The Key West community suffered an enormous loss last week with the passing of teacher, coach and athletic legend Dexter Butler. Butler was not simply a coach or a former player or a record holder – he was a truly special individual whose broad smile and kind heart touched everyone fortunate enough to meet him.
Most recently, Butler was coaching the Conchs’ hoopsters in a rebuilding year. The good-natured coach had exactly the perfect balance of patience and discipline to push his young team in the right direction. Under Butler’s leadership, the Conchs gained momentum, and the coming seasons were truly exciting to anticipate. Now, it is difficult to imagine anyone filling Butler’s shoes.
Before Dexter Butler was a coach at his alma mater, he was a typical Key West kid, playing at the junior football field, Clayton Sterling Complex and the Police Athletic League gym. He was a standout athlete in any sport he tried and often enjoyed the coaching of his father, Conch legend Bill Butler. The pairing not only afforded extra father-son bonding time – it gave a ringer to each team the duo graced.
When Dexter got to Key West High School, he was in the shadow of his father and his brother Devin. Devin owned a state championship with Conch baseball, and Bill had won a title in basketball. Even with such great expectations for a young athlete, Dexter did not remain in the shadows long. He started out at Key West playing football, basketball and baseball, quickly becoming a standout in all three.
Dexter gave up basketball early in his high school career, then stopped playing football after his junior season. He wanted to focus on his best sport: baseball. During his three years as a Key West Conch varsity player, Dexter won two district championships. Known for his strong bat, he once hit two home runs in a single game and hit a grand slam in another one. Butler owns the Key West record for the highest career batting average. During his three-year varsity stint, he averaged .460, a mark which will likely stand for a very long time.
After high school, Butler played ball at the University of South Florida, where he started at shortstop as a freshman. The following year, he played third base. As a junior, he moved again, starting at second base. For his final season, he transferred to Nova Southeastern, where he split the season at shortstop and third base, proving his ability to roll with the changes and be undeniably great anywhere his team needed him.
Butler was similar in his role in the community, filling any role needed and doing so with grace and positivity. “Dexter always had a smile on his face and something positive to say,” said Judd Wise, who both taught and coached Butler. “He was a great athlete and a better person.”
Key West administrator and track coach Dave Perkins agreed. “Whenever I spoke to Coach Dexter about basketball, he always stayed positive,” he said. “Even though his team was rebuilding, he always kept everything focused and his team moving in a positive direction.”
Dexter Butler, right, started coaching basketball at Horace O’Bryant Middle School, where he was the sixth grade social studies teacher. 
Dexter (second row, left) played his youth baseball in the Little Conch baseball league. In this picture, Dexter was coached by his father Bill Butler and Big Dave Burgos. 
Butler, right, with teammate and friend Clinton Storr. Butler played baseball for Key West from 2001 to 2004. 
In 2023, Dexter Butler became the Key West High School varsity basketball coach, a job he was born to do. He was respected and loved by his players, assistant coaches and the community. 
Butler attends the Perfect Game baseball combine. During his time at Key West High School as a player, Key West won two district titles, with Butler holding the highest career batting average (.460) in school history. 
Butler coaches tee ball in Key West.
Butler’s greatest moments arguably came after his own athletic career was complete. He coached various sports, including Little Conch baseball teams, middle school basketball at Horace O’Bryant School, where he taught, and varsity basketball at Key West High. Butler also spent his time giving hitting lessons to the children of Key West who looked up to him the way he had looked up to others growing up.
When Butler took over the Conchs’ basketball program in 2022, all the coaches up and down the Keys knew: Key West basketball was back – it was just a matter of time. Coach Butler immediately started to put in the time with his team, dedicating himself to them. In the offseason, tournaments and training became the norm. Butler believed that putting in the work was important, but he also held his team to a higher set of expectations. Butler served as a strong moral compass for his players, believing that making them responsible young men was as, if not more, important than sharpening their basketball skills.
It is not often a coach, player and human being such as Dexter Butler comes along, but it seems that when one does, we often take for granted that they will grow old and continue to give so generously of themselves. Now, at a time when the community is hurting, we need to embrace the teachings coach Butler offered and be the best we can be in sports and in life. Dexter Butler now becomes an all-time legend in Key West, joining the ranks of such revered Conchs as Tommy Roberts and Glynn Archer. He is gone too soon, but his legacy will remain and continue to grow as those whose lives Dexter touched reach out and share their time and talents with others, just as he did.
