Dick Butkus, the legendary Hall of Fame linebacker for the Chicago Bears, has died. He was 80. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office confirmed to PEOPLE that Butkus was pronounced dead Thursday. TMZ Sports first reported his death. His family also confirmed his death in a statement released by the Bears, adding that Butkus “died peacefully in his sleep overnight.”
Paramedics responded to a call for a medical emergency at Butkus’ residence in Malibu at 12:52 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman said. Butkus was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Dick was the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history,” Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said in a statement Thursday. “He was Chicago’s son. He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidently, what George Halas looked for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership. He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates.”
Butkus was born Richard Marvin Butkus in Chicago on Dec. 9, 1942. He attended the University of Illinois from 1962 to 1964, where he played middle linebacker. In 1964, he finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
“All I ever wanted to do was to play football. It was a human factor that got me to come here to Illinois,” Butkus said in 2016 after the University of Illinois retired his number. “I’m very proud to be a former Illini. I’ll always be an Illini.”
The Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos drafted Butkus for the 1965-66 season. He decided to play for his hometown team and soon after was selected for the first of eight consecutive Pro Bowls. During his first season, he intercepted five passes.
In the following eight seasons, he became known for his skill in stripping the ball during tackles, eventually earning him various nicknames, including The Maestro of Mayhem, The Enforcer, The Animal, and The Robot of Destruction.
In 2019, Butkus told the Bears’ website he was in a “unique position” having played his entire career with his hometown team. “I feel very lucky,” he said. “My parents got to see probably 95 percent of the games that were in Chicago, so it was good for my family, and I liked it.”
The linebacker played for the team until his 1973 retirement, and throughout his career accumulated 1,020 tackles, 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries. Five years later in 1979, in his first year of eligibility, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Butkus was also named to the league’s All-Decade teams throughout his career and was also named to the NFL’s 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams.
Although Butkus didn’t play on the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl-winning team, he was in the radio broadcast booth.
“I loved doing that. The Bears were so good and when we went to the Super Bowl,” Butkus told WGN last year. “It was a great year to broadcast because you knew they were going to win, and you just make it exciting. They were something else. That team was really something, man.”
After his retirement, the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando began awarding collegiate athletes with the Butkus Award to the outstanding linebacker of the year. Eventually, The Butkus Foundation gained control of the award in 2008, and then expanded the honors to recognize collegiate, high school and professional players. The player’s foundation also worked to discourage steroid use among teenagers and continually contributed to various charities.
In a USA Today interview in 2021, Butkus said he wanted to be remembered more for what he did after retiring.
“I just think the things I’ve done since then with the Butkus Award,” Butkus said. “I tell the kids, ‘First, you’re recognized as the best of the best linebackers in the country. And second of all, and probably more important, it takes on the responsibility that you have to give back and serve others.’”
After hanging up his #51 jersey, the linebacker starred in several TV shows and films, including Any Given Sunday, Hang Time, and The Last Boy Scout. He also appeared in commercials for Miller Lite, Prestone, Schick and Visa. Throughout his retirement, he served as an analyst for CBS.
In recent years, Butkus gained a new following due to this Twitter feed, where he continued commenting on the Bears and the NFL. In his 2022 WGN interview, Butkus said his son got him interested in it. Butkus is survived by his wife, Helen, and three children, Ricky, Matt, and Nikki.
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