Butterly leads the Big West into new frontier

One of Dan Butterly’s first stops on campus, before he ever stepped into a classroom, was the Illinois State University men’s basketball office.

A newly arrived transfer student from Washington, Illinois, Butterly ’94 was aiming to score free access to games. Two days later, he netted an opportunity that changed his life.

“I had kept basketball statistics and shot charts when I was a student at Washington High School, and I wanted to see if I could get into ISU basketball games for free,” said Butterly, now commissioner of the Big West Conference. “I wanted to get involved somehow.”

Butterly applied to work with the team and was invited back for an interview. Assistant coaches Eric Hughes, M.S. ’91, and Bob Morris, M.S. ’79, quizzed him for 90 minutes—more than he expected for a simple stats gig—before they told Butterly they were looking for a head manager. They needed someone who would help the staff, led by new head coach Bob Bender.

“Holy smokes,” thought Butterly. “As I was walking back over to Hamilton-Whitten I realized, ‘Wow, this is a great opportunity.’”

Within minutes of returning to his dorm room, Butterly’s phone rang. It was Hughes and Morris calling to offer him the position, which he eagerly accepted.

For three seasons, from 1989-92, Butterly led around 10 managers annually whose responsibilities included distributing equipment and towels, providing water, filming practices and games, and assisting coaches with drills. During his third season, Butterly also coordinated video exchange with opponents.

“Other than playing, I was experiencing a lot of the same things as the players—from athletic training, to team meals, to traveling with the team, to experiencing all of the adversity that they were going through, to studying with the players,” he said.

Butterly did get some exhibition-game playing time during the team’s 1992 Europe trip and even scored a basket. “Every part of being a manager and student at ISU is part of the foundation for my career,” he said.

Now in his fifth season as commissioner of the Big West Conference, Butterly’s more than 30 years in college athletics administration have included five with the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and 21 with the Mountain West Conference.

Long before Butterly considered a career in sports, he arrived in Normal planning to major in political science and journalism. He also tried out to become a Big Red Marching Machine drum major and was considering studying music at Illinois State.

But like an effective pick and roll screen, Butterly’s position with the basketball team drove him in a different direction. He changed his major to health, physical education, recreation, and dance—now kinesiology and recreation.

A highlight of Butterly’s managerial career came during his first season when, after the Redbirds started with a disappointing 6-9 record, they won nine of their final 12 regular-season games and won the 1990 MVC Tournament in front of a sellout crowd of 10,625 people at newly opened Redbird Arena (now CEFCU Arena).

“After we got back from a loss at Creighton late one night that season, we had a players-only meeting in the locker room, and I was in there watching and listening to the whole thing,” Butterly said. “Something happened in that locker room that really flipped a switch, and we went on a run.”

Illinois State earned an automatic bid to the 1990 NCAA Tournament where the Redbirds narrowly fell, 76-70, to Michigan.

Butterly remembers being “wowed” by the MVC Championship and NCAA Tournament environments, and, as a league commissioner, he strives to create similar special memories for student-athletes.

“The thing I’m most proud of at the Big West is we continue to raise the bar on student-athlete experiences,” Butterly said. “I take that Illinois State experience with me—the ‘wow’ factor when you walk into a championship— and that’s something I’ve brought with me into my role as commissioner.”

During his first four years with the Big West, Butterly and his staff increased the number of conference championship opportunities from 15 to 21. He also led an overhaul of the league’s broadcast operations, moving to the ESPN+ platform to broadcast 1,200 games annually.

During a tumultuous time in college athletics, Butterly is a member of 14 NCAA committees and uses his seat at the decision-making table to advocate for Big West member schools, while also producing a weekly blog to inform his board of directors, administrators, and coaches about decisions and changes impacting the college sports landscape.

Reflecting on his nearly three-decade journey to becoming commissioner, Butterly is grateful for landing an internship with the MVC shortly after graduating from Illinois State. As MVC marketing director, Butterly literally left his mark on the conference by creating “The Valley” branding, which is still used today. 

“Every time I see ‘The Valley’ logo flash up when I’m watching a game, it hits my heart a little bit,” he said.

Butterly’s connection to Illinois State extends beyond the basketball court. He met his wife, Alaine (Morence) Butterly ’90, during a Redbird basketball summer camp. She was working in the residence hall where Dan was tasked with blasting an air horn to wake up campers each morning. The couple married in 1993 and they now have an adult daughter, Jessica, who works in sports communication.

College athletics are engrained in the Butterlys’ DNA, and it all started in the Redbird men’s basketball office.

“At Illinois State, I found a passion,” Butterly said. “And to know now that I’m one of 32 Division I commissioners is pretty exciting. I never imagined I would be serving in this role.”