Harrison Butker Parents: Who Are Harrison Butker Sr. & Medical Physicist Mom Elizabeth Keller Butker?

Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker, is not new to the position of spotlight. The member of the Chiefs’ special team is known for his contributions to the side’s recent Super Bowl victory. Besides the longest field goal (57 yards) in Super Bowl history, his name and other records indicate his part in the Chiefs lifting their fourth Lombardi Trophy. Yet, Butker’s recent controversial words at Benedictine College’s graduation ceremony have put the kicker’s name under undeniable attention because of his mother’s profession.

Born on July 14, 1995 in Decatur, Georgia, the football player is the younger child of Harrison Butker Sr. and Elizabeth Keller Butker. In opposition to their son, the Butker couple leads a rather private life, with rare comments on the professional career of their son. Harrison Butker Sr. and Elizabeth Keller Butker joined hands in matrimony on the 1st of August, 1987. Almost 8 years later, they were blessed with their son, three years after their daughter Charlotte was born.

Harrison Sr. the father of the football player, is involved in financial analysis. He is currently working at MDKeller, the company co-founded by Harrison Jr. and his Navy veteran friend during the pandemic in 2021. His role includes being “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.” 

Elizabeth is a medical community member, working as a physicist in the radiation oncology department at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. It was his grandfather, James Keller’s involvement in the Emory Winship Cancer Institute, that drew Harrison’s mother toward the field of medicine. Keller worked at the Department of Oncology for 13 years and the Winship Department of Radiation Oncology for 15 years. In 1988, Keller’s daughter joined Winship to specialize in brachytherapy and Gamma Knife medical physics care. Both parents of Harrison Jr. are graduates of Georgia.

Having parents who were so successful in their respectful careers, had heads turning when Butker suggested women should be homemakers. Recently, when he delivered a speech as the speaker for Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, he said, “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.” Butker Jr. also shared his opinion on Pride Month and its gender ideologies.

Apart from their professional careers, Elizabeth and Harrison Sr. have been doting parents and grandparents to their kids and grandkids. In their rare presence on social media or besides the football player during his games, the couple can be seen sharing special moments with Harrison Jr’s son James and his little daughter. As seen from their comments, Harrison Jr’s parents have been thoroughly involved and supportive in his life, playing a role of stability for him.

The backbone of support from Harrison Butker Jr.’s parents

Harrison Butker Jr. has been a man of luck with the type of family support he has received from his parents. While his father is the one constantly behind him to do better as a player, his mother has been the person constantly cheering for him throughout his journey on the gridiron. Elizabeth, talking about her son’s accomplishments, had remarked in her University’s newsletter in 2020, “What an amazing ride these past three years have been for us watching Butker play for the Chiefs. 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!”

The kicker had acknowledged his mother’s support, mentioning, “Growing up my mom was my biggest supporter, guiding me to be the man I needed to become.” It was also through his parents that the kicker was able to find control of his life and thoughts through belief in God. “I grew up Catholic. I was going to mass every Sunday,” Butker revealed in an interview back in 2019, indicating it was his family that introduced him to his faith that has continued to be a source of guiding for him.

Later, he rediscovered his faith and expressed, “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… I saw the fruit from it — the fruit from living a holy, graceful life.”