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DICK BUTKUS

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Dick Butkus always believed he was born to play football. "I didn't have any identity crisis. In the fifth grade, I knew I was going to be a professional football player. I can remember watching the College All-Star Game and saying, 'I'll be playing in that some day' to my parents."

Born into a large Lithuanian family on Chicago's South Side, Dick became obsessed with the idea of a pro football career. He devoted his entire adolescence toward achieving that goal. He traveled several miles more than necessary every day to attend Chicago Vocational High School because the program was run by Notre Dame grad, Bernie O'Brien. Butkus played both full-back and linebacker at CVS and was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year in 1959 and AP's Prep Player of the Year in 1960.

When it came to choosing a college, however, the deciding factor was non-football related. He learned that Notre Dame banned married players and he and his high school sweetheart, Helen were contemplating marriage. He liked the new coach at Illinois, Pete Elliott, and excelled there. He and his bride of over 40 years continue to believe that Illinois and marriage were the right decision.

Pete Elliot, his coach at Illinois said, "From the first practice I could tell he was something special. He never dogged anything. I never saw him take a lazy step. He was always the first guy out and the last to leave."

As a sophomore Dick Butkus made 97 tackles in seven games and upped that to 145 tackles in ten games as a junior in 1963. Illinois won the Big Ten championship and beat Washington in the Rose Bowl, 17-7. In 1964, he finished third in Heisman Trophy voting to Notre Dame's John Huarte.

Butkus was drafted by both the Denver Broncos of the AFL and Chicago Bears. He opted for signing with the more established NFL team, the Bears, and a chance to play in his home town for an estimated four-year $200,000 contract. At the time, he was the NFL's highest paid defensive rookie.

Living out one of his goals, Dick Butkus was named defensive captain of the 1965 Collegiate Team that played in the Chicago All-Star game. He was credited with assisting in 35 tackles and blocking a Browns field goal attempt. In his first meeting with another NFL legend, Butkus stopped Jim Brown cold early in the game and was second in the voting for game MVP.

Butkus reported to Bears training camp late due to his obligations for the All-Star game and proceeded to challenge 14 year veteran Bill George for the middle linebacking job. Some say that the minute he walked into camp George started packing his bags. George, himself a member if the Pro Football Hall of Fame would remark, "There was no way he wasn't going to be great."

From 1965 through 1973 the Chicago Bears' Dick Butkus was the dominating force on the offensive units of all other National Football League teams. He would often say he wanted to be the best and then went about proving it to the league.

During his rookie season the Bears rebounded from three opening losses to win nine of their last 11 games. The defensive, led by Butkus, performed within the proud tradition of "The Monsters of the Midway". Dick led the Bears in both opponents' fumble recoveries and pass interceptions.

He won his first game ball in the season's sixth game and Associated Press named him the All-Pro Linebacker. His only challenger for Rookie of the Year honors came from his offensive counterpart on the Bears, halfback Gale Sayers.

Dick Butkus figures significantly in the statistical columns of the Chicago Bears, having recovered 25 opponents' fumbles, intercepted 22 passes, returned 12 kickoffs and more. Players, coaches, and journalists tried for years to assign an appropriate nickname to his dynamic play, but none really took. He had drive, meanness, and an overwhelming desire to dominate his opponent. He readily admits that he brought intensity to each an every play "as if it were my last play." "

"When I went out on the field to warm up," Butkus acknowledged, "I would manufacture things that would make me mad. If someone on the other team was laughing, I'd pretend he was laughing at me or the team. It always worked for me."

He had the speed and quickness to make tackles from sideline to sideline and to cover the best receiver and running backs on pass plays. His instinct for the game, strength, leadership and maybe most importantly his confident anger ranked him as the best of the best in the pro ranks.

It was inevitable that injury would strike. In 1970, it was his right knee that was injured. The surgery was only partially successful and he played in pain for the next two seasons. In 1973, Dick Butkus took himself out of the first game of the year because the pain was just too great to bear. A few weeks later, he limped off the NFL field for the last time.

Although continuing to experience pain even after additional replacement surgeries, Butkus told those who welcomed his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, "Few people get to earn a living at what they like to do and there are hazards in any profession. Football is something I was made for. I gave the game all I could for as long as I could. I guess my only regret was that my career was too short."

Contributions courtesy of the Chicago Bears Football Team