{"id":34033,"date":"2023-10-06T09:28:51","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T13:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=34033"},"modified":"2023-10-06T09:30:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T13:30:48","slug":"rip-dick-butkus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=34033","title":{"rendered":"RIP: Dick Butkus"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dick Butkus died yesterday in his sleep.\u00a0 Mr. Butkus was 80.<\/p>\n

Dick Butkus was born in Chicago.\u00a0 He played his entire football career in Illinois.<\/p>\n

Dick Butkus attended Chicago Vocational High School.\u00a0 On the football team he played fullback, linebacker, punter, and placekicker.\u00a0 He averaged 5 yards per carry as a fullback, but preferred to play defense.\u00a0 He became the first junior<\/em> to earn the Chicago Sun-Time’s high school player of the year award<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mr. Butkus attended the University of Illinois, where he played center and linebacker.\u00a0 He had a stellar college career.\u00a0 In his freshman year, he made the 1962 All-Big Ten Conference<\/em> football team.\u00a0 The following year, he was named the team’s most valuable player<\/em>. Dick Butkus also earned the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten’s most valuable player<\/em>.\u00a0 He was also a unanimous choice<\/em> as center for the 1963 College Football All-America Team<\/em>,\u00a0 In 1964, Dick Butkus was named Co-Captain of the team<\/em>.\u00a0 UPI named him college football’s Lineman of the Year.<\/em>\u00a0 Mr. Butkus was named the Player of the Year<\/em> by the American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News. He was also named his college’s most valuable player<\/em> for the second year in a row. Dick Butkus also earned a spot on the 1964 All-America team<\/em>.\u00a0 Although he didn’t win, he was in the running for the Heisman Trophy (as the best college football player) which is extremely rare for a defensive player.<\/p>\n

Dick Butkus was the third overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft.\u00a0 He played his entire 9 year career with the Chicago Bears.\u00a0 Mr. Butkus was named the AP’s NFL Defensive Player of the Week<\/em> four times in his career.\u00a0 He came in 3rd place for the NFL’s Rookie of the Year Award<\/em> (again, rare for a defensive player).\u00a0 His rookie year he made the AP’s first-team All-Pro<\/em> as well as a spot in the Pro Bowl<\/em> (the first of eight straight).\u00a0 Dick Butkus was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year<\/em> in 1969 and 1970.<\/p>\n

Dick Butkus’ pro career was cut short due to knee injuries.\u00a0 He is credited for redefining the middle linebacker position. Some of his honors include:<\/p>\n