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Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus (born December 9, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American football player and actor. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears.
[edit] University of Illinois
At Illinois, Butkus played center and linebacker from 1962 through 1964. Butkus was twice a unanimous All-American, in 1963 and 1964. Butkus won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football in 1963 as the Big Ten Most Valuable Player, and was named the American Football Coaches Association Player of the Year in 1964. Butkus also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1963, and third in 1964, a remarkable achievement given his position.
After his collegiate career, Butkus continued to receive recognition for his play. Butkus was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and is one of only two players to have a uniform number (#50) retired by the University of Illinois. Butkus was also named to the Walter Camp All-Century team in 1990, and was named as the sixth-best college football player ever by College Football News in 2000. As perhaps the ultimate tribute to his excellence, in 1985 the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, Florida created an award in his name. The Dick Butkus Award is given annually to the most outstanding linebacker in college football.
[edit] Chicago Bears
Butkus was drafted in the first round by his hometown team, the Chicago Bears. In Chicago, Butkus became known for wreaking havoc on the opponent's backfield. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 9 seasons. He was all league six times. Butkus recovered 25 fumbles in his career, an NFL record at the time of his retirement. He was forced to retire after multiple knee injuries in 1973.
Butkus filed a lawsuit against the Bears in 1975, claiming the Bears knowingly kept Butkus on the field when he should have had surgery on his knees. The Bears denied Butkus and their other players the right to seek second opinions with doctors other than the Bears team doctor, and the team would liberally use painkillers so Butkus, a major gate attraction, would be active.
Because of the lawsuit, Butkus' relationship with owner George Halas was icy despite the fact the two shared much in common (Chicago born and raised, Illinois alumni, first-generation Americans). Butkus did return to the Bears as a color analyst on radio broadcasts in 1985, teaming with first-year play-by-play man Wayne Larrivee and former St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart. The Bears were a national phenomenon in 1985, running a record of 18-1 and winning the Super Bowl. Butkus' role in the booth was that of "cheerleader," as his devotion to the team appeared to have never waned. Butkus remained in the role of Bears' radio announcer off and on into the mid-90s (Hart was replaced by Pro Football Weekly publisher Hub Arkush in the booth).
As a final signal that the acrimony between Butkus and the Halas/McCaskey family (by the 1990s, the team was owned by the family of Virginia McCaskey, George Halas' daughter) had faded, Butkus' #51 was retired by the Bears on Oct. 31, 1994. His longtime teammate Gale Sayers was also honored during a ceremony during halftime of a rain-soaked Monday night game between the Bears and Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
He was also selected the 70th greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, the 9th best player in league history by The Sporting News, and the fifth best by the Associated Press. The National Football League named him to their all time team in 2000. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
[edit] XFL
In the summer of 2000, Dick Butkus was announced to be the coach of the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL. Although a few months later it was announced that he would not coach the Enforcers. Butkus was given a "promotion", and became the XFL Director of Competition. Many Chicago fans were disapointed that Butkus was removed from his coaching posititon. Butkus was replaced with Ron Meyer for the XFL's only season in 2001.
[edit] After football
Dick Butkus, circa 1990's
After his career as a player, Butkus has become a well known celebrity endorser, broadcaster, and actor. He has appeared in films such as Cracking Up, Necessary Roughness and Any Given Sunday, and as a regular character on TV shows such as Blue Thunder, My Two Dads and Hang Time. Butkus' son, Matt Butkus, was part of University of Southern California's 1990 Rose Bowl winning team as a defensive lineman.
Butkus has formed "Mean & Clean" to address the issue of steroid abuse by young athletes.
Butkus mentioned on several occasions that his boyhood dream was to play for the University of Notre Dame. He was never able to fulfill this dream, but one of his daughters did eventually attend Notre Dame, which gave Butkus great satisfaction.
He also got the pleasure to speak at a Creighton University annual meeting, in which the famous Chuck Jerkovich attended.
[edit] Bound for Glory
In 2005, Butkus "coached" a high school football team for an ESPN reality show, "Bound for Glory". The series documented the season of the Montour Spartans of Pittsburgh, Pa., and was told through the eyes and ears of the players, coaches, teachers, families and friends. The high school football team, which once celebrated heroic triumphs, had fallen on hard times - making the playoffs just once in the previous seven years. After starting the season with only 1 win and 6 losses, Butkus left the team and the show, citing the fact that he was only contracted for 8 weeks.
[edit] External links
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