Heidelberg University Athletics

What's in a name? For the late Edwin R. "Butch" Butcher, the name was one that has remained at Heidelberg College the past 65 years, "the Student Princes."

Butcher was credited with changing the Heidelberg nickname. A resident of Tiffin for nearly 40 years before his death Oct. 16, 1976, Butcher devoted 39 years to the service of Heidelberg before retirement in 1964.

He was noted for helping students on the campus who were away from home for the first time and that brought him the title to many of "Mr. Heidelberg." Butcher was born in Akron on July 31, 1894 and graduated from Akron Central High School.

His next step was to Heidelberg College. It was a big step, to say the least. Not only for Butcher, but the school itself. In March of his senior year at Heidelberg he volunteered for the United States Army and was sent to France during World War I.

Returning to Tiffin in 1919. He completed his education at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland while serving overseas. On March 6, 1920 Butcher married the former Florence Bums in Sycamore.

At Heidelberg, Butcher played four years of football for the Student Princes and was a member of the Heidelberg Literary Society, served as an officer in the YMCA, and was a member of the chess club.

Heidelberg was to be Butcher's life. But before joining the staff at Heidelberg he coached and taught in the high school ranks in Napoleon and was the principal and coach at Pemberville High School.

His love for sports kept him on the field of battle as a college and high school official for basketball and football. In addition, Butcher worked as a labor researcher for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron.

He became the first dean of men at Heidelberg College and served as director of admissions and alumni secretary.

Butcher helped organize the Ohio Field Men's Association, an organization for admissions directors which later was expanded into a national group. He was one of the organizers of the Independent College Alumni Association (ICAA) for alumni directors of more than 30 colleges and universities in Ohio. The organization still exists.

He eventually set up more than 25 local alumni chapters across the nation, and he helped coordinate their meetings and often attended them.

At Heidelberg's annual Alumni Day in June 1960, the national Heidelberg Alumni Association observed Ed Butcher Day in honor of the genial man who was observing his 35th anniversary as alumni secretary. Heidelberg was not to forget him after retirement in 1964 as he was named secretary emeritus for alumni relations.

It was during his duties as Heidelberg's news and sports publicity director that he came up with the idea of calling the Heidelberg athletic teams the Student Princes, instead of the Cardinals in 1926.  The idea occurred when he saw a banner at the Ritz Theater in Tiffin promoting the film, "Student Prince of Heidelberg."  The nickname has continued to draw attention to the media and fans across the country as one of the unique nicknames of college sports.

Thus it was Butcher, who using the name Student Princes in his releases, brought much attention to this Ohio Athletic Conference college in Ohio.

He especially expressed his pleasure with working with the Admissions Department and the Alumni Department at the same time so he could follow a student through school and then out into life.

In 1970 he was proud and sad at the same time to be the one to give the life story of the late Herman E. Sayger at his memorial service. Not only did Butcher highly respect Sayger as a coach and teacher, but he also considered him a very close friend.

Butcher was a similar individual, who devoted his life to Heidelberg College and education, a man who loved youngsters and especially enjoyed watching them grow in life.

(This profile appeared in the 1991 Hall of Fame Banquet program.)