University of Georgia Athletics
Butler Going From Student-Athlete To Professor-Player
December 04, 2014 | Women's Basketball
By Ashleigh Shay
The Lady Bulldogs' "No. 24" is a force to be reckoned with on and off the court. Junior point guard Marjorie Butler scores high in the classroom as well as on the hardwood. As a freshman, she came to UGA with 50-plus AP credits, enabling her to now be academically qualified as a senior. And her determination did not stop there.
Currently the Knoxville native is pursuing a double major, one in sports and exercise science and the other in biology - two very time-consuming as well as challenging areas of study. On top of that, she is a starting point guard and dedicated player. Butler moved into Georgia's starting five this season and has been very steady to date. She also has been clutch in late-game situations, most notably by going 8-of-8 at the line in the final 20 seconds of road victories at Ohio State and Georgia Tech.
She is on top of her game academically as well. Butler plans to take her MCATs this June in order to complete her first major and complete her second major, biology, next spring. As of yet she has no medical school preference but knows the field she wants to go into, orthopedic science.
"(I've) been around sports awhile so I've gotten a little taste of that," Butler said in regard to her field choice.
Her goal is to practice orthopedics and she is getting a start while being here at UGA. Next semester Butler will help instruct "Exercise is Medicine," a kinesiology class at the 2500 level. The course will feature 30-40 students and examine epidemiology, with the focal point being on diseases and how exercise affects them. Butler will lead a Friday lab portion of approximately half of the students and be able to tie in both of her majors, get valuable experience and still be a student-athlete.
When asked if teaching this class would hinder in basketball, Butler answered with a no. By deciding to take part in this class instead of in an independent study, her sports schedule remains unaffected.
Marjorie Butler seems to be able to do it all. She was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll her first two seasons here at UGA and another naming is most likely on the horizon. In addition to being a top-notch student, her hard work is proven on the court as well. This season she is averaging 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and team-bests of 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals a game, not a bad way to start off the season.
The Lady Bulldogs currently own an undefeated record. On Tuesday night, Georgia became the first team in the nation to reach 8-0 with a night with a 49-29 victory over Coppin State. The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Mercer tonight before they return to Stegman Coliseum this Sunday for a match-up against the No. 16-ranked Michigan State Spartans at 4 p.m.
Butler notes that Sunday is a very big game. She believes that she and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs must execute and be ready to play hard, again, in front of the home crowd.
"We need to come out with a lot more energy," she said. "I really do enjoy this team. We have a very unselfish team. I have a lot of fun playing with these girls. I'm looking forward to an exciting and challenging game."
Student, athlete and now teacher, Marjorie Butler is the definition of goal oriented. She is able to do what some people might say is the impossible. Butler has found the balance that most students can only dream of. She is an inspiration to her team, members of the UGA community as a whole and those who look up to her as a role model.
Ashleigh Shay is a sophomore from Wall, N.J., who is intending to major in public relations and also pursue a sports media certificate from UGA's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is in her first year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
August 28 - David Andrews (football vs. Clemson) September 4 - Carly Hamilton (cross country in Bulldog Invitational)
September 11 - Tirah Leau (volleyball in Benson Hospitality Invitational)
September 18 - Mariel Gutierrez (soccer vs. Vanderbilt)
September 25 - Toby Johnson (football vs. Tennessee)
October 2 - Emma Sonnett (soccer vs. Tennessee)
October 9 - Jared Markham (swimming & diving vs. Alabama)
October 16 - Gaby Smiley (volleyball vs. Kentucky and Tennessee)
October 23 - Bella Hartley (soccer vs. Kentucky)
October 30 - Olivia Ball & Ian Forlini (swimming & diving vs. Florida)
November 6 - Megan Spencer (volleyball vs. Arkansas)
November 13 - Kolton Houston (football vs. Auburn)
November 20 - Yante Maten (men's basketball vs. Troy & FAU)
November 27 - Damian Swann (football vs. Georgia Tech)