He broke his arm in a game on 3 November 1923 and died eight days later from a subsequent tetanus infection.

Butler started his career at Birmingham & District League side Willenhall before joining Walsall in 1921.

He had a one-month trial at Second Division Port Vale in December 1922, and manager Joe Schofield signed him permanently for £100 the following month.

At the end of the season, he played in a defeat to local rivals Stoke in the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup.

However, after scoring in a 1–1 draw with Clapton Orient on 3 November, he suffered a compound fracture of the left arm; he died from tetanus (also called lockjaw) eight days later in Hackney Hospital after complications had set in.