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What Is Harrison Butker’s Mom’s Profession? All About Elizabeth Keller
Elizabeth Keller is the mother of Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who juggled raising two kids with an impressive career as a medical physicist. Know all about her in this report.
When Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker took the stage at Benedictine College commencement ceremony, his speech encouraging women to embrace traditional homemaker roles over professional careers sparked viral outrage.
However, Butker's own mother Elizabeth Keller, managed to have it all - raising two children while forging an impressive career as a medical physicist at Emory University.
Know More about Elizabeth Keller’s Professional Life
Elizabeth Keller has spent over 35 years as a medical physicist at the prestigious Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta.
Her incredible career journey began at the elite Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1985.
Elizabeth then followed in her father's footsteps, pursuing a master's degree in medical physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, which her son Harrison also attended.
As an Emory article explains, Elizabeth Keller was "inspired by her father's career" in joining Winship in 1988 to "specialize in brachytherapy and Gamma Knife medical physics care."
Harrison Butker’s Mother Balancing Remarkable Career With Raising a Family
While forging an esteemed career in the highly technical field of medical physics, Elizabeth Keller managed to raise two children - Harrison and his older sister Charlotte, who played soccer at Emory.
"Elizabeth Keller, MS, DABR has a special reason to watch the Super Bowl this year. Her son, Harrison Butker, a record-setting field goal kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, will go head-to-head with the San Francisco 49ers in the sports event of the year, Super Bowl LIV," an Emory profile stated proudly before the 2020 Super Bowl.
Elizabeth's ability to "have it all" - an accomplished professional career while being a devoted mom - stands in stark contrast to her son's remarks discouraging women from pursuing career ambitions in favor of being homemakers.
"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment...I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world," Butker stated in the speech that drew backlash.
"I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
Despite her son's traditionalist views, Elizabeth has been extraordinarily supportive of Harrison's NFL career.
After he kicked the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl 57, she told Emory: "What an amazing ride...watching Harrison play for the Chiefs. We are so proud not only of Harrison's success...but also of the man he has become."
Elizabeth's pioneering spirit is part of a family legacy at the prestigious Atlanta university. Her late father, Dr. James W. Keller, was a longtime faculty member in Emory's oncology and radiation departments before retiring as an Emeritus Professor.
Elizabeth's husband, Harrison Butker Sr., also has Emory ties, having earned his MBA from the university's Goizueta Business School. He is a financial analyst and co-founder of MDKeller.
The couple's daughter Charlotte continued the family tradition as well, playing soccer for Emory University's team while pursuing her education.
NFL Pushes Back on Harrison Butker's Views
While proud of their son's on-field accomplishments, it seems Elizabeth and her family may not be fully aligned with all of Harrison's controversial views that he expressed during commencement speeches.
After his polarizing Benedictine College remarks, the NFL swiftly distanced itself, with Chief Diversity Officer Jonathan Beane stating: "Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger."
During a 2023 speech at Georgia Tech, Butker also espoused views critiquing "identity politics" and arguing societal values are declining.
Regardless of her son's personal beliefs, Elizabeth Keller's remarkable story is an inspiring example that shatters outdated stereotypes about women being forced to choose between motherhood and career ambitions.
Through her dedication and pioneering spirit, Elizabeth managed to raise two children, including an NFL superstar, all while forging an esteemed 35-year career as a leading medical physicist at a top research university.
In a time when women's rights and societal roles are being hotly debated, Elizabeth Keller's ability to "have it all" shows the next generation that painting women into rigid boundaries is an outdated relic of the past.
With hard work and perseverance, modern women can embody the full scope of human potential as both loving mothers and high-achievers in any professional field they choose to pursue.
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