James Michael Butler

James, "Jimmy", Butler lost his battle with cancer on December 3, 2021. He was 41 years old.

From an early age Jimmy had a passion for running. His love of running became his love of coaching, both high school and college athletes. He was the 1997 state cross-country champion and a member of the Eldorado High School championship team. After high school he competed for Wake Forest University in North Carolina. During his career, he coached at Del Norte High School briefly before moving to Eldorado High School where he had 6 team state cross-country championships. He next coached at UNM as a graduate assistant before moving to UMKC as an assistant coach. He next coached at UNM as Assistant Coach and was instrumental in guiding the Lobos to 2 national women's cross-country titles.

Jimmy was a friend, mentor and coach to all athletes. He will be missed by all his friends, teammates, colleagues and athletes.