Jack Butterfield

John Butterfield (August 5, 1929 – November 16, 1979) was an American college baseball coach and professional baseball executive. Butterfield grew up in Westborough, Massachusetts and played college baseball for Maine in the early 1950s and later was the head coach at Maine and South Florida. In the late 1970s, he became an executive in the New York Yankees organization before he died in a car crash in November 1979.

In Butterfield's 17 seasons at Maine, the team won eight Maine State Series (a competition between Maine, Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates) and shared three other Yankee Conference titles, but did not qualify for another NCAA tournament.

South Florida Following the 1974 season, Butterfield left Maine to become the head coach at South Florida (USF), in part due to tension with Maine's administration over the program's funding. He coached at USF for two seasons (1975–1976) and had an overall record of 61-24-1. At USF, future Toronto Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca was Butterfield's equipment manager.

Head coaching record Below is a table of Butterfield's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.

Professional baseball In 1976, Butterfield left USF at the request of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to become a scout for New York. The following year, he was named the organization's Director of Player Development and Scouting, a position he served in for the next three seasons.

Death Early on November 16, 1979, Butterfield was killed when his car crashed into a street sweeper stopped in the fast lane of Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey. The Yankee organization, already reeling from the death of Thurmon Munson the preceding summer, was devastated. Steinbrenner said of his death: "The magnitude of our loss cannot be expressed in words. He was the epitome of what you'd look for in a teacher of young men. His abilities were amply displayed by what he did for our farm system in three seasons, culminating in championships for all five of our farm teams last summer. I doubt that we will ever be able to replace Jack Butterfield. He was that great, and he was dedicated to the Yankees and the Yankee traditions."

Personal

Family Butterfield's son, Brian, played for him at Maine for one season and is currently a Major League Baseball coach for the Los Angeles Angels. Brian has also spent time as a coach with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox and in the Yankees and Diamondbacks minor league systems. Butterfield's brother, Jim, assisted him at Maine from 1957–1959 and later became the head football coach at Ithaca. Jim was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Awards named after Following Butterfield's death in 1979, two awards were named for him. At Maine, the Jack Butterfield Memorial Scholarship is given to baseball players who "have demonstrated academic proficiency, athletic leadership and the high ideals and standards" of Butterfield. Past recipients include Major Leaguers Mike Bordick, Mark Sweeney, Bill Swift, and Larry Thomas. Also, the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) gives the Jack Butterfield Award to a coach who exhibits "integrity and dedication to the game." Past recipients include Maine's John Winkin, Vermont's Bill Currier, and Northeastern's Neil McPhee.