This week we talk to Mike ‘Butt’ Butville (NB). In a previous life, Mike worked on nuclear reactors for the US Navy. Any thoughts about making a joke out of his surname or about ‘sailor-boys’ are immediately put down by his resemblance to a brick outhouse. We found this monstrous man in The Grille, musing feyly about Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, the Hawthorne effect and the application of both ideas to the Cambridge dating scene.
Fact File: Michael Thaddeus Butville
Height: 6 feet 3 inches
Weight: 235 pounds (with not an ounce of fat)
Eyes: Blue / Green
Hair: Blonde
Marital Status: Geographic Bachelor
Favorite Food: Steak
Favorite Drink: Harpoon IPA
Favorite Film: Real Genius (late 80s comedy)
Favorite Band: Rolling Stones
Nickname: Butt
How Acquired Nickname: Very creative friends
Harbus: What HBS sports team do you play for?
Mike Butville: I play for the Harvard Business School Rugby Football Club.
Harbus: What position do you play?
MB: Flanker or number 8
Harbus: What does that involve?
MB: If I was to compare it to American football I’d say its equivalent to a linebacker – I need to be able to tumble with the big boys as well as rumble with the little boys. I like to think of it as an enforcer type role.
Harbus: So you like dominating people?
MB: Yes!
Harbus: When did you start playing rugby? And why did you start playing it?
MB: I started at HBS. I play as there’s a good group of guys to play and party with, and because it’s a fun, intense sport.
Harbus: What has been your best sporting moment on the field?
MB: I love hard tackles and in my first game I managed to make a lot of these. I guess it always comes back to me wanting to dominate people.
Harbus: And your worst?
MB: In my first game I had a big hit with someone and managed to separate my shoulder. I found out the hard way that rugby is very different from football- for starters you don’t have pads to wear. It’s fair to say it’s the best contact sport I’ve played since football (outside of the bedroom). I was out for the rest of the season after that first game but still felt like a full member of the team as I could fully participate in the social events.
Harbus: How about your best moment off the field?
MB: Successfully supporting Brendan Rauw in his romantic endeavors in Montreal.
Harbus: And your worst?
MB: I have only two words for you: “Crack Daniels.”
Harbus: Interesting. So what is the biggest challenge about being an athlete at HBS?
MB: It’s been difficult supporting the fans and media- they add so many pressures to my life. After seven months I’m tired of signing so many autographs. It’s a tough life.
Harbus: What other sports have you played?
MB: At MIT I was a three sport athlete. I played Football, Lacrosse and threw the 35 pound weight (indoor hammer).
Harbus: Fascinating, so how much does the 35 pound weight weigh?
MB: 35 pounds (with incredulous look on his face.)
Harbus: What’s your most memorable college sporting moment?
MB: When I played half a football game with a broken nose. I just shoved cotton wool up my nose and played on.
Harbus: You were at MIT. Does that make you a closet nerd?
MB: I’ll settle that reputation on the football field with anyone, at any time, at any place. Hang on a minute [he leafs through his Star Trek special edition 2004 Klingon galactic calendar], make that a time and a place of my choosing – I’m quite a busy guy.
Harbus: We hear that you’re into politics, do you like Bush or the Democrats?
MB: I follow politics closely. I’m a big fan of Bush.
Harbus: What other interests do you have apart from politics?
MB: Using movie quotes and Karaoke singing, especially to 80s rock bands like Bon Jovi and Guns and Roses.
Harbus: Do you have any good movie quotes for us?
MB: Losers complain about their best, winners get to go home and ‘dine’ with the Prom Queen.
Harbus: Do you have any advice for young athletes out there?
MB: Set your goals high, work hard and set a good example for your team mates. And always be careful of who you let interview you.
Harbus: On that note I think we’ll thank you for your time.
MB: Thanks. And remember if you misquote me you’ll find more than a horse’s head in your bed…
Editor’s note- the sports editors will be taking a long holiday in an undisclosed location from the date that Mike’s interview is published.
