Over the past five years, Harrison Butker has earned three Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the devout Catholic, pro-life advocate, and kicker extraordinaire will tell you that his wedding ring is the most important piece of jewelry he owns.
Butker has kicked some of the most memorable field goals in NFL post-season history.
On February 11, 2024, he drilled a 57-yard to field goal, a Super Bowl record, in the big game to help his team defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 22-19.
In Super Bowl LVII, Butker kicked a dramatic, tie-breaking field goal with eight seconds left to lift the Chiefs to a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Despite all the fame and accolades, Butker remains grounded in humility. He seeks to use his platform to Glorify God and share about family values and the sanctity of life.
In the spring of 2023, Butker, the father of three, addressed graduates of Georgia Tech, his alma mater.
“I’ve been asked to speak, not because I am a great orator...I just happen to be blessed by God to be really good at kicking a funny-shaped ball through two posts,” he said.
During the speech, Butker talked about the loneliness, anxiety, and depression that has plagued many young adults as a result of the pandemic.
“I'm not sure about the root of this, but at least I can offer one controversial antidote that I believe will have a lasting impact for generations to come—get married and start a family.”
“Having kicked the game winning field goal in both the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl (2023), I have received a great deal of praise for these successes. None of these accomplishments mean anything compared to the happiness I have found in my marriage and in starting a family. My confidence as a husband and father, and yes, even as a football player, is rooted in my marriage as my wife and I leave our mark on future generations by the children we bring into the world. How much greater of a legacy can anyone leave than that?”
At the youthful age of 28, Butker has already cemented quite a legacy, both on the football field and in the pro-life movement. When the Chiefs were invited to the White House to be honored by President Joe Biden after Super Bowl LVII, Butker made headlines by wearing a pro-life tie and pin. His tie featured the Latin phrase Vulnerari Praesidio in cursive writing, which means, “Protect the most vulnerable.” According to The Daily Signal, the pro-life organization Live Action designed the tie. Butker also wore a gold pin of two tiny feet, the exact-size feet a 10-week-old baby would have.
“I want to give the most vulnerable, the unborn, a voice at a place where every effort has been made to allow and normalize the tragic termination of their lives," Butker said in a statement to The Daily Signal. "As a father who has experienced three miscarriages, my wife and I understand the hardships that come with losing a child. Every life is precious and should be valued whether outside or inside the womb.”
In the statement, Butker was referring to “the Biden administration’s aggressive pro-abortion stance, a position that has put Biden at odds with the U.S. bishops and members of his own faith,” according to Catholic News Agency.
In 2022, Butker appeared in an ad that urged Kansas residents to vote in favor of an amendment that would remove the right to abortion from the state constitution. That amendment was subsequently voted down.
In an interview on EWTN, host Colm Flynn asked Butker if he was concerned about negative feedback on social media or being ostracized because of his bold pro-life stance.
“You get (criticism) on social media, but I don't look at social media,” Butker said.
“You have to be prudent and decide what issues to speak on. For me, being pro-life and fighting against the atrocities that occur all around the world, especially in America, with murdering unborn children—that’s something that I'm never going to compromise on. And if I get canceled for that, then so be it.”
