Littlejohn made large impact
This is the second in a series of four articles profiling this year's inductees into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame
BUTLER TWP — To put it simply, Calvin Littlejohn was electrifying.
The 2004 Butler graduate — a four-year letterman in football, basketball and track with the Golden Tornado — died in 2016 at age 30 after a nine-year battle with lupus.
He will be inducted into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 3 during a ceremony and reception in the high school cafeteria. Other inductees this year are Bill Fay, Jared Farabee and Jason Cherry.
Javon Littlejohn, a junior at Butler this year and Calvin's nephew, is largely responsible for his uncle's upcoming induction.
“Javon saw the Hall of Fame display in the school his freshman year and wondered why his uncle wasn't part of it,” said Rodnell Littlejohn, Calvin's brother. “We put together the application and are so excited it's gonna happen.
“I'm proud of my son for getting this done. Calvin was a tremendous athlete. He deserves this.”
His coaches have no argument there.
“Calvin had tremendous vision as a running back,” said Ralph McElhaney, an assistant coach at Butler when Littlejohn played. “He knew where the hole was and how to hit it.
“He'd get through a little crack and he was gone.”
Another Butler assistant coach, Hank Leyland, recalled how Littlejohn committed to his senior year.
“When he was a sophomore, he was maybe 135 pounds,” Leyland said. “His talent level was obvious. We asked him to make a commitment and he did.
“By the time he was a senior, he was 179 pounds and in fantastic shape. The vision he had, the way he could cut ... and when he decided to take it upfield, he had an explosive step.”
Littlejohn rushed for more than 1,100 yards his senior year at Butler, becoming the Tornado's first 1,000-yard rusher in seven years. His versatility on the football field showed in his final section game of his senior year.
Against Seneca Valley, Littlejohn rushed for 172 yards. He scored three touchdowns. One was on an 81-yard run, another on a 99-yard interception return.
“Calvin formed a special relationship with my son Trevor,” Leyland said. “They were teammates. Trevor had a 98-yard interception return at Kiski Area, a school record. Then Calvin topped it with a 99-yard interception return at Seneca Valley.
“Calvin was a great sprinter in track, but when the coaches there put him in jumps, he just took off.”
“You could put him in any event in track and field and he would excel,” McElhaney agreed. “Calvin was that type of explosive athlete.”
Littlejohn was a WPIAL champion and PIAA finalist in the long jump, setting a school record in the long jump. His marks of 46 feet, 6 inches in the triple jump and and 6 feet, 7 inches in the high jump are among the best in school history as well.He also ran on the fastest 400-meter relay unit in Butler County his senior year at 44 seconds flat.Littlejohn received Division I scholarship looks for football and went to junior college for a year to impriove his academic standing.“He was going to be on his way. That's when he contracted lupus,” Leyland said. “Let alone his athletic skills, Calvin was one of the kindest, warmest, most giving persons I've ever come across.“His smile would just light up a room.”Littlejohn's son, Braylon, is in eighth grade this year and excels in football and basketball.“When Calvin was playing Midget football, you could see at that point he was going to be something special,” McElhaney said. “He just stood out as an athlete, even at that age.“His son, Braylon, is exactly the same way. He stands out like Calvin did. While Calvin left quite a legacy, Braylon is picking it up and continuing it. It's really cool stuff.”Leyland said Littlejohn's induction “will be great for Braylon to see, to learn more about his father through the eyes of others.”Calvin Littlejohn's brother has fond memories of his own.“Man, he was in shape. He had something like 2 percent body fat,” Rodnell Littlejohn said of Calvin. “He had a bright, beautiful smile. I think of him every day. I miss him every day.”
