Former Victor Valley High School boys’ basketball coach Ollie Butler, who became a household name to generations of Jackrabbit alumni, has died.
Butler was with his family in Kansas when the 95-year-old took his final breath, Victor Valley High graduate Al Hom told the Daily Press.
“I had a chance to talk to Ollie by phone just before he died,” Hom said. “He was like a second dad to me, and his family treated me like one of their own.”
Hom also shared that Butler’s children, who live in Colorado and Kansas, are currently planning a celebration of life ceremony in Victorville for their father.
“He lived in Apple Valley and spent most of his time in Victorville, where he taught, coached, and became a legend,” Hom said. “He will be missed.”
Jackrabbit legend
Butler became the Jackrabbits’ coach in 1962 and resigned in 1990. During his time at Victor Valley High School, his team won 13 league titles — including 10 straight from 1974-83. His team also appeared in CIF-Southern Section championship games in 1977 and 1978, the Daily Press reported.
At his exit, Butler was the winningest coach in San Bernardino County history, picking up 505 wins at Victor Valley. His overall record as a coach was 605-251.
Butler taught for 32 years. He retired in 1994 and was a substitute until 1998.
In 2009, the Victor Valley Union High School District honored Butler by naming the Keith Gunn Gymnasium basketball court after the former coach.
‘True basketball icon’
“He was a fanatic about fundamentals,” said the late David Kniss, a former English teacher at Victor Valley who played for Butler and wrote a book about his coach called “Ollie: The Ollie Butler Story.”
Former player Jeff Oldfield called Butler an “amazing man” who taught him everything about basketball and life.
Oscar Lugo called Butler a “true basketball icon,” and said, “No one loved this game the way coach Ollie did.”
Lugo said Butler’s “basketball IQ was completely off the charts,” and leading teams to 10 straight league championships was unbelievable.
Among former players, Butler coached Tony Anderson, who played for UCLA, and Greg Hyder, who made it to the NBA.
Greg Hyder’s grandson, Jesiah Hyder, is currently on the Jackrabbit basketball team, which made it to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
An enthusiastic coach
Principal Gunn hired Butler at Victor Valley after a job at another high school fell through, the Daily Press reported.
Butler explained that during the interview process, he told Principal Gunn that he was “very enthusiastic on the sidelines.”
Later, during one game, Butler was on the sidelines “yelling and raising hell,” which earned him an appointment with Gunn, who wanted to put “seat belts” on the coach’s chair to keep him in one place.
Several sources told the Daily Press that during games, Butler would rant and rave, once kicking a chair and punching a hole in a blackboard at halftime.
‘That’s why we loved him’
Butler was also laser-focused on the details of the game, and demanded certain drills, such as 10 minutes on passing drills, 10 minutes on rebounding and 10 minutes for shooting.
Kniss said that Butler would almost use a ruler to show players where they were supposed to be on the court.
He added that Butler, “Didn’t swear. He didn’t belittle anybody. That’s why we loved him.”
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Former Victor Valley High School basketball coach, Ollie Butler, has died
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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