#246 Tom Butters - Pittsburgh Pirates

Thomas Arden Butters
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  April 8, 1938, Delaware, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-1965
Died:  March 31, 2016, Durham, NC (age 77)

It's guys like Tom Butters that make me glad I decided to collect this set and then start this blog about the set.  I had no idea that Butters became instrumental in the success of the Duke University basketball program as that university's athletic director between 1977 and 1997.  Responsible for the hiring of Mike Krzyzewski in 1980, Butters would have still been active during my college years as I was rooting against his Duke basketball teams as a member of Wake Forest's Screamin' Demons student section.  He began his career at Duke as their head baseball coach from 1968 to 1970, when he was only 29 years old.  We originally added his card to our set solely on the strength of his last name, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to learn more about his post-baseball career.

Tim Duncan vs. Duke, 1997

A one-time top pitching prospect for the Pirates, Butters had his baseball career cut short by a bad car accident in February 1965.  He was never the same after the accident and he retired as a player following a brief comeback attempt.  In parts of four seasons with the Pirates, Butters went 2-3 in 43 games (5 starts) with a 3.10 ERA.

Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #24
We were up to 11 cards for our 1965 Topps set, and I honestly had it in mind that I wanted to purchase one fairly major "star" card during our remaining time at the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show inside the Valley Forge Casino.  The showroom floor was packed as we were now into the early afternoon and autograph guests were showing up every 15 minutes or so.  The PA announcer would call out ticket numbers in groups of 10 all while imploring collectors to back away from the entrance that led into the autograph signing area.

That was the backdrop when we came upon the table for MJW Collectibles out of Somerdale, NJ.  This dealer had a bunch of 1960s Topps binders spread out, and the sign on the 1965 Topps binder caught my eye - ALL CARDS $1.  And with Doug's help, I dug in.

I first determined I'd buy 10 cards, and then that went up to 15.  My only criteria was that the cards needed to be a good shape with four sharp corners.  Doug helped me pick the cards in best shape, especially when there were several of the same card to a page.  We were up to 12 cards and I needed 3 more to reach our goal of 15.  When I came across this card, for a player I had honestly never heard of before, I turned to Doug and said, "How could we ever pass up a card of someone named Tom Butters?"  He agreed.

The Card
Tom Butters shared Rookie Stars cards in the 1963 and 1964 Topps sets before getting his first (and final) solo card in the 1965 Topps set.  Butters' baseball future was still bright at the time this card was issued and the write-ups on the back celebrate his success in high school, American Legion ball and in the minors.  Both Butters and Bob "Buck" Rodgers (#342) grew up in Delaware, OH and both attended Ohio Wesleyan University, located in their hometown.  Butters must have pitched against Rodgers in high school.

Pirates Team Set

1965 Season
Following his car accident, Butters couldn't pitch without suffering severe headaches and vomiting.  He started the season on the disabled list, but was activated for five games in late April and early May.  After pitching nine innings and accumulating an ERA of 7.00, Butters was released by the Pirates.  He was invited back by the Pirates to spring training in 1966, but unable to pitch to his earlier abilities Butters retired from baseball.

1963 Topps #299

1964 Topps #74

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #299 (with Dave Morehead, Bob Dustal and Dan Schneider)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1963-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #246

8 - Butters non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/28/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
Duke Athletics
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Prior Card:  #245 Joe Pepitone - New York Yankees

Next Card:  #247 Wally Moon - Los Angeles Dodgers