Dick Butkus, one of the most iconic linebackers in NFL history, played for the Chicago Bears for eight seasons.
The football world is mourning the loss of one of the game’s greatest defensive players and one of the best athletes to come out of Chicago. Dick Butkus, a College and Pro Football Hall of Famer who earned his reputation on the city’s high school gridirons, died at the age of 80.
Dick Butkus’ death was confirmed in a statement from his family, via the Chicago Bears. TMZ reported that paramedics responded to a medical emergency call at Butkus’ home in Malibu, California on Thursday afternoon and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 5, 2023
Dick Butkus was named to six All-NFL teams, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and eight Pro Bowls throughout his stellar career. He was regarded as one of the most fearsome players to ever walk the field, earning him the moniker The Maestro of Mayhem, The Enforcer, The Animal, and The Robot of Destruction.
Over the course of nine seasons, he recorded 1,020 tackles, 22 interceptions, and 27 fumble recoveries. Butkus was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade teams in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as its 75th and 100th Anniversary teams. Butkus was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was selected the Bears’ second greatest player in 2019, the same year he was named to the league’s 100th anniversary all-time roster. Butkus’ No. 51 was retired alongside Gale Sayers, who was also drafted in 1965, on Oct. 31, 1994.
Butkus retired in the spring of 1974 after working as a product pitchman and actor in cinema and television. He also worked as an NFL radio and television analyst, including calling Bears games on WGN-AM during the 1985 Super Bowl season.
Butkus is survived by his wife, Helen, and three children.
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