Funeral for former Stratford star Devin Butts set for Saturday morning in Macon
Family, friends and community members will gather Saturday morning at the Stratford Academy gym to celebrate the life of Macon native Devin Butts, who died May 5.
The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. May 13 in the Stratford Academy gym (6010 Peake Road in Macon).
Butts, 22, was set to graduate from North Carolina Central University in Durham, where he also played basketball.
A star at Stratford who averaged 28 points per game his senior season, Butts initially attended Mississippi State and then transferred to Louisiana and New Mexico State Junior College before joining NCCU. Butts averaged 5.4 points per game in 17 appearances for the Eagles.
He still had a year of eligibility and planned to return to NCCU next season, athletic director Louis Perkins told the Telegraph’s sister paper, the News & Observer.
Butts had collapsed a few days before he died, Perkins said. Stephen Fusi, NCCU’s chief spokesperson, confirmed that Butts was taken to the hospital April 30, and that the incident did not happen at a team event. There was no indication of foul play or suicide, he said.
“We’re just mourning the loss of a really, really sharp, bright young man,” Perkins said.
This story includes reporting from the Telegraph’s archives and News & Observer reporter Dan Kane.
