Baylor MBB’s Jared Butler Named Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year
IRVING, Texas – Baylor’s Jared Butler has been named the 2020-21 Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year, as announced Thursday by the conference office. Butler becomes the fifth Baylor student-athlete to win a Big 12 Athlete of the Year honor and the first since 2014.
Butler joins Robert Griffin III (2012) and Bryce Petty (2014) to give the Bears three Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year winners. Baylor also has a pair of Big 12 Female Athletes of the Year with Brittney Griner (2012) and Odyssey Sims (2014). Baylor’s five Big 12 Athletes of the Year are tied for third-most in league history behind only Oklahoma and Texas.
A Reserve, La., native, Butler is the fifth men’s basketball student-athlete to win a Big 12 Athlete of the Year honor, joining Jacque Vaughn (1997 – Kansas), Nick Collison (2003 – Kansas), Buddy Hield (2016 – Oklahoma) and Frank Mason III (2017 – Kansas).
Butler was previously named 2021 Big 12 Male Sportsperson of the Year and 2021 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and he’s a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree. He graduated in May with a BBA in management, three years after enrolling at Baylor in the fall of 2018.
Butler is the first student-athlete in Big 12’s 25-year history to win Athlete of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Only three previous student-athletes won both Sportsperson of the Year and Athlete of the Year – Cael Sanderson (2002 – Iowa State), Robert Griffin III (2012 – Baylor) and Buddy Hield (2016 – Oklahoma).
On the court, Butler was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading the Bears to the first National Championship in program history. He became BU’s first consensus First-Team All-American and was tabbed as Associated Press Big 12 Player of the Year and USBWA District VII Player of the Year.
Butler finished third in the Big 12 in scoring with 16.7 points per game, led the Big 12 with 2.0 steals per game and a .416 3-point percentage, ranked third in the league with 4.8 assists per game, fifth with a .471 field goal percentage, second with 2.6 made 3-pointers per game and fifth with a 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Additionally, Butler served as a speaker at Baylor’s student-athlete unity walk. During his speech, he encouraged his fellow student-athletes to strive for equality and racial justice. He also served as a Sunday School teacher for second- and third-graders at Harris Creek Baptist Church and was a student-athlete representative on the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee.
Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for year-round updates.
BAYLOR’S BIG 12 ATHLETES OF THE YEAR:
2012 - Robert Griffin III (FB)
2012 - Brittney Griner (WBB)
2014 - Bryce Petty (FB)
2014 - Odyssey Sims (WBB)
2021 – Jared Butler (MBB)
BIG 12 ATHLETES OF THE YEAR BY SCHOOL:
Oklahoma – 14
Texas – 14
Baylor – 5
Nebraska – 5
Kansas – 3
Kansas State – 3
Iowa State – 2
Missouri – 2
Oklahoma State – 1
Texas A&M – 1
West Virginia – 1
BIG 12 ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
2021 – Anastasia Webb, Oklahoma; Jared Butler, Baylor
2020 – Maggie Nichols, Oklahoma; Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
2019 – Ashtin Zamzow, Texas; Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
2018 – Maggie Nichols, Oklahoma; Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
2017 – Kadeisha Buchanan, West Virginia; Frank Mason III, Kansas & Will Licon, Texas
2016 – Paige Parker, Oklahoma; Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
2015 – Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma; Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
2014 – Odyssey Sims, Baylor; Bryce Petty, Baylor
2013 – Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma; Collin Klein, Kansas State
2012 – Brittney Griner, Baylor; Robert Griffin III, Baylor
2011 – Jessica Beard, Texas A&M; Taylor Jungmann, Texas
2010 – Lisa Koll, Iowa State; Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2009 – Destinee Hooker, Texas; Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
2008 – Sarah Pavan, Nebraska; Chase Daniel, Missouri
2007 – Sarah Pavan, Nebraska; Ben Askren, Missouri
2006 – Cat Osterman, Texas; Vince Young, Texas
2005 – Cat Osterman, Texas; Derrick Johnson, Texas
2004 – Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State; Jason White, Oklahoma
2003 – Cat Osterman, Texas; Nick Collison, Kansas
2002 – Stacey Dales, Oklahoma; Cael Sanderson, Iowa State
2001 – Greichaly Cepero, Nebraska; Josh Heupel, Oklahoma
2000 – Erin Aldrich, Texas; Charles Howell, Oklahoma State
1999 – Suziann Reid, Texas; Ricky Williams, Texas
1998 – Vera Ilyina, Texas; Grant Wistrom, Nebraska
1997 – Nanceen Perry, Texas; Jacque Vaughn, Kansas
2020-21 BAYLOR MBB HONORS
Jared Butler
Wooden Award Finalist (1 of 5)
Naismith Trophy Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Finalist (1 of 5)
All-America First Team (unanimous)
Final Four Most Outstanding Player
NCAA All-Tournament Team
NCAA Tournament All-South Region Team
Big 12 Player of the Year (AP; The Athletic)
NCAA Tournament All-Region Team
All-Big 12 First Team (unanimous)
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
USBWA District VII Player of the Year
USBWA District VII All-District Team
NABC All-District 8 First Team
Big 12 Conference Male Athlete of the Year
Big 12 Conference Male Sportsperson of the Year
Big 12 MBB Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List (1 of 15)
Lute Olson Award Midseason Watch List
NCAA National Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Naismith Trophy Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
USBWA National Player of the Week (Jan. 26)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 25)
Scott Drew
Big 12 Coach of the Year (second-straight year)
Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Finalist (1 of 4)
USBWA Henry Iba Award Finalist (1 of 4)
NABC District 8 Coach of the Year
USBWA District VII Coach of the Year
Adam Flagler
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Davion Mitchell
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
NABC Defensive Player of the Year
Lefty Driesell Award
All-America Third Team (AP; NABC, Sporting News)
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
NCAA All-Tournament Team
NCAA Tournament South Region MVP
NCAA Tournament All-South Region Team
All-Big 12 First Team (coaches)
All-Big 12 Second Team (AP)
Big 12 All-Defensive Team (unanimous)
NABC District 8 First Team
USBWA District VII All-District Team
Naismith Trophy Midseason Team (1 of 30)
Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 1)
Jackson Moffatt
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Mark Paterson
Academic All-Big 12 First Team
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua
Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
Academic All-Big 12 Second Team
MaCio Teague
Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalist (1 of 5)
All-America Third Team (NCAA March Madness)
All-America Honorable Mention (AP)
NCAA Tournament All-Region Team
All-Big 12 Second Team (AP)
All-Big 12 Third Team (coaches)
Big 12 All-Tournament Team
USBWA District VII All-District Team
Academic All-Big 12 Second Team
NCAA National Player of the Week (March 8)
Big 12 Player of the Week (March 8)
Mark Vital
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10)
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (The Athletic)
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Big 12 All-Defensive Team (unanimous)
Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List