TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Bobby Butler did it after years of preaching its importance to his kids.

Derrick Gibson did it because he promised his mother he would.

Both Butler and Gibson, two of the finest Florida State defensive backs of their eras and a pair of first-round NFL draft choices, had often thought about one day returning to finish their degrees since they finished their playing days in Tallahassee – Butler in 1981 and Gibson in 2001.

No longer content to say “one day,” they each recently turned an idea into action, re-enrolled at FSU and, after a couple years’ worth of determination, finished what they started so many years ago.

The two were awarded their bachelor’s degrees in social science last week at the conclusion of the summer semester.

“I was real hard on my kids about getting their education,” said Butler, a two-time All-American in 1979 and 80. “And it kind of hit me one day – ‘You know, you don’t have yours and they have theirs.’”

“It was something I wanted to do,” added Gibson, the starting rover on FSU’s 1999 national championship team. “Something I promised my mom. I just had to be dedicated and put my mind to it.”

Butler and Gibson took advantage of Florida State’s recently revamped degree completion program, which connects former FSU student-athletes with the resources they need to finish their coursework on a schedule that meets their needs.

Former FSU offensive lineman Josue Matias was among the first to graduate through the program, and several other Seminole football players – including Leon Washington, P.K. Sam and Ernie Sims – are working toward their degrees as well.

Having Butler and Gibson involved, though, carries a little extra significance, as it helps to bridge all of the eras of FSU football and show that any former FSU student-athlete – no matter how long he or she has been away – can reach this goal.

“It’s amazing to see,” said Ashton Henderson, the associate director of football advising at FSU. “There’s so much more value added to the (degree completion) program. You’ve got Josue, who just finished, from that national title year in ‘13 with Jimbo Fisher, all the way to Bobby Bowden’s first recruiting class. …

“It’s very cool to connect all these dots and stories and know what each one of them has meant to the program and what it means to us to see them graduate.”