Meet Harrison Butker's parents.
Born in July 1995, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker is the son of Harrison Butker Sr. and Elizabeth Keller Butker, who raised him in Decatur, Ga.
Prior to pursuing a career in professional football, the three-time Super Bowl champ got his start playing soccer before switching to the gridiron at Georgia Tech.
Elizabeth and Harrison Sr. also studied in Georgia, both earning degrees at Emory University. While Butker graduated with a degree in industrial engineering and pursued a career in the NFL, his mom works in the medical field and his dad works in finance.
In comparison to Butker's life in the spotlight — the kicker has made headlines on multiple occasions, from winning the Super Bowl to his recent controversial commencement speech delivered at Benedictine College's graduation ceremony — his parents live a rather private life.
Elizabeth has previously spoken about her work as a medical physicist and praised her son's athletic accomplishments, but she and her husband don't speak to the press often or publicly post on social media.
Read on for what to know about Harrison Butker's parents, Elizabeth and Harrison Sr.
Elizabeth is a clinical medical physicist. She works in the department of radiation oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga.
Butker's mom's medical career was "inspired by" her father, James Keller, who worked for Emory's Winship Cancer Institute for nearly three decades. He worked in the department of hematology and medical oncology for 13 years and the Winship department of radiation oncology for 15 years, per the institute's website.
Elizabeth joined Winship in 1988, specializing in brachytherapy and Gamma Knife medical physics care.
Harrison Sr. is now a financial analyst at MDKeller, an American holding company that Harrison Jr. co-founded with his best friend, who's a decorated Navy veteran, in 2021 in his free time outside of the NFL. The company is based in Arizona and Kansas City.
According to his MDKeller bio, Harrison Sr. is "responsible for a variety of financial activities including forecasting, performing research and analysis, financial models, budgeting, assisting with financial planning, preparing reports and assisting with M&A."
Prior to his position at MDKeller, Harrison Sr. earned his MBA from Emory University's Goizueta business school.
"I grew up Ca -
tholic. I was going to mass every Sunday," Butker said in an interview with EWTN in May 2019 before noting that he practiced less and less as he transitioned to high school and then college.
Later in his life, Butker rediscovered his faith. "The biggest leap of faith for me was finally going to the sacrament of confession, that's really what changed me. When I left that confessional... that's what made me feel different than the way I did before."
He added, "I saw the fruit from it — the fruit from living a holy, graceful life."
Elizabeth has spoken about her son's successes in the NFL over the years and is proud of his athletic accomplishments.
"What an amazing ride these past three years have been for us watching Butker play for the Chiefs," Elizabeth said in Emory University's newsletter in January 2020. "We are so proud not only of Butker's success as a kicker in the NFL but also of the man he has become. Let's GO CHIEFS!"
Butker has also opened up about his mom's support from time to time. In May 2020, he celebrated Elizabeth in a Mother's Day tribute shared by the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Growing up my mom was my biggest supporter, guiding me to be the man I needed to become," he wrote. "Now, I'm so blessed to have my beautiful wife by my side. To witness first hand the amazing mother she is to our son and the many sacrifices she has made for our family is something I will cherish forever.
Harrison Sr. and Elizabeth welcomed Butker on July 14, 1995. They are also parents to his older sister, Charlotte, who was born on April 3, 1993. Charlotte is an athlete in her own right having previously played soccer for Emory University.
Butker and his wife Isabelle are the parents of two kids, making Harrison Sr. and Elizabeth grandparents. The Chiefs player is the father of a son named James and a daughter whose name hasn't been made public.
Butker and Isabelle, who met and began dating in high school, tied the knot in 2018 and welcomed their oldest child the following year. Since they were born, Butker has been vocal about his life and role as a dad.
The couple shared some of their family life online in the early days of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, but have since returned to keeping their lives private. However, the kicker was seen celebrating with his little ones on the field after the Chiefs' win at the 2023 Super Bowl.
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