Eh, I don't know if it would necessarily.
Dick Butkus has passed away at the age of 80
Eh, I don't know if it would necessarily.
the national
- the Front Range
My grandpa owned an establishment near Danville in the 60s and Butkus would show up from time to time on Saturday nights and as the story goes, my grandpa asked him what brought him to Danville and he said, (Because of Danville's abundance of miners and foundry workers) it was the only place he could go to find a fair fight.
Who knows how true that story is but legends beget legends, I suppose.
Way before my time but as an Illini and Bears fan, I certainly have a deep appreciation for him.
RIP to a legend.
Who knows how true that story is but legends beget legends, I suppose.
Way before my time but as an Illini and Bears fan, I certainly have a deep appreciation for him.
RIP to a legend.
Not a Bears fan but I was a Butkus fan. He, Nitschke and Mongo, I mean Alex Karras were the type of players that made me fall in love with the NFL along with the Purple People Eaters and The Rams Fearsome Foursome. I was sad when I learned the price the players paid when I watched the movie, Concussion.
A bit of local folk lore. Dick was scheduled to speak to our local hs football team. He was running late. (It took longer to get to the boonies than he expected. It was before I-88.) Dick was about 15 miles/minutes away when he pulled into a small tavern on the side of the highway. He told the owner he was in a hurry and what was there to eat. The owner didn't serve food. All he had was the bowl of popcorn on the bar. It was a pretty good sized bowl. Butkus picked it up and put it to his mouth. Gulp, gulp, gulp and it was gone. He grabbed a 6 pack from the cooler. As he tossed the owner a $20 he said, "There. That ought to do it." He was out the door. Less than 5 minutes.
A bit of local folk lore. Dick was scheduled to speak to our local hs football team. He was running late. (It took longer to get to the boonies than he expected. It was before I-88.) Dick was about 15 miles/minutes away when he pulled into a small tavern on the side of the highway. He told the owner he was in a hurry and what was there to eat. The owner didn't serve food. All he had was the bowl of popcorn on the bar. It was a pretty good sized bowl. Butkus picked it up and put it to his mouth. Gulp, gulp, gulp and it was gone. He grabbed a 6 pack from the cooler. As he tossed the owner a $20 he said, "There. That ought to do it." He was out the door. Less than 5 minutes.
RIP Dick. Going to be wearing his #50 at the game tomorrow.
About 12 years ago, my wife did a girls’ weekend in Vegas with several of her friends. I stayed home with the kids. Middle of Saturday, I get a text and it’s a picture of my wife with Dick Butkus?!?! They were sitting together and laughing.
I get the story later that my wife and her friends were walking through a mall and saw a sports memorabilia store where Butkus was taking pictures and signing autographs. My wife, a band-o fossil who bleeds orange and blue had to go meet him.
So she got in line and when he got to her, she told him she was from Champaign and went to U of I. He took extra time to chat with her about the town and the school and the upcoming football season. Then they posed for pictures and Butkus took his huge hands, pressed them together, and started making fart noises with them as the photographer tried to take pictures. The photo they got shows my wife and Butkus cracking up.
I have the signed mini-helmet my wife got for me sitting on my desk at work.
I get the story later that my wife and her friends were walking through a mall and saw a sports memorabilia store where Butkus was taking pictures and signing autographs. My wife, a band-o fossil who bleeds orange and blue had to go meet him.
So she got in line and when he got to her, she told him she was from Champaign and went to U of I. He took extra time to chat with her about the town and the school and the upcoming football season. Then they posed for pictures and Butkus took his huge hands, pressed them together, and started making fart noises with them as the photographer tried to take pictures. The photo they got shows my wife and Butkus cracking up.
I have the signed mini-helmet my wife got for me sitting on my desk at work.
the national
- the Front Range
This is a faint memory of my youth, but wasn’t Dick on a sitcom or Saturday morning kids show at one point?
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
the national
- the Front Range
He replaced Reggie Theus as the head coach of that team.
Though the biggest name actor (though you wouldn't have known it at the time) that was on that show was Anthony Anderson.
Every kid in the era of the late 60’s 70’s wanted to be Butkus,Sayers or I liked Ronny Bull. Especially living on the south side. Will be at the game tomorrow.
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."
Dick was an animal. I called him a maniac. A stone maniac. He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital.— Deacon Jones, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end
He once intercepted a pass from Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton near the goal line, and instead of taking the ball into the end zone for an easy touchdown, he took aim at Tarkenton to run him over. When asked by a reporter if he was as mean as the rumors suggested, Butkus replied, "I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately. Unless it was, you know, important—like a league game or something."
Dick was an animal. I called him a maniac. A stone maniac. He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital.— Deacon Jones, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end
He once intercepted a pass from Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton near the goal line, and instead of taking the ball into the end zone for an easy touchdown, he took aim at Tarkenton to run him over. When asked by a reporter if he was as mean as the rumors suggested, Butkus replied, "I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately. Unless it was, you know, important—like a league game or something."
My first fall on campus followed our 1963 Big Ten title and Rose Bowl win. His linebacking skills aside, with Butkus anchoring the middle and Grabo running the ball on 4th and short, we were still a really good team. Sadly that team lacked the incentive of a bowl game, but the foundation was in place for a long stay among the elite. Unfortunately the Slush Fund ended that chance. But it will never undermine the Butkus legacy.
I later came to know the GOAT on a personal basis when he did color for the rival radio network created by my good friend Bob Auler. It was always Katrina’s after home games - well into the night.
RIP Mr. Butkus!
I later came to know the GOAT on a personal basis when he did color for the rival radio network created by my good friend Bob Auler. It was always Katrina’s after home games - well into the night.
RIP Mr. Butkus!
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Met a guy in my Georgia neighborhood with a unmistakable Chicago accent. Tough, burly south side type. We got to be friends over time. Turns out he went to CVS. Played fullback. Was a sophomore when Mr. Butkus was a senior. Got to practice with the varsity a little bit. Said Mr. Butkus was a pretty nice guy off the field. Did not like to be anywhere near him on the field during play.
If they play this on the Jumbotron before the game tonight, there won’t be a dry eye in Memorial Stadium. Butkus hype video
Kind of a Dick Butkus story. tail gating I believe in the Zook era and Dicks brother (maybe Lukes dad) was tailgating next to us. He looked a lot like Dick and we spent the day telling people and kids it was Dick and they kept going over asking for autographs. He was laughing because it kept happening and started signing his name and was a good sport.
On New Years Day in 1963, the Pete Elliot coached University of Illinois football team defeated the University of Washington 17-7 in the Rose Bowl. This was Illinois' last Rose Bowl victory. Dick Butkus, Jim Grabowski, and others were on this team. Butkus not only was the middle linebacker but also had a few plays at fullback during his time at Illinois.
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
Butkus was absolutely awesome. A monster. Unparalleled. Legendary. He literally tried to hurt people when making tackles.
Check out ESPN's top 10 college football players of all-time (from 2020). I was at the NCAA Championship game where they were honored. Two Illini on that list, of course.. Only one of the top 10 was a defensive player. BUTKUS.
And then of course watching the Bears every single Sunday on TV as a young child:
- Butkus
- Sayers
- Ditka
- Ronny Bull
- Dick Gordon
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Thanks for posting that. I now recall when they made it in '19 but had forgotten about it. It gave me chills then as now. It was good luck for the boys when they played #6 Wisconsin that day.
Also, regarding the letter Josh posted on Twitter/X: he couldn't possibly have written something more powerful and eloquent. As I'm thankful that Mr. Butkus was one of our own, I'm beyond grateful that Josh is, too, and our A.D. Long may he serve.
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Ed O'Bradovich tells a good Butkus story at ~10:15 in the audio in the link below. I won't repeat because I think you need to hear it from him to do it justice. Suffice to say, they don't play like this anymore.
https://wgnradio.com/hamp-and-ob/hamp-ob-honoring-dick-butkus/
https://wgnradio.com/hamp-and-ob/hamp-ob-honoring-dick-butkus/
Katsinas, not ”Katrina’s”
Absolutely great story! Brought happy tears to my eyes! Brings up the question of what was the relationship after their playing days?
I think is was good. I remember there was a bears postgame with OB and Buffone and they were ranting about how bad the coaches were after another bears loss. I know, hard to believe... A caller calls in saying that they were being too mean, that they needed to be nicer and everyone was doing their best. Of course it didn't take too long to realize that the caller was Dick Butkus and he was trying to disguise his voice. They all had a good chuckle about that.