(Reuters) -The menacing Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, who struck fear in opposing offenses and quarterbacks for nine National Football League (NFL) seasons, has died, the Chicago Bears said on Thursday. He was 80.
Known as a ferocious and punishing tackler, Butkus came to define the modern middle linebacker while spending his entire career in Chicago, where he earned eight Pro Bowl selections.
“The Butkus family confirms that football and entertainment legend Dick Butkus died peacefully in his sleep overnight at home in Malibu, California,” the Butkus family said in a statement provided by the Bears.
The late Deacon Jones, a defensive end and fellow Hall of Famer, once described the two-time Defensive Player of the Year as “A well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital.”
His accomplishments were acknowledged in 1985 with the institution of the Dick Butkus Award, an annual honor recognizing the best linebacker at the high school, collegiate and professional levels.
“Dick was the ultimate Bear,” team chairman George McCaskey said in a statement. “He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself or from his teammates.”
‘WOULDN’T SETTLE’
A definitive figure in the pantheon of Chicago sports greats, Butkus was born and raised in the Windy City as the youngest of nine children.
He decided by the fifth grade that he wanted to become a professional football player and stayed close to home to play at the collegiate level at the University of Illinois before the Bears drafted him third overall in 1965.
“I dreamed of being a great football player as far back as I can remember. I decided to take one step at a time and wouldn’t settle for less,” Butkus said at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1979.
“I knew God had given me the physical aspects needed, now it was up to me.”
His career with the Bears got off to an auspicious start as he had 11 solo tackles in his first game. He would go on to record 1,020 tackles, 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries across his career.
While he never won a Super Bowl, he was counted as perhaps the most terrifying member of the so-called “Monsters of the Midway.”
“Dick Butkus was a fierce and passionate competitor who helped define the linebacker position as one of the NFL’s all-time greats,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
“Dick’s intuition, toughness and athleticism made him the model linebacker whose name will forever be linked to the position and the Chicago Bears.”
A knee injury forced him to retire at the age of 31 after the 1973 season.
The 6-foot 3-inch Butkus enjoyed a brief acting career after hanging up his cleats, appearing in films including “The Longest Yard” and “Any Given Sunday.”
Butkus’ passing sparked an out pouring of love for a player recognized as one of the toughest and meanest to ever step onto the grid iron.
“NFL Hall of Famer and one of the hardest hitting linebackers I’ve ever seen in my lifetime, Dick Butkus, passed away today. May he rest in peace!” NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson posted on social media platform X.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, Steve Keating in Toronto and Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Costas Pitas, Matthew Lewis and Lincoln Feast.)
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