[PHOTO CAPTION] Eric Mickens, once a star running back for the Butler High School football team, runs for a 72-yard touchdown against Cedar Grove. Eric Mickens, 21

Eric Mickens was at the top of his game in 1994.

The Butler High School senior was a star running back who rushed for 1,000 yards and powered the Butler Bulldogs to an undefeated season and the state Section II Group I title in that championship year. The slim, brown-haired teenager with the buzz cut, thin mustache and beard had a steady girlfriend and enough friends to fill the school auditorium.

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