Butch Allison
{{Short description|American football player (1944–2010)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
| position1 = Guard
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|10|29}}
| birth_place = Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2010|04|02|1944|10|29}}
| death_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
| college = Missouri
| high_school = Parkview HS
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lbs = 245
| AFLDraftedYear = 1966
| AFLDraftedRound = 7
| AFLDraftedPick = 57
| AFLDraftedTeam = Oakland Raiders
| NFLDraftedYear = 1966
| NFLDraftedRound = 2
| NFLDraftedPick = 31
| NFLDraftedTeam = Baltimore Colts
| playing_years1 = {{NFL Year|1966}}
| playing_team1 = Baltimore Colts
| playing_years2 = {{NFL Year|1967}}
| playing_team2 = New Orleans Saints
| playing_years3 = {{CFL Year|1967}}
| playing_team3 = Edmonton Eskimos
| career_highlights =
- Second-team All-American (1964)
- First-team All-Big Eight (1964)
- Second-team All-Big Eight (1965)
}}
Buford Needham "Butch" Allison (October 29, 1944 – April 2, 2010) was an American professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Colts and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers. Allison was selected in both the seventh round of the 1966 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders and the second round of the 1966 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, who he played the 1966 NFL season with. He played for both the New Orleans Saints and Edmonton Eskimos in 1967.
Early career
Allison played high school football at Parkview High School as a right tackle.{{cite news|last1=Plarski|first1=Don|title=McClain Calls Vikings Toughest Team So Far|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8952914/mcclain_calls_vikings_toughest_team_so/|access-date=February 14, 2017|work=Alton Evening Telegraph|date=October 11, 1961|page=20}} As a senior in 1961, he was selected to the All-Ozark county team and designated as an All-American.{{cite news|title=Fayetteville Lands Three Men On All-Ozark Conference '11'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8953163/fayetteville_lands_three_men_on/|access-date=February 14, 2017|work=Northwest Arkansas Times|date=December 1, 1961|page=11}}
Allison signed to play for the Missouri Tigers in college, and he went on to be named on the All-Big Eight conference team three years in a row. In his junior year, Allison was also named a second-team All-American. He received an honorable mention for the All-America team in 1965.{{cite news|last1=Olderman|first1=Murray|title=All-America 1965|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8953501/allamerica_1965/|access-date=February 14, 2017|work=The Herald-Journal|date=November 21, 1965|page=7}} The Tigers won the 1966 Sugar Bowl against the Florida Gators during Allison's senior year.{{cite news|title=Allison, Buford N. "Butch"|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=April 4, 2010}}
Professional career
Allison was drafted in both the National Football League and the American Football League in 1966. The Baltimore Colts of the National Football League selected Allison in the second round of the 1966 NFL draft with the 31st overall pick. The Oakland Raiders of the American Football League also selected Allison in the seventh round of the 1966 AFL Draft with the 57th overall pick.{{cite book|last1=Maher|first1=Tod|last2=Gill|first2=Bob|title=The Canadian Pro Football Encyclopedia: Every Player, Coach and Game, 1946–2012|date=2013|publisher=Maher Sports Media|isbn=978-0983513667|page=144}} Allison signed with the Colts and played for the team through the preseason. He was released by the Colts in September 1966, remaining with the team as a practice squad player.{{cite news|title=Colts Release Butch Allison|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8953648/colts_release_butch_allison/|access-date=February 14, 2017|work=The Daily Mail|date=September 6, 1966|page=16|location=Hagerstown, Maryland}}{{cite news|title=Saints Get Cuozzo, Colts Acquire Curry|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8953707/saints_get_cuozzo_colts_acquire_curry/|access-date=February 14, 2017|work=Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter|date=March 7, 1967|page=19}}
Before the 1967 season, the Colts traded Allison to the New Orleans Saints as part of a deal that also sent quarterback Gary Cuozzo to the Saints in exchange for a 1967 first round pick (#1-Bubba Smith), a 1967 third round pick (#54-Norman Davis), a 1969 seventh round pick (#163-Gary Fleming) and center Bill Curry.
He played one regular season game for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League in 1967.
Personal life
Allison was the brother of Wilson Allison, another former professional football player. Wilson Allison played college football at Baylor University and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 1961 NFL draft.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/baylor/drafted.htm|title=Baylor Drafted Players/Alumni {{!}} Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=March 2, 2017}} He later signed with the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League.{{cite news|title=Big Eight Gridders Hold Unusual Jobs|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8953407/big_eight_gridders_hold_unusual_jobs/|access-date=February 14, 2017|work=Greeley Daily Tribune|date=September 5, 1963|page=19}}
Later in life, Butch Allison made a career in sports printing. Along with his second wife, Mary Ann (née Azar), he also managed the West End Galleries and the Clarksville Antique Mall.{{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/stltoday/obituary.aspx?pid=141424753|title=Buford N. "Butch" Allison's Obituary on St. Louis Post-Dispatch|website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|access-date=March 2, 2017}}
Death
Allison died on April 2, 2010, in St. Louis, Missouri.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Baltimore Colts 1966 draft navbox}}
{{Raiders1966DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Butch}}
Category:Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas
Category:American football offensive guards
Category:American football offensive tackles
Category:Missouri Tigers football players
Category:Baltimore Colts players
Category:New Orleans Saints players
Category:Players of Canadian football from Texas