praises. They are calling him an inspiration, and bestowed upon him the highest team honor possible. Butler was voted the team's Most Valuable Defensive Player at the end of the 2000 season.
Butler received the award at the team banquet, and there is no way to fully describe the emotions in the room as he made his way to the podium through the standing ovation.
The honor came as a complete surprise to Butler. So choked up he could barely speak, Butler was extremely grateful -- not just for the second chance given to him by his coaches, but by his teammates as well.
"I hadn't expected to play, let alone start," Butler said. "It was a dream season and being named defensive MVP was the biggest surprise of all."
He now has a new outlook on life. His confidence is back and his self-esteem is higher than ever. He hopes his senior season will be even better, not just for himself, but for his team as well. He is ready for the challenge of an encore season.
A public administration major, Butler plans on graduating in May of 2002. With the success Butler has enjoyed, it is possible that his football career won't be ending any time soon.
"I think everyone, coaches and players, are proud for him because he fought adversity, and he has confidence in himself," Tollner said. "It really is what college football is about.
Sweet dreams.