Video of the Day: Dick Butkus, the Most Feared Tackler Ever

by Steven Schweickert on Jan 28, 2012 7:00 AM CST in Video of the Day

Because you do not talk while Dick Butkus is giving a presentation to your small business. ... Sorry, Mister Dick Butkus.

Top Ten Most Feared Tacklers #1 Dick Butkus (via wildabeast63)

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Great video

I especially like Deacon Jone’s little poem about Butkus…

by JimmyMack on Jan 28, 2012 7:27 AM CST reply actions

Dude, it was terrible - it didn't even scan.

by Wally&Mac on Feb 11, 2012 11:32 AM CST up reply actions

Sept 2010, I was in Vegas. We finished up watching the Bears opener against the Lions at an outdoor sports bar, and then we went to walk through Caesars Palace. We were walking by a sports memorabilia store when we saw a sign in the window that said DICK BUTKUS would be there signing autographs. It was like the Bear’s mothership calling us Bear’s fans home. So we came back an hour later, and lo and behold, Mr Butkus was signing autographs. You had to buy something in the store for him to sign – so we did, and we got to chat with him for a minute and get a picture with him. Twas pretty cool :)

missing number 6

by Jessica312 on Jan 28, 2012 8:39 AM CST reply actions

Oh yeah and he's still a big, imposing dude. His hands are HUGE

missing number 6

by Jessica312 on Jan 28, 2012 8:43 AM CST up reply actions

Had him as my sig since WCG started

I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something. - Dick Butkus

by iowaBear on Jan 28, 2012 9:04 AM CST reply actions

the most impressive thing about Butkus…

is how he could still make quite a few of those hits from highlight reels.

there’s another video floating around (maybe from the hof) with more footage and contemporary stories. the one with Landry and his rookie center cracks me up.

by lmfsilva on Jan 28, 2012 9:21 AM CST via Android app reply actions

Greatest football player ... ever

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Jan 28, 2012 2:01 PM CST reply actions

Was Butkus a smart player?

Unfortunately I was born too late to see Butkus play. But his exploits have always been legendary. Biting players, hitting hard, etc. But I’m interested to know what kind of game intelligence he had. I have no doubt he was a great football thinker, and I’m hoping ya’ll can relate some stories about Butkus’ football acumen.

by trefrog66 on Jan 28, 2012 2:28 PM CST reply actions

I'm prob one of the youngest guys in WCG

so i cant directly answer that question, but:
from what I know, football pre-1970s/80s wasn’t quite as cerebral as the game is today.
You didn’t have any West Coast, Air Coryell, or zone-blitz schemes. It basically came down to athleticism, instinct, and practice/hard work (not necessarily in tht order).
If a player wasn’t physically gifted, he would have to be crafty and perfect his craft to succeed, a la Raymond Berry.
But when you get the big/athletic guys (Butkus, Bednarik, Night Train, Sayers, Jim Brown, etc), you could just put em on the field and tell ’em to play ball…

by BOBdaBEAR on Jan 28, 2012 3:53 PM CST up reply actions

Yes, Butkus was a very smart player

He tends to get little credit for how smart and prepared he was because of his reputation as a ferocious player. He called the defensive signals, basically an on-the-field defensive coordinator. While known for his tackling and intimidating play, he was an excellent pass defender as his 22 picks in his abbreviated career attest.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on Jan 29, 2012 8:02 AM CST up reply actions

They don't keep records of forced fumbles too far back, but he caused a lot.

He was excellent in pass coverage when you compare him to Singletary.

by Wally&Mac on Feb 11, 2012 11:44 AM CST up reply actions

Butkus reacted with incredible speed to the play

He was very football-smart. That’s how he got so many picks. There were seasons where he was basically the entire defense. He was also very skilled at avoiding blockers to get to the ballcarrier. He never tried to “take on and shed” a block; he would try to get to the spot where the RB was going before the blocker could even get there. And he was great at keeping blockers off of him with his hands.

Butkus had 4 or 5 brothers, all big tough football players like himself. But there was only one DICK BUTKUS. Intensity. Ferocity. Preparation. Dedication. Desire. All these things made him great. All he wanted to do since he was in 5th grade was play football. And boy did he!

Often Wrong, Never In Doubt.

by Gromowicz on Jan 29, 2012 9:11 AM CST up reply actions