The Man Behind the Mask - An inside look at Butler's center and team captain Seth Falley

Story by Kalon Fullerton, Butler Athletics

In football, players like Seth Falley only come around once in a blue moon. For a junior college football team, having a player like Seth for a third year is almost unheard of. 

For Seth, the reason to stay another year was simple: this place is home.

"I came to Butler because my dad played here, in the 80s. So that was a no brainer, I didn't get the offers I wanted out of high school, so I wanted to come to Butler and develop. Coming back for the third year was difficult, but I knew that I made the right decision." Falley said of his decision to come back for a third year.

In his three years playing for the Grizzlies, Seth says he has grown as a person and a leader. Playing at the center position, he's become a fan favorite and a captain of his team, and he carries the type of personality that every winning football team needs in a locker room.

And nothing makes that personality clearer on the field than his signature mask eye black that he wears every game.

"I've done that since I was in first grade. When I first started doing it, I was thinking of vikings and different kinds of marauders. When you put on that warpaint, you just have a different mentality. You're going into battle."

Seth has instilled that warrior mentality in his team as a leader this season, and it has shown. The Grizzlies are unbeaten on the road this season, and the signature win of the season came at the home of rivals Hutchinson, the team that won the NJCAA national title three months earlier.

"Our mentality is a lot different this year, we come into games, and we preach 'burn it down' we're going to come into your village and burn it down and go back home."

It's a mentality that Seth's coaches say he has instilled in his teammates from the very first day this season.

When asked about the team's mentality this season, offensive coordinator Brice Vignery credited his center.

"He's been the centerpiece to that. When he talks, the team listens, when he does something, the team watches." Vignery said. "He really just takes it day by day, week by week, like our strength coach always says, be where your feet are. And then when it's time to burn it down, we burn it down, and they've done a good job of that so far."

Seth stepped into a leadership role for the Grizzlies last year, when he was named an offensive captain in his sophomore year, a shortened season that was played during the spring and featured plenty of adversity. But he said that he's become a better leader since being named captain.

"I've definitely grown as a leader in the last six months. The one thing that I've learned is that everyone reacts differently to different kinds of leadership. Being a leader, you kind of have to act like a swiss army knife." 

"He's an old school type of player, black and white, right and wrong." coach Vignery said about Falley's leadership. "I think his teammates appreciate that about him. He has the respect of everybody. He's just a down to earth, salt of the earth type person." 

Vignery, who also coaches the quarterbacks, also credited Seth's experience with making it easier for his quarterbacks. "He makes all the calls for you, so you don't have to worry about protection issues or anything like that, and he puts a lot of ease on the quarterback, and to take that pressure off of that position is a huge attribute, and a huge thing for us offensively."

Both Falley and Vignery attributed Seth's leadership to the culture that has been built at Butler. It's a winning culture that was built by hall of fame head coach Troy Morrell's national championship teams and continues today. Falley attributes that culture to helping him grow, both as a player and a person.

"I've gotten a lot more mature, when it comes to looking at what's in front of me right now, instead of worrying about what I can't control. You learn a new work ethic, and you learn how to practice better, and that's because of the culture that's been here since 1981." 

So what makes Butler special? For Seth, it's simple. 

"The people. Everyone here." Falley said. "From the teachers to the staff, to the coaches, to the fans watching. The one thing everyone knows about Butler is that you're going to come here, and you're going to win football games and then graduate, and Butler is going to make you better."

Vignery also commented about what's different at Butler, "It's really not your typical junior college, where coaches are coming to be here for a year or two and then bounce. I think that holds a lot with the kids, and they trust us, and they believe in what we're doing."

That respect between players and coaches was made clear when Seth talked about how he has grown as a player and a person while in El Dorado.

"Every coach, I can think of a story where they've made me grow. Like Coach Braet, testing your mental strength, and Coach Woodall taking your body and developing from when you first come in to now, and then coach Harezma has helped me grow as a man, not just a football player."

When asked about what his future holds after his third and final season playing for the Grizzlies, Seth talked about his future plans, both in football and in life, but he made it clear that Butler is a place that will always have a special place in his heart.

"I'll make a decision, and if I have the opportunity to play after college it'll be a blessing, but if not, I'll just become a Kansas farm boy." Seth joked. "But I'm definitely going to look back on this place. This is my family, I have it tattooed on me, so this is home."