Hook LeRoy Butler to a Bungee cord and let him Lambeau Leap into the Hall of Fame crowd?

LeRoy Butler wasn't Brett Favre, the breathing caricature of a charismatic QB.

He wasn't Reggie White, the GOAT who butted Green Bay over the hump and was too soon gone to the great beyond.

He wasn't Mike Holmgren, the commander with Hall of Fame credentials.

And he wasn't Ron Wolf, the GM with the bronze bust Holmgren has yet to attain.

These were the face men — of the offense, the defense, the sideline, and the think tank — in the land of green and cheese.

Who then, was LeRoy Butler, the latest face from Green Bay's comeback decade to be designated for a bronze bust in Canton?

Let's start here: Butler is/was as good as any of the above at putting a finger on the pulse of what the Packers of the 1990s were.

That is reflected by a 2022 tale Butler told to Hall of Fame voter Clark Judge on Talk of Fame Network.

In 1992, Mike Holmgren had just replaced Lindy Infante as head coach.

"I was sitting at my locker," Butler said, "just minding my business, when Holmgren walks in. He's a big guy, 6-foot-5, and he looks down at me. I look up. He sees I'm wearing a Michael Jordan shirt. ... M.J. ... The GOAT.

"Mike Holmgren says, 'Why don't you wear YOUR shirt. I say, 'Coach, I don't have a shirt.' He says, 'Exactly. Go do something. Make some Pro Bowls. Get a damn shirt.'"

Butler did better than a shirt. He invented the Lambeau Leap.

It happened on that day after Christmas in Holmgren's second season. At that point, Favre was a wild colt who wouldn't listen. The Packers had gone to the playoffs once in 20 years. Reggie White was just arriving as a free agent.

Wolf came first, arriving as general manager in 1991, sticking with head coach Lindy Infante for the time being, then firing him after a 4-12 year. Holmgren replaced Infante, and, in keeping with recent Packer tradition, was out of the playoff race after a 3-6 start.

Butler was just a safety without a shirt, a fourth-year pro whose Florida State days of playing alongside Deion Sanders were a fading memory.

White was still in his prime, Wolf and Holmgren believed, after giving the Philadelphia Eagles 124 sacks in eight seasons. They surprised White by showing up at his house, asking him to lunch.

That went well, and Holmgren, aware that White talked frequently about his Christian faith, placed a telephone call.

White: "Hello."

Holmgren: "Reggie, this is God. I want you to come to Green Bay."

White took the jest as Holmgren hoped he would, and eventually, as Wolf always points out, also took a nice payday.

Holmgren regards White as "arguably the best defensive player all-time." He joined an interesting cast of characters on the '93 Packers.

Linebacker Johnny Holland had an ostentatious nickname, "Mr. Everywhere." Nose tackle John Jurkovic was a tough customer who later brought grit to the expansion Browns in 1999. Linebacker Bryce Paup jumped to the Bills in 1995 and became NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Cornerback Terrell Buckley, like Butler from Florida State, arrived as a Round 1 pick in '92.

Butler was a work-in-progress safety, a competitive talker with a million-dollar smile. He even bragged about his smile.

The Packers were 8-6 when the Raiders arrived on Dec. 26, 1993. Green Bay needed a win to clinch its first playoff berth since 1982, and 1982 didn't really count, since it was poisoned and shortened by a strike. In the 15 seasons between Vince Lombardi's finale in 1967 and '82, the Packers' postseason record was 0-1.

So, being in contention in '93 felt like a roaring party.

Favre led the league in interceptions but also made exciting plays under an offensive staff that included Jon Gruden, Andy Reid and Steve Mariucci.

Packers vs. Raiders was played in cold that was brutal even by Green Bay standards. The Packers led 14-0 in the fourth quarter when Butler sniffed out a pass from QB Vince Evans to running back Randy Jordan. Butler arrived like a lightning bolt and lit up Jordan, who fumbled. White scooped up the ball and began to run. He was getting dragged from behind by guard Steve Wisniewski when he pitched to Butler, who raced for a touchdown.

As momentum carried Butler through the end zone to the stands, he and a fan in a thick brown coat pointed to each other, prompting Butler to jump the rail and go up and in for a bear hug.

A fellow from two seats down, wearing a fat blue coat and a stocking camp, surfed the rail to where he got his mitts on Butler. The little group party was over in three seconds but lives in perpetuity as The Lambeau Leap.

So does Butler's admiration for Reggie White.

"Before he came in," Butler said recently, "I was an average player. But after he came in ... All-Decade, All-Pro, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl champion. Thank you."

Holmgren's message to Butler - "thank YOU" - is echoed by Wolf. Wolf weighed in immediately after Butler's election to the Hall of Fame was announced in February:

"It is wonderful that the premier safety of the 90s is getting his just reward. His passion for the game, his dedication to the Packers and his superb play make it well earned.

"He could cover, he could tackle, he could get after quarterbacks, he had good hands. He was a terrific vocal leader who did things that safeties before him simply couldn't do."

White died the day after Christmas, 2004, 11 years to the day after the Lambeau Leap. Those two went to the playoffs together six straight years (9-5 record).

Favre was league MVP in 1995, '96 and '97.

The '95 team took a 27-24 lead in the NFC Championship Game at Dallas but lost 38-27. The '96 team went 13-3 en route to winning Super Bowl XXXI. The '97 team played superb defense during a stretch capped by a 23-10 win at San Francisco in the NFC title game, then fell to Denver 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII.

John Elway outplayed Favre in the latter game, signaling the end of the glorious union of Favre (didn't return to a Super Bowl in 10 subsequent Packer seasons), White (played for the Packers one more year), Holmgren (left for Seattle in 1999) and Wolf (retired after the 2000 season).

Butler, who gave the Packers four more years after the Super Bowl loss, recalls Favre as a timeless.

He shared a favorite Favre story upon going into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2015.

Favre had just taken his shoe off after getting his ankle mangled in a 1995 game against the Vikings.

"That thing was yellow, green, orange and brown," Butler said. "I said, 'Dude, you can't play next week.'

"He looked at me and said, 'Roy Lee  — that's what he called me — there ain't a damn thing wrong with my arm.

"I don't think he's human. Whenever it's his time to leave this earth, I want to see the X-rays. The guy was a mixture of Wolverine, RoboCop and Superman."

Butler was a Packer before Wolf, Holmgren, Favre and White. He was a Packer after all but Favre departed, and even Favre left amid a family feud tied to the rise of Aaron Rodgers.

There is no split identity about Butler. He takes the Hall of Fame stage as a wall-to-wall Packer.

He was there as a rookie in 1990, when a former Canton GlenOak player, Mark Murphy, was in the late stages of his long career as a Packers safety.

He was there on Nov. 18, 2001, making a couple of tackles at Lambeau, leaving the game with an injury, in what turned out to be his last game.

Butler is back as a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The Lambeau Leap rides again.

Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Lambeau-leaper Leroy Butler joins Brett Favre, Reggie White in Canton