Round one in competitive sports usually features mismatches in most tournaments of 32. But in the Best of the Best series, round one is literally a celebrity death match. Each first round matchup in the Best Player of All Time series is literally star-studded. They are all studs at their positions, and their star statuses most times led to collegiate and pro football careers. However, this is the Best of the Best High School Player, so we’ll just highlight what they did here in Northeast Florida as Preps players on the gridiron.
Leroy Butler
Staright out of Duval is a phrase that applies to Leroy Butler in many ways. Staright out of Jacksonville’s urban core, Butler spent most of his childhood in the Blodgett Homes Apartments. Riddled by poverty, the projects were notorious for crime, prostetution, and drugs. He not only overcame an impovershed child-hood, but he also overcame a child-hood disabiity that had him bound to a wheel chair. He would be recruited by Hall of Fame Coach Corky Rogers to play at Lee High School where he played linebacker and wingback. During his days at Lee, Butler had 139 tackles as a linebacker and rushed for 388 yards on 18 carries as a senior. He was a first-team Class 3A All-State selection and a member of the Florida Times Union Super 24 . He also earned two varsity letters in both basketball and track & field. Straight out of a wheelchair, straight out of the projects, straight out of Duval!
C.J Spiller
Apparently BIG things come out of the small town of Lake Butler Florida. Big time Running-back Charles Strong recently came out to attend Texas A&M University. However the the biggest name for football before him was running-back C.J Spiller. During his senior year at Union County, Spiller rushed for 1,840–yards on 176 carries for 30 touchdowns. He also had fifteen receptions for 249 yards. In his high school career, Spiller rushed for 5,511 yards on 541 carries, scoring 93 career touchdowns (85 rushing, three receiving, three on kickoff returns, two on punt returns). Spiller was a three-time all-state selection. A First-team Parade magazine All-American. Rated the #1 player in Florida, #9 overall player in the country, and #1 all-purpose running-back in the country.
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