Dick Butkus

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Butkus was born at home in Chicago, the youngest of eight children. He was a very large baby, weighing 13 pounds 6 ounces (6.1 kg) at birth. His father John, a Lithuanian immigrant to Ellis Island who spoke broken English, was an electrician and worked for the Pullman-Standard railroad car manufacturing company. His mother, Emma, worked 50 hours a week at a laundry. Butkus grew up in the Roseland neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. He was a fan of the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and attended their games at Comiskey Park. His older brother Ron played football for three colleges and tried out for the Cardinals before quitting due to a bad knee. For four years starting at age 15, Butkus worked with his four brothers as a mover. Butkus played high school football as a fullback, linebacker, punter, and placekicker for coach Bernie O'Brien at Chicago Vocational High School. He averaged five yards per carry as a fullback, but preferred playing linebacker, where he made 70 percent of his team's tackles. In Butkus's first year on the varsity team, Chicago Vocational surrendered only 55 points in eight games. In 1959, he was the first junior to be honored by the Chicago Sun-Times as Chicago's high school player of the year. Injuries limited his play as a senior, but he was still heavily recruited by colleges to play football. In the summer of 1960, Butkus was the starting catcher on a Chicago Park District baseball team known as the Sundodgers. An article in the Daily Calumet credits Butkus with driving in all of the Sundodgers' runs in a loss by hitting a home run to center field. Butkus chose to attend the University of Illinois, and played center and linebacker from 1962 through 1964 for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. He initially wanted to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish; however, the team frowned upon married players at the time. In his first year on the varsity team, he was named to the 1962 All-Big Ten Conference football team as the third-team center by the Associated Press (AP) and second-team center by United Press International (UPI). In 1963, Illinois compiled an 8–1–1 record and defeated Washington in the 1964 Rose Bowl. Butkus was named the team's most valuable player for the season, and was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player.

In Their Own Story

In a 1970 cover story for Sports Illustrated, sportswriter Dan Jenkins remarked, 'If every college football team had a linebacker like Dick Butkus of Illinois, all fullbacks soon would be three feet tall and sing soprano.' That reputation followed him to the NFL. In the Bears' first ever game at Soldier Field on September 19, 1971, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Butkus turned in a defining performance. With the Bears down 15–3 in the 4th quarter, he picked off quarterback Terry Bradshaw twice. He intercepted a third pass from Bradshaw, but it was called back by a penalty. In the final minutes with the Bears down 15–10, Butkus forced a fumble on running back Warren Bankston, which was recovered by Bears defensive end Ed O'Bradovich on the Steelers' 12-yard line. The turnover led the Bears to score and win 17–15.

Reader's Guide

Butkus was selected by the Bears as the third overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft. He soon established himself as a ball hawk with his penchant for forcing turnovers. During his NFL career, he intercepted 22 passes and recovered 27 fumbles (a record when he retired), and he was responsible for causing many more fumbles with his jarring tackles. His tackling ability earned him both admiration and trepidation from opposing players. In 2009, the NFL Network named Butkus the most feared tackler of all time. Butkus is credited with having defined the middle linebacker position and is still viewed as the 'gold standard by which other middle linebackers are measured'. In his honor, the Butkus Award recognizes American football's most outstanding linebacker. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, and his No. 51 jersey was retired by the Bears. Following his playing career, Butkus worked in acting, sports commentary, and celebrity endorsement. He was active in philanthropy through the Butkus Foundation, which manages various charitable causes.

Did You Know?

• Butkus was the third overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft, taken by the Chicago Bears.
• He intercepted 22 passes and recovered 27 fumbles during his NFL career.
• The Butkus Award is named in his honor and recognizes the most outstanding linebacker in American football.
• He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.