I watched him tackle the entire 3 man backfield of the national pro team in the All Star game as a college player and he got called four times in that game, against the pros, for unnecessary roughness. When he stuck you, you stayed stuck. Met him at a restaurant in Destin one evening, a class act kind of guy.
Met the Texas A&M coach, he said that he walked into the field house at a football clinic at 4:00 AM and Butkus was already there working out. Said that Butkus was the most perfect football player, in any position, that he ever met. He was a perfect middle line backer, strong and fast, just the exact right size, intelligent and mean as molten steel. Nice off the field and once he put the pads on, he would kill you. Mr Mean, I have a signed copy of his book. RIP Dick
Butkus loved to stare down the opposing quarterback while on the sidelines just after the anthem. He let them know they were in for an azz kicking. He set the standard .
Friend of mine, all american guard w/ Mich. State circa 1966, said whenever they played Illinos all the black guys were scared chitless of Butkus, eyes big as chicken eggs.
I had dinner in a Chicago eatery one night when Dick Butkus and Andy Granatelli (of STP fame) were at the next table. They went through Dungeness crabs like Butkus went through QBs. No, I did NOT ask for autographs.
He was an animal and one of the toughest Linebackers that ever played football, all players feared him.
I also watched his hunting shows, pretty good hunter.
RIP Mr. Butkus, thank you for your contribution to the NFL when it was a tough sport.
"His 9 year career stands apart as the single most sustained work of devastation ever committed on a football field by anyone anywhere anytime." what a feat.
Like many couples, my wife and I have our inside jokes.
One of ours is "Who's Dick Butkus?" I've never been much of a sports fan, and my wife grew up in Chicago. Years ago I had never heard of Dick Butkus, and honestly asked who he was. My wife was astounded at my ignorance.
She is also a golf fan, so I made up a fictional golfer named Fuzzy Ballesteros. When she is watching golf, I'll ask her how Fuzzy Ballesteros is doing.
He is no Jay Cutler but a win for Butkus is a win for Butkus.
I'm always glad to see the Bears win, but Fields is fu^cking absolutely awful, maybe the worst excuse for being called an "NFL QB" since Andre Ware; he's an NF QB is name only, surely not because he's capable.
On his best day, he couldn't carry Jay Cutler's jock on his worst day......& he had a more than a few.
Baddest, badass ever to play the game and in sharp contrast to players today..
I think Butkus was the best player, ever, at any position.
Listen to the sounds & ferocity of the hits in the film; you don't see or hear anything like that today. The fact that many receivers & backs wear no knee pads & many don't wear much of anything for thigh pads attests to how pussified the game has become. If they did that player against Butkus (or other similar), their be out of the game for good.
And Gale Sayers has to also be considered one of the very, very best running backs ever, too, even though his career was tragically cut very short while in his prime. He was an electrifying & exciting runner..............more so than Barry Sanders & with more speed.
And both Butkus & Sayers played on bad teams throughout their entire careers...............they were pretty much THE defense & offense for their teams.
Likely there will never be anything like either of them ever again.
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