Today marks just 51 days until the start of the NFL season, meaning that Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff brings us to the life and career of the best player in franchise history to don the number 51, Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus.
Dick Butkus's path to the Chicago Bears
Dick Butkus would eventually become nearly synonymous with Chicago Bears football, a fitting relationship considering that Butkus himself hails from the Chicago south side neighborhood of Fernwood. Growing up the youngest of nine children, Butkus was committed early in his life to becoming a professional football player, with his first steps coming as a teenager at Chicago Vocational High School.
There, Butkus started to emulate the punishing and stingy linebacker that he would become in later years and quickly turned into one of the most dominant high school athletes in the state of Illinois. At the end of his high school career, Butkus garnered attention from several top, nearby collegiate programs, but ultimately elected to stay in state and play for the University of Illinois.
As an Illini, Butkus quickly became a hometown hero in the Big 10, and earned a reputation as one of the best college linebackers of all time, while splitting time on offense as a center. At 6' 3" and over 225 lbs, Butkus used his long frame to punish the team's opposing ball carriers and was a turnover machine throughout his career. In each of Butkus's final two seasons in college, the linebacker was named a consensus All-American player twice and led the team to a Big 10 championship and Rose Bowl championship as a sophomore.
Over his collegiate career, from 1962 to 1964, Butkus was named to three All-Big 10 teams and set a school record for most tackles in a game with 23. As a senior, Butkus finished the season third in the Heisman race. Nonetheless, following the completion of his collegiate career, Butkus entered his name into both the 1965 NFL and AFL Drafts.
While Butkus would be selected in the second round of the AFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, he didn't have to wait nearly that long in the NFL Draft, with the Chicago Bears taking the in-state product with the third overall pick. Coincidentally, the Bears used the fourth overall to bring in Gale Sayers, making the 1965 NFL Draft class perhaps the best in team history.
Dick Butkus becomes perennial All-Pro with Chicago Bears
With the Bears, Butkus became an immediate starter, taking over the reins of the team's middle linebacker position from Bill George, who was the first middle linebacker in NFL history. In his rookie season, Butkus seamlessly made his transition from the college ranks to the pros and was able to start in all 14 of the team's games, where he logged a sack and 12 turnovers. He finished the season with First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods, as well as finishing as high as second in the Rookie of the Year race.
Believe it or not, Butkus's dominance as a rookie was just a glimpse into his greatness as a professional. As a long, big, and athletic middle linebacker, Butkus quickly gained a reputation as a ball hawk and heavy hitter, as well as generally the best linebacker in the league. The Illini product went on a dominant stretch for nearly a decade, where he was consistently one of the best players in the NFL each year.
Including his rookie season, Butkus started his career off with eight straight Pro Bowl seasons, the best of which came perhaps as a rookie, or maybe in 1969, where he recorded four turnovers, two sacks, and the lone safety of his career en route to being named to the First-Team All-Pro. Throughout his career, Butkus was named to six All-Pro teams, five of which were on the First Team.
Perhaps more impressively than Butkus's accolades were his resiliency and dependability as a player. Over the first eight years of his career, the linebacker only missed two total games, one each in 1968 and '69. Unfortunately, despite Butkus's dominant play for the better part of a decade, the Bears as a unit were only able to post a .500 record or better three times throughout number 51's career, and Butkus never made a postseason appearance as a Bear.
Dick Butkus Retires From NFL and Chicago Bears Legacy
Unfortunately, Butkus developed knee injuries during the latter stages of his career, and his 1973 season was cut short after just nine games. Following the conclusion of the year, Butkus retired from the Chicago Bears at the age of 31. At the time of his retirement, Butkus had accumulated 49 total turnovers, 11 sacks, a safety, and a defensive touchdown in 119 total games. Butkus started all 119 games.
Following Butkus's retirement from the Chicago Bears, the linebacker has been forced to stay close to the game of football via several accolades and awards. In his first year of eligibility, Butkus joined the 1979 Professional Football Hall of Fame class. Just a handful of years later, the Illini product was added to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Shortly after the latter induction, a trophy was set up in Butkus's name that would be awarded annually to the nation's premier collegiate linebacker. Winners of the award include the likes of Luke Keuchly, Patrick Willis, Derrick Thomas, and former Bear Roquan Smith.
In 1994, the team retired Butkus's historic numbered 51 jersey, and also saw his number 50 Illini jersey retired a few years earlier. Butkus joined fellow Bear Red Grange as the only players to have their Illini jerseys retired.
Recently, Butkus was named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, not a surprise after being chosen for the 75th Anniversary Team as well as both the 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Teams. Today, Butkus remains close to the game of football through his foundation and serves as an active alumni of both the Chicago Bears and the University of Illinois.