That win tonight was something that Dick would’ve been proud of, lots of injuries and adversity and they found a way to grind out the win. RIP to a man that simply IS football.
In practice and aspiration, that standard is long gone, in every facet of life. I'm glad I grew up seeing that kind of dedication and integrity; one of the frustrations of older age is seeing how far we've fallen.
In the fall of '63 a group of us junior high school kids were playing a pickup game of football outside Memorial Stadium after the Illini game ended, when Dick and another player walked out, and stood watching us play. We invited them to join us, so they said they could for a couple of plays. Dick joined the other team. I was maybe 5'2" and 120 pounds, but I was our RB (small and quick, lol.) I took the ball up the middle and ran right into him. He had an awful grimace on his face as he scooped me up and lifted me over his head. I knew it was my last day on earth. Then he gently laid me on the ground and chuckled. He's been my football idol ever since, and I'm happy I got to watch him on tv for most of his career.
That's awesome my grandfather went to college in Kansas with wilt Chamberlain. They were playing a pick up game one day and wilt showed up...he said he was the greatest basketball player he's ever saw. 😊
When I heard of Dick's passing, I immediately thought of this segment I remember watching as a kid on a video called "Crunchtime" that had other greats featured like Pat Fischer, Mike Curtis, Randy White and Howie Long. This segment always scared the crap out of me because of how ferocious he was as a player and how with every hit he wanted to end their career. What a quote by Ed O'Bradovich.
A True Natural Monster. At 6'3 and 245 he was hardly bigger than Lineman who were taller and weighed more, yet somehow through sheer will, he became bigger and stronger and threw them around.
The players today would eat the old timers for lunch. Unless the vets had the same training and sports medicine available. All of you are just fogeys - longing for the blurry ole days. It’s hilarious.
Every Friday night of every home home, my college football team gathered for one final team meeting before the game the next day. 100 young men and 10 coaches crammed into a classroom. Offensive Line Coach Hogan-with a mustache that would make Tom Selleck proud-would roll out the cathode ray TV to the front and pop in an old dingy VHS tape. The volume would be maxed out and we'd all be getting hyped up watching Dick Butkus highlights. Your unmatched intensity was a huge inspiration. You are legend. "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."
Your famous NFL Films, your single-mindedness towards total devastation on the field helped put me in the right frame of mind a number of times in my life. Thanks, Mr. Butkus- you will be missed!
This is the best NFL Films piece on Butkus bar none. Best highlights, music, array of players/coaches/officials and to top it off -narrated by the incomparable John Facenda!
Words of another #75 Los Angeles Rams DT Deaçon Jones and Hall of Famer a long with #75 Mean Joe Greene and Hall of Fame inductees. Both from Historical Black Colleges University. HBCU'S
RIP, Dick. We will miss you. My 11 year old sons both play football. At the start of this season, they were asked if they had a preference for the number on their jersey. One of my boys said "51!." They both love this video.😢😢
I got to meet Mr Butkis in a restaurant in Omaha NE one night in the late 90s nicest most patient person you could imagine especially with all the people interrupting his dinner asking for autographs and pics. Never once lost his temper. Today's athletes could learn so much from him. Just pure class and talent
October 5 2023. We will miss you greatly, thank you for all the Great memories, Lord Jesus please Bless his Soul and comfort his family, friends and Fans. RIP
RIP to the most dominant defensive player of all time. There are a handful you can argue as who was the best including Dick but noone you can argue as more dominant. RIP Legend of the Midway.
Though he only played for 9 years, he played ALOT of minutes, especially his last 5 seasons, and it wore him down. Not to mention the cheap shots by OLmen. But Butkus was out there giving 110% on Every Snap. The Greatest. IMMHMFO
R.I.P. Dick Butkus. The most feared man in the NFL. What a player. Toughness personified. How do I know. I saw him play live many times since I am an old fart. Off the field? A very nice man.
Oh come on. When I was in high school I got knocked out during half-speed practice. I still don't know how it happened - nobody does. When I came to, I didn't know where I was, who all these guys around me were, and why I had been sleeping in a field next to a factory. The 'factory' was the school building. My point is that guys getting their bell rung is common in football, not 'legend'.
I'm a life long Bengals fan. But to me, Dick Butkus means football. Always had immense respect for the man. The way the man conducted himself on and off the field.
As a Vikings fan since 1968, you were the only player from another team, that I loved to watch play in the NFL. RIP Dick. You were THE BEST in your position… 😢👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽❤️
There is only one other that I thought equaled him in ferocious intensity during that time. And that was Rich "Tombstone" Jackson. The man actually intimidated Lyle Alzado!
Watching Ndamukong Suh play when he was younger, reminded me of Butkis highlights. The rules today prevent the absolute assassinations that happened in the early 70s, but I think Suh mad ehis mark for a couple of years.
Baseball diamonds doubled as football fields. The Bears and Cubs both played games at Wrigley Field until Soldier Field was built and became the Bears’ home. The Lions played at Tiger Stadium, the Giants played at Yankee Stadium, etc.
@@smokesletsgo2374 Me too. It was sad when Oakland had the last real field, then in an instant, it was gone. The NFL today is honestly pretty hard to watch.
Dick was a monster, no doubt. But what gets lost is that Butkus was an extremely intelligent football player. He knew where the play was going. On one leg, Dick could get into position for an interception or fumble. Butkus had a keen intuition, and an interest in psychic and psychological phenomena.
It's amazing what Butkus accomplished, considering he didn't have much help, outside of Buffone and O'Bradovich. And the Offense, especially after Sayers got hurt, was a mess. The QBs during Butkus' and Sayers' careers were Pathetic. My God, if only Halas would've kept George Allen and promoted him to HC back in '65.
@@lemontadams3029 Yeah, like I said, Butkus had very little help. Football is the ultimate team sport. One Man cannot do it alone. The Bears only had 2 winning seasons in Butkus' career. Yet his stats are as good or better than Taylor and Lewis, while playing 4 fewer seasons than Taylor and 8 fewer seasons than Lewis. Butkus averaged more Tackles per Season than both Lewis and Taylor; 20 more than Lewis. 30 more than Taylor. Butkus had 49 Takeaways to Taylor's 20; only 2 less than Lewis. Taylor and Lewis both played with other HOF/Pro Bowl talented Teammates. Butkus did not.
No other LB was more feared, smarter, or consistently hit harder, he was truly the best LB ever, but those aren't my words or those of sports journalists, that's what the players that played against him have said in print, radio, and TV interviews. He played every single play, in his whole career, giving all his effort and with all his heart. "I stand before you with deep humility and pride. I proud of Chicago, and I'm proud to tell you that when I played for you, I gave it the very best I could". Dick Butkus
I loved watching Butkus play because he was a beast. True story. My step dad went to CVS High School in Chicago. Butkus was a sophomore and My Step dad was a senior - who was often bullied because he was tall and skinny. One day he was being bullied at his locker when Butkus suddenly ran up and knocked both of the guys about 10 feet away from him. They got up and ran, and that was that. My Step Dad said he never saw either of them again, but he knew who Butkus was, and so did those bullies. LOL.
I was close to the field sideline during a Chiefs/Bears game. The running back was running down the field in the grasp of a Bear defender. Butkus was charging at the two screaming “hold him up, hold him up”. The Chiefs runner dove to the ground when he heard that.
I only know of Mr Butkus through watching MacGyver where he played Earl Dent. He was an amusing guy. Watching this was like watching a nature programme where the prey is "taken down". Watching him in slow motion as he weights it up...and pounces. AWESOME...Just AWESOME. R.I.P. Mr BUTKUS...and thank you.
I used to go nearly annually to one of the GB/ Bears game . The players of the Sixies ,70s were so very much approachable ,accomadatng to fans .In that era ,the players often went back to their ":real" jobs during the off-season . It was not uncommon to see them doing the routine things folks did ,at the grocery store ,bringing kids to school , getting fast food , appearing at fund raisers , benefit basketball ,softball games At a movie cinema .Taking a bus or other Mass transit Driving regular sedans They were just " regular " folks . Just like Hey Dick , Hey Gayle ,Hey Bart , Hey Ray Hey Mike .A simple wave ,possibly a short neighborly chat . They weren't in Limos , nor driving outlandish vehicles .They were just like a lunch bucket ,thermos carrying dudes . I saw a pre season game with the Steelers in the 70s .Bumping into Lambert. ,and Green ( Mean Joe ) at the grocery store checkout .Obviously ,the players stuck out because of their size ,color etc. I remember ,that they had a pile of Ice Cream , and other snacks , Bottles of ":Pop" etc . They were certainly ominous looking guys that I would shake in my boots if I had to play against them on any given Sunday .But for the most part ,they were just Teddy Bearlike ,out in the community ..
Butkus was my hero growing up. When I started high school football my freshman year, I was 4' 8" and weighed 62 lbs, so there's no way I was ever going to match him. However, I just gave it all and hit everybody as hard as I could. I put a fullback on his keester one time after I somehow slipped past three blockers. The official was laughing when he took the ball. I was never all that good, but I had a blast playing.
Love Dick Butkus! His fundmentals were outstanding in the way he read the plays and squard up to tackle and wrapped up the opponent. Many young players today would benefit from watching his techniques.
Rest in peace Dick Butkus. Really feeling this loss by association with my Dad. I’ll never forget when I was a little 6 year old kid playing peewee football for the first time, not extremely passionate about the sport yet. It was then that my Dad introduced me to the famous NFL videotape “Crunchtime”, showcasing legends of the sport. My life changed at that point, because it was really highlighted how incredible the sport really is with all of the talent and toughness featured that makes it such a spectacle. It was then I realized the twinkle in my Dad’s eyes made so much sense when he would talk about these players. I wanted to be as cool as them, especially as cool as the greatest linebacker of all time, Dick Butkus.
When I was younger playing football in the neighborhood. On defense I wanted to make every tackle like Dick Butkis and I was born in the south. He will be missed. His impact in the NFL will be long remembered. R.I.P.
As a kid here in Chicago Butkus and Sayers were my introduction to NFL football. As a teenager I worked at Soldier Field and the proceeds from a pre-season game were going to a charity. Butkus showed up, I got to meet him and he was a really nice guy. Nothing like the beast we saw on Sundays.
I played football from 67 to 77, I was a middle linebacker, he was my hero and showed me every week how to hit and scare quarterbacks ....GOD BLESS him
I wholeheartedly idolized him playing Pop Warner to high school football. Even had his #51 while starting defensive end and tight end. He was slightly before my time but I wish that I could've watched him play in person. He, Deacon Jones, Derrick Thomas, Reggie White, Mike (Mad Dog) Curtis and Ray Nitschke are my all time forever favorite defenders.
Don Woodyard - LT wasn't a pimple on Butkus' behind. He also played a different style than Butkus, never in the middle, always standing up on the wing.
Deacon Jones was a part of the fearsome foursome. And he was the fiercest of the 4. Therefore his poem rings true. And so did opponents heads of the Butkus Bear.
I miss Dick Butkis! I'm not a Bears fan but I would watch their games just to see Butkis play. He was incredible! Usually you follow the ball, but when Butkis was on the field you followed him. Something interesting was always bound to happen!
My favorite middle linebacker of all-time!!! I was 16 years-old when Butkus premiered for the Bears in 1965 and I couldn't believe this guy!!! He made watching football even more fun!!
I never got to watch him play but my dad and grandfather told me stories about him which turned me into a bears fan which in turn is why i choose to play mlb and my number from little league to semi pro was 51
Of course the Bears went on to season after season of disappointment. But watching those guys play in their prime was truly something I’ll never forget!
He doesn't get enough credit for being able to anticipate what play is coming. He wasn't just a brute. Middle linebacker is a thinking position and he was the best at that too.
Best LB to ever play the game....1965-1973. Butkus would have a field day against the football "players" of today!!! He didn't need to dance...he was there to kick your ass!!! Never took a day off unlike lots of the overpaid stiffs in the NFL today!!
If Butkus played today, he'd have today's physical training, equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. He was a 6'3" 245 lb monster Then. He'd be banned from the league Now.
Butkus was that big THEN - without everything the guys have today . I repeat, if he had Today's training regimen, equipment, nutrition, medical/surgical knowledge and technology, playing conditions, dorks running out onto the field to give him his Gatorade sippy bottle between plays, LOL, etc, etc, etc , Please
Every defensive football coach on the planet. At every level, high school college and pro. Should show this highlight reel to their players. This is how you finish a tackle. None of this bump the guy and hope he falls down. Butkius was still tackling you two seconds after the play it ended. You’re not getting away from him.
Dick "The Butcher" Butkus! Greatest player in the history of the game! "Religious fervor" was a great descriptor for how he played. However, when he was on the field he was representing the Commander and Chief below, scourging the offense with Hell fire and wrath. Butkus understood that like life, it's all about the mind. He bore into heads of his opponents as he snarled like a rabid beast. He shouted horrors and obscenities that caused an involuntary tremor amongst his enemies that eroded their ability to function . Then, he would HIT! He would HIT so hard it was known by all his bite was far worse than his bark. Dick Butkus, you were an inspiration to me as a young player. In the Pop Warner days, our defense would watch highlight reels of you on the bus for away games. The spirit you brought to the game permeated our defensive culture. We went to 5 national championships in a row...and your name was mentioned before every game. Seems like you were a gentle soul off the field. Rest in peace brother!
G.O.A.T. this is with out question the best linebacker in history. Just remember the NFL didn't keep sack or forced fumbles totals back in Butkus day. For one he created the forced fumble, and it could be argued he created the sack without any one knowing what to call it. His pass coverage skills were unbelievable. He had alot of ints. He could do everything. And remember the only way they stopped him was to take out his knees....and the league succeeded. So to think he dominated this much on one leg just think if he had two the whole time. And I quote: “You are the best dam football player I have ever seen” -- George Halas on his deathbed to Butkus… that’s after seeing Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry rice, a lot of the greats.
You are exactly right sir.Blockers were so intimidated of him that they will just go low and take out his knees. They would never face him upright, he would kill them.
I can't see how he created either the forced fumble or the sack. Surely, runners had been stripped of the ball and qbs thrown for losses while attempting to pass for decades before Butkus came into the league. Some hyperbole there. One of the people talking was Deacon Jones, who came into the league in 61, 4 years before Butkus. DJ is the reason they started keeping track of sacks, because most experts agree he had well over 200 sacks, but they didn't keep track of them his whole career. He would be far and away the record holder if they had. I loved watching Butkus, he was great, don't get me wrong, but football was already going strong before his arrival.
How does one compare a wide receiver, a running back to middle linebackers. You can't compare and judge one against the other. Only position by position comparisons are accurate.
It's a lot of things the NFL doesn't recognize like the HBCU'S black Players. Put Dick Butkus on the Pittsburgh Steelers team's of the 70s and Jack Lambert on the Chicago Bears teams and Dick Butkus would have the Championship and not Jack Lambert. Fact or Fiction ?
That hit he had in the quick Miami clip where he drills the Dolphin and the Dolphin player’s flying body knocks over a Bears player from the force will always be my favorite.
With the discovery and verification of CTE things had to change. I'll bet so many of those players from this era were so messed up when they retired. I have such mixed feelings as I love those crazy semi-dirty hits.
You will be missed Mr. Butkus. You weren't just a Chicago Bear... you were THE Chicago Bear. And you were loved. RIP.
You quick wit it
RIP to a Legend.
That win tonight was something that Dick would’ve been proud of, lots of injuries and adversity and they found a way to grind out the win. RIP to a man that simply IS football.
today Dick Butkus would have turned 81, Sat 12/9/23
RIP Monster of the Midway 🙏 Greatest linebacker to ever play the game.
RIP Big Dog. The man that set the standard for Chicago Bears defense. Hopefully we can get back to that standard sooner than later.
In practice and aspiration, that standard is long gone, in every facet of life. I'm glad I grew up seeing that kind of dedication and integrity; one of the frustrations of older age is seeing how far we've fallen.
"To talk about him is to drain the vocabulary of superlatives" -great summary of Dick Butkus.
Rest in peace Butkus. A warrior on the field and true Monster of the Midway
In the fall of '63 a group of us junior high school kids were playing a pickup game of football outside Memorial Stadium after the Illini game ended, when Dick and another player walked out, and stood watching us play. We invited them to join us, so they said they could for a couple of plays. Dick joined the other team. I was maybe 5'2" and 120 pounds, but I was our RB (small and quick, lol.) I took the ball up the middle and ran right into him. He had an awful grimace on his face as he scooped me up and lifted me over his head. I knew it was my last day on earth. Then he gently laid me on the ground and chuckled. He's been my football idol ever since, and I'm happy I got to watch him on tv for most of his career.
Great story!
Being driven into the dirt by Butkus there’s worse ways to go.
That's awesome my grandfather went to college in Kansas with wilt Chamberlain. They were playing a pick up game one day and wilt showed up...he said he was the greatest basketball player he's ever saw. 😊
Great story, thanks for sharing!
Amen...I never missed a Bears game either. Butkus/Sayers were must-see TV.
RIP to a man, who I would argue, was the greatest linebacker there was... He set the standard for what a linebacker would be.
When I heard of Dick's passing, I immediately thought of this segment I remember watching as a kid on a video called "Crunchtime" that had other greats featured like Pat Fischer, Mike Curtis, Randy White and Howie Long. This segment always scared the crap out of me because of how ferocious he was as a player and how with every hit he wanted to end their career. What a quote by Ed O'Bradovich.
I have that VHS!
When football was football and monsters roamed the field.
Now it's when men wear diapers and now it's babies who play
A True Natural Monster. At 6'3 and 245 he was hardly bigger than Lineman who were taller and weighed more, yet somehow through sheer will, he became bigger and stronger and threw them around.
You mean when you could really hit someone?
They left every neuron out on the field.
The players today would eat the old timers for lunch. Unless the vets had the same training and sports medicine available. All of you are just fogeys - longing for the blurry ole days. It’s hilarious.
Every Friday night of every home home, my college football team gathered for one final team meeting before the game the next day. 100 young men and 10 coaches crammed into a classroom. Offensive Line Coach Hogan-with a mustache that would make Tom Selleck proud-would roll out the cathode ray TV to the front and pop in an old dingy VHS tape. The volume would be maxed out and we'd all be getting hyped up watching Dick Butkus highlights.
Your unmatched intensity was a huge inspiration. You are legend.
"Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."
Your famous NFL Films, your single-mindedness towards total devastation on the field helped put me in the right frame of mind a number of times in my life.
Thanks, Mr. Butkus- you will be missed!
Rip to the the original monster of the midway. Everyone viewing this video knows this man is the goat
"He was Moby Dick in a gold fish bowl" One of the best lines I have ever heard!!!
Hubman Spencer more like "Jaws in a hole fish bowl."
Illogical!
"Roses are red,violets are blue. if you have any sense at all,you will keep Butkus away fro you." thats the best line. Butkus was the man.
It's classic !
NFL Films used to be majestic
Rest easy 51. Absolute epitome of toughness and tenacity on the football field. A legend and the GOAT.
This is the best NFL Films piece on Butkus bar none. Best highlights, music, array of players/coaches/officials and to top it off -narrated by the incomparable John Facenda!
RIP Butkus. One of the greatest all time
No...the greatest
@@richardhuffman8903 I’m a huge bears fan but I think LT may have him beat
"... the single most sustained work of devastation ever committed on a football field."
Beautifully put.
That about sums it up.
The man was terrifying....no doubt about it.
Don't forget Jack Youngblood.
Said by the voice of god you know it’s true
The goat linebacker
"He wasn't trying to put u in the hospital, he was trying to put u in the cemetery!" Now that's GANGSTA!
You actually described Bill Romanowski and Vontaze Burfict
@@dionr1168 not really. burficts hit would been just normal in butkus era
And that come from a All-Pro Beast of man himself Deacon Jones now that's saying a lot🏈
Words of another #75 Los Angeles Rams DT Deaçon Jones and Hall of Famer a long with #75 Mean Joe Greene and Hall of Fame inductees. Both from Historical Black Colleges University. HBCU'S
North Texas State where Green attended, was not an HBCU....just for the record
Perhaps the greatest to ever play the game. He revolutionized the game. Rest easy, sir.
RIP, Dick. We will miss you. My 11 year old sons both play football. At the start of this season, they were asked if they had a preference for the number on their jersey. One of my boys said "51!." They both love this video.😢😢
I got to meet Mr Butkis in a restaurant in Omaha NE one night in the late 90s nicest most patient person you could imagine especially with all the people interrupting his dinner asking for autographs and pics. Never once lost his temper. Today's athletes could learn so much from him. Just pure class and talent
And Butkus was a decent gut, too.
Great Story, this put a smile on my face
Can't keep a good "Lugan" down.
I met Butkus his rookie year at a hotel in Green Bay. One of the best moments of my life. Also met Brian Piccolo and Sayers and Ditka
@@doublej7678 WOW
I was to little than
Watching Dick Butkus highlights never gets old.
October 5 2023. We will miss you greatly, thank you for all the Great memories, Lord Jesus please Bless his Soul and comfort his family, friends and Fans. RIP
RIP, to the original monster of midway animal. The best of the best linebacker to ever play the game.
I'm not even a bears fan but I can & have watched this over & over again. I miss the real NFL football I grew up on
i would love to see him play against Brady, Rodgers, and poor little Murray...
Roughing the QB. It's a joke.
The players voted on the current style of play to reduce injuries and concussion issues
@@michaelwall2304 He wouldn't be able to catch Murray.
You and me both friend
RIP The master ! Bears Legend and NFL Legend....I had this on VHS in the 1980s and watched it all the time.
RIP! They don’t make ‘em like him anymore.
RIP to the most dominant defensive player of all time. There are a handful you can argue as who was the best including Dick but noone you can argue as more dominant. RIP Legend of the Midway.
Not only was Butkus tough as nails, he was smart as a whip too. He's everything you'd want in a LB. It's a shame he didn't play on better teams.
Though he only played for 9 years, he played ALOT of minutes, especially his last 5 seasons, and it wore him down. Not to mention the cheap shots by OLmen. But Butkus was out there giving 110% on Every Snap. The Greatest. IMMHMFO
I wish the Bears could do what Dick Butkus did, especially to the Goddamn Packers & Aaron Rodgers!
@@redmanr5522 no need to talk bad about your owner like that 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣
He could intercept
It must kill him (it does me)to see the money they make NOW -RIDICULOUS!!!!!
Who's here just after learning of his passing what a legend.
RIP Dick. I remember the days. We're all old now but still remember the good old days when football was great!!
R.I.P. Dick Butkus. The most feared man in the NFL. What a player. Toughness personified. How do I know. I saw him play live many times since I am an old fart. Off the field? A very nice man.
So Butkus hit a dude so hard he literally didn’t know who he was. Legend.
So Vontaze Burfict hit a dude so hard he literally didn’t know who he was.
Legend.
Happened to me once. My first thoughts when coming back were who am I who am I who am I who am i.
@Fak CZcams: So Chuck Norris once hit a dude so hard his parents forgot who they were. . . .
Wilbur Marshall did the same thing to Joe Ferguson in week 16. Ferguson 30 plus years later still can't remember the hit or the next 3 days.
Oh come on. When I was in high school I got knocked out during half-speed practice. I still don't know how it happened - nobody does. When I came to, I didn't know where I was, who all these guys around me were, and why I had been sleeping in a field next to a factory. The 'factory' was the school building. My point is that guys getting their bell rung is common in football, not 'legend'.
Rest in Peace legend, for ever you will be remembered as the monster of the midway.
The NFL Films interviews with the guys from this era are absolute gems. So many great characters.
I could listen to Art Donavan talk all day!
And they could talk in complete sentences!
A true Chicago legend. Thanks for the memories Dick. RIP
Greatest linebacker ever! No one I the NFL today could take the punishment that man dished out.
Hahahaha that's for sure
word- not even ray lewis in his league.
Dick is #2 to LT
Dick Butkus would make a great character in Adam Sandlers longest yard movie
@@johnwhite2576 stop
I'm a life long Bengals fan. But to me, Dick Butkus means football. Always had immense respect for the man. The way the man conducted himself on and off the field.
@@LowerTheBoom Anthony Munoz
And I had season passes at Wrigley field when he came up with Gale Sayers and Dick Gordon
It's a shame the bears destroyed his knees
As a Vikings fan since 1968, you were the only player from another team, that I loved to watch play in the NFL. RIP Dick. You were THE BEST in your position… 😢👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽❤️
Chicago had 2 of the best, Butkus and Sweetness. RIP Walter. You are not forgotten!
Ummmmm...what about Gale Sayers?
He was all that....
Back in the day.
I'm 62 now and I still smile every time I hear his name.
Me too!!
@@chriswertz1438 ...63
Absolutely!!
Born in '60. Bears fan in '65. Butkus and Sayers were the Best. Nobody like them before or since. Period. BTW, LIKE 34. Loved Payton, too.
@@carlweaver3243 someone was saying gayle sayers was Barry sanders before Barry sanders existed 🤯 I gotta look up his videos
The absolute undisputed meanest badass that ever played the game.
There is only one other that I thought equaled him in ferocious intensity during that time. And that was Rich "Tombstone" Jackson. The man actually intimidated Lyle Alzado!
@@RedElephantStampede Jackson was a beast...too bad he got hurt.
Joe Green and Jack Lambert were bad ass boys too. Just to name a couple .
Watching Ndamukong Suh play when he was younger, reminded me of Butkis highlights. The rules today prevent the absolute assassinations that happened in the early 70s, but I think Suh mad ehis mark for a couple of years.
@@michaelangelo9024 indeed!😊
I love the fact that the fields back then didn’t have to be in pristine, perfect condition to be played on
Some real muddy gridiron playing
Baseball diamonds doubled as football fields. The Bears and Cubs both played games at Wrigley Field until Soldier Field was built and became the Bears’ home. The Lions played at Tiger Stadium, the Giants played at Yankee Stadium, etc.
That's true! The men in charge of that were mostly war veterans, including the players and didn't give a rats azz what people thought.
@@humphreygruntwhistle3946 The "NFL in baseball stadiums" era is my favorite period in football history. Now they play in freaking space ships
@@smokesletsgo2374 Me too. It was sad when Oakland had the last real field, then in an instant, it was gone.
The NFL today is honestly pretty hard to watch.
Dick was a monster, no doubt. But what gets lost is that Butkus was an extremely intelligent football player. He knew where the play was going. On one leg, Dick could get into position for an interception or fumble. Butkus had a keen intuition, and an interest in psychic and psychological phenomena.
Dick was smarter than most coaches. He outplayed them
Everything has been "dumbed down" in football since Butkus played...(1965-1973).
It's amazing what Butkus accomplished, considering he didn't have much help, outside of Buffone and O'Bradovich. And the Offense, especially after Sayers got hurt, was a mess. The QBs during Butkus' and Sayers' careers were Pathetic. My God, if only Halas would've kept George Allen and promoted him to HC back in '65.
But he couldn't lead a winner. That's why ultimately player's like Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor rank ahead of him
@@lemontadams3029
Yeah, like I said, Butkus had very little help. Football is the ultimate team sport. One Man cannot do it alone. The Bears only had 2 winning seasons in Butkus' career. Yet his stats are as good or better than Taylor and Lewis, while playing 4 fewer seasons than Taylor and 8 fewer seasons than Lewis.
Butkus averaged more Tackles per Season than both Lewis and Taylor; 20 more than Lewis. 30 more than Taylor. Butkus had 49 Takeaways to Taylor's 20; only 2 less than Lewis. Taylor and Lewis both played with other HOF/Pro Bowl talented Teammates. Butkus did not.
It's so much fun watching old football games and seeing how hard they played, hit and got hit. No flags, just good football.
No wonder these guys fromthe60s have CTE.
No other LB was more feared, smarter, or consistently hit harder, he was truly the best LB ever, but those aren't my words or those of sports journalists, that's what the players that played against him have said in print, radio, and TV interviews. He played every single play, in his whole career, giving all his effort and with all his heart.
"I stand before you with deep humility and pride. I proud of Chicago, and I'm proud to tell you that when I played for you, I gave it the very best I could".
Dick Butkus
He couldn't even make the team today, too slow, too dirty.
@@randyrobles8595 sure he would have. He would have benefitted from today's training. But his heart & determination are what todays player's $$$ lack!
@@MrAugusta314 I think in 10 years there will be no more white boys out there, and no we don't need a white QB anymore.
Derrick Thomas came close IMO.
@@whammofammo7346 Anybody remember Mike Curtis?
I loved watching Butkus play because he was a beast. True story. My step dad went to CVS High School in Chicago. Butkus was a sophomore and My Step dad was a senior - who was often bullied because he was tall and skinny. One day he was being bullied at his locker when Butkus suddenly ran up and knocked both of the guys about 10 feet away from him. They got up and ran, and that was that. My Step Dad said he never saw either of them again, but he knew who Butkus was, and so did those bullies. LOL.
I was close to the field sideline during a Chiefs/Bears game. The running back was running down the field in the grasp of a Bear defender. Butkus was charging at the two screaming “hold him up, hold him up”. The Chiefs runner dove to the ground when he heard that.
He separated men from their souls.
that's awesome
😂
I lost it reading this post. hahaha
This is the best Dick Butkus story I ever heard, you know he wanted to whump up side of that head!
This time period had the best music in NFL documentaries... Absolutely as epic as Dick Butkus!
They don't do em like they used to
Mr. Butkus, you are one of my all-time heros. Rest in peace.
That is truly satisfying to watch an artist at work. Doing what he did best.. Being a human wreaking machine!!!!! Rest in Peace Beast Incarnate.
baddest linebacker i've ever seen
This music is CLASSIC! It totally makes Dick Butkus into a heroic figure--like an ancient warrior legend!
for real...
GregoryTheGr8ster Hell yeah
Better than the shit music produce today. CZcamsrs need to take notes and use better music than hip hop
I only know of Mr Butkus through watching MacGyver where he played Earl Dent. He was an amusing guy. Watching this was like watching a nature programme where the prey is "taken down". Watching him in slow motion as he weights it up...and pounces. AWESOME...Just AWESOME. R.I.P. Mr BUTKUS...and thank you.
RIP Mr. Butkus - i enjoyed watching your highlights - true football MONSTER
Number 51 the most intimidating linebacker to ever the play the game.
The Original Beast Mode on Defense bar none !
Better than Lawrence Taylor on Cocaine?
don't forget Jack Lambert
Yes. Just think if these 2 were on the same team.
dick butt kiss. your idol?
I met Butkus his rookie year at a hotel in Green Bay. One of the best moments of my life. Also met Brian Piccolo and Sayers and Ditka
A great moment indeed
Were you an NFL head coach at the time?
@@paulsteeno6816 No.
I met Jim Otto when he opened a Burger King. He was kind of a dick.
I used to go nearly annually to one of the GB/ Bears game . The players of the Sixies ,70s were so very much approachable ,accomadatng to fans .In that era ,the players often went back to their ":real" jobs during the off-season . It was not uncommon to see them doing the routine things folks did ,at the grocery store ,bringing kids to school , getting fast food , appearing at fund raisers , benefit basketball ,softball games At a movie cinema .Taking a bus or other Mass transit Driving regular sedans They were just " regular " folks . Just like Hey Dick , Hey Gayle ,Hey Bart , Hey Ray Hey Mike .A simple wave ,possibly a short neighborly chat . They weren't in Limos , nor driving outlandish vehicles .They were just like a lunch bucket ,thermos carrying dudes . I saw a pre season game with the Steelers in the 70s .Bumping into Lambert. ,and Green ( Mean Joe ) at the grocery store checkout .Obviously ,the players stuck out because of their size ,color etc. I remember ,that they had a pile of Ice Cream , and other snacks , Bottles of ":Pop" etc . They were certainly ominous looking guys that I would shake in my boots if I had to play against them on any given Sunday .But for the most part ,they were just Teddy Bearlike ,out in the community ..
One of the GREATEST linebackers of all time! MAY DICK BUTKUS RIP! 1942-2023!! :'(
Butkus was my hero growing up. When I started high school football my freshman year, I was 4' 8" and weighed 62 lbs, so there's no way I was ever going to match him. However, I just gave it all and hit everybody as hard as I could. I put a fullback on his keester one time after I somehow slipped past three blockers. The official was laughing when he took the ball. I was never all that good, but I had a blast playing.
Deacon Jones was the greatest storyteller he really should have gotten into television
Bruh he and Bill Russell can hustle a story/
Deacon Jones' bust is talking to Butkins' bust in Hall of Fame
@@michaelbates4664 nice
I gotta go there
He did do some work in Hollywood back in the 60s, and, believe it or not, The Fearsome Foursome sang as well. . .
Deacon Jones and Magic Johnson together would have been the greatest talk show ever.
"Roses are red violets are blue if you'll have any sense you keep butkus away from you"-deacon Jones
Jon Favil Now I know where Deacon Jones got the rhyme he did on his Lite Beer ad all those years ago lol.
Truer words never spoken.
Love Dick Butkus! His fundmentals were outstanding in the way he read the plays and squard up to tackle and wrapped up the opponent. Many young players today would benefit from watching his techniques.
Rest in peace Dick Butkus. Really feeling this loss by association with my Dad. I’ll never forget when I was a little 6 year old kid playing peewee football for the first time, not extremely passionate about the sport yet. It was then that my Dad introduced me to the famous NFL videotape “Crunchtime”, showcasing legends of the sport. My life changed at that point, because it was really highlighted how incredible the sport really is with all of the talent and toughness featured that makes it such a spectacle. It was then I realized the twinkle in my Dad’s eyes made so much sense when he would talk about these players. I wanted to be as cool as them, especially as cool as the greatest linebacker of all time, Dick Butkus.
Love this man. Epitomized football the way it should be played, period.
My dad knew him, it took a huge toll on his body, especially his knees. He could barely walk after he retired from football, and was in a lot of pain.
With the surgery they have now he would have played a couple more years
@@bluesky6985 toradol
I was thinking that; loved him but what punishment for his body.
When I was younger playing football in the neighborhood. On defense I wanted to make every tackle like Dick Butkis and I was born in the south. He will be missed. His impact in the NFL will be long remembered. R.I.P.
RIP Mr. Burkus. Total Respect.
Broke the mold after butkus,nobody even comes close.
Jeff Montville or is he the mold that everyone tries to use but can’t figure out how to
I am 67 years old and have seen a lot of tough players but i have to admit he stands alone . Awesome player
As a kid here in Chicago Butkus and Sayers were my introduction to NFL football.
As a teenager I worked at Soldier Field and the proceeds from a pre-season game were going to a charity.
Butkus showed up, I got to meet him and he was a really nice guy.
Nothing like the beast we saw on Sundays.
I played football from 67 to 77, I was a middle linebacker, he was my hero and showed me every week how to hit and scare quarterbacks ....GOD BLESS him
Butkus! The perfect name for a football player. Legendary!
Hey rickey ditka is a good one to
'Butkus' is Lithuanian for 'collision'.
There was a great commercial on TV in Chicago. Both retired they meet in a bar. The only dialogue was. “Butkus”. “Ditka”.
Today's football might as well be Flag Football by these standards! Butkus was just 1 Bad Ass......PERIOD!
With today's rules, the officials would just throw a flag for Mr. Butkus taking the field.
It'd be an automatic personal foul.
regularsharp deadass tho, watching old football and modern. I prefer old 10/10
He wouldn’t do well in today’s game because the blockers would be creaming his rear end on *every* play.
Today's NFL is weak and soft.
Haven't watched it for many yrs.
RIP Sir. You will be greatly missed.
I wholeheartedly idolized him playing Pop Warner to high school football. Even had his #51 while starting defensive end and tight end. He was slightly before my time but I wish that I could've watched him play in person. He, Deacon Jones, Derrick Thomas, Reggie White, Mike (Mad Dog) Curtis and Ray Nitschke are my all time forever favorite defenders.
You know you’re scary when you have Oj Simpson shook
:-D HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Hahahahaha!! I’m dead!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jim Brown!
Right 🤣
Like the jury in LA in 1994, they were either shook or stupid.
Best middle linebacker to ever play the game
An absolute LEGEND....R.I.P.
RIP 🪦 to a legend!! God bless Dick and his loved ones..
Butkus was the greatest linebacker of all time. Period.
AND MUCH BETTER THEN TAYLOR WITHOUT THE CRACK PIPE!
Well, they named the trophy after him for a reason.
Don Woodyard - LT wasn't a pimple on Butkus' behind. He also played a different style than Butkus, never in the middle, always standing up on the wing.
Offensive lineman were not considered important, until Lawrence Taylor came on the seen, NOT Butkus. Period
LOL umm Ok
Deacon Jones was a part of the fearsome foursome. And he was the fiercest of the 4. Therefore his poem rings true. And so did opponents heads of the Butkus Bear.
I miss Dick Butkis! I'm not a Bears fan but I would watch their games just to see Butkis play. He was incredible! Usually you follow the ball, but when Butkis was on the field you followed him. Something interesting was always bound to happen!
One of the greatest defensive players of all time. A man of Greatness that never knelt for the National Anthem.
Wtf does kneeling have to do with what kind of player he was? Last time I looked, people that look like Butkus weren't victims of systemic racism.
When MEN played.
yes in deed
Richard Baker Badass men
Yep
Agree!!
When the league allowed them to be men
My favorite middle linebacker of all-time!!! I was 16 years-old when Butkus premiered for the Bears in 1965 and I couldn't believe this guy!!! He made watching football even more fun!!
A member of my MLB Mt. Rushmore.....Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Jack Lambert, Willie Lanier.
I never got to watch him play but my dad and grandfather told me stories about him which turned me into a bears fan which in turn is why i choose to play mlb and my number from little league to semi pro was 51
@@jayamburn1959 do i know you
I was 15 and from Chicago. Huge bears fan. When we got Butkus,sakers and Gordon we thought we were going all the way. Such an exciting time!
Of course the Bears went on to season after season of disappointment. But watching those guys play in their prime was truly something I’ll never forget!
RIP legend
He doesn't get enough credit for being able to anticipate what play is coming. He wasn't just a brute. Middle linebacker is a thinking position and he was the best at that too.
Best LB to ever play the game....1965-1973. Butkus would have a field day against the
football "players" of today!!! He didn't need to dance...he was there to kick your ass!!!
Never took a day off unlike lots of the overpaid stiffs in the NFL today!!
lol I would love to see this guy try to get penetration on today's offensive line
If Butkus played today, he'd have today's physical training, equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. He was a 6'3" 245 lb monster Then. He'd be banned from the league Now.
All linebackers are that big now. If you think Butkus is any better than Ray Lewis or other similar Mikes, then you're just living in your nostalgia
Butkus was that big THEN - without everything the guys have today . I repeat, if he had Today's training regimen, equipment, nutrition, medical/surgical knowledge and technology, playing conditions, dorks running out onto the field to give him his Gatorade sippy bottle between plays, LOL, etc, etc, etc , Please
MisterMasterShafter1 he was slow as fuck. He couldn’t catch the players of today. He could barely catch white running backs.
I made linebacker for my high school team my dad made me watch Dick Butkus plays to help me "learn" my position. Lol...good old days
Every defensive football coach on the planet. At every level, high school college and pro. Should show this highlight reel to their players. This is how you finish a tackle. None of this bump the guy and hope he falls down. Butkius was still tackling you two seconds after the play it ended. You’re not getting away from him.
Dick "The Butcher" Butkus! Greatest player in the history of the game! "Religious fervor" was a great descriptor for how he played. However, when he was on the field he was representing the Commander and Chief below, scourging the offense with Hell fire and wrath. Butkus understood that like life, it's all about the mind. He bore into heads of his opponents as he snarled like a rabid beast. He shouted horrors and obscenities that caused an involuntary tremor amongst his enemies that eroded their ability to function . Then, he would HIT! He would HIT so hard it was known by all his bite was far worse than his bark.
Dick Butkus, you were an inspiration to me as a young player. In the Pop Warner days, our defense would watch highlight reels of you on the bus for away games. The spirit you brought to the game permeated our defensive culture. We went to 5 national championships in a row...and your name was mentioned before every game. Seems like you were a gentle soul off the field. Rest in peace brother!
My heart aches…. RIP 🪦 Butkus!!! Forever best line backer
When football was a battle of giants...love this clip. Dick Butkus were the first words I spoke when I was a baby thanks to my big brother.
That's actually really cool
As soon as we learned to walk , dad taught us kids the 3 point stance and blocking. Even my sisters.
G.O.A.T. this is with out question the best linebacker in history. Just remember the NFL didn't keep sack or forced fumbles totals back in Butkus day. For one he created the forced fumble, and it could be argued he created the sack without any one knowing what to call it. His pass coverage skills were unbelievable. He had alot of ints. He could do everything. And remember the only way they stopped him was to take out his knees....and the league succeeded. So to think he dominated this much on one leg just think if he had two the whole time.
And I quote: “You are the best dam football player I have ever seen” -- George Halas on his deathbed to Butkus… that’s after seeing Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry rice, a lot of the greats.
You are exactly right sir.Blockers were so intimidated of him that they will just go low and take out his knees. They would never face him upright, he would kill them.
I can't see how he created either the forced fumble or the sack. Surely, runners had been stripped of the ball and qbs thrown for losses while attempting to pass for decades before Butkus came into the league. Some hyperbole there. One of the people talking was Deacon Jones, who came into the league in 61, 4 years before Butkus. DJ is the reason they started keeping track of sacks, because most experts agree he had well over 200 sacks, but they didn't keep track of them his whole career. He would be far and away the record holder if they had. I loved watching Butkus, he was great, don't get me wrong, but football was already going strong before his arrival.
How does one compare a wide receiver, a running back to middle linebackers. You can't compare and judge one against the other. Only position by position comparisons are accurate.
It's a lot of things the NFL doesn't recognize like the HBCU'S black Players. Put Dick Butkus on the Pittsburgh Steelers team's of the 70s and Jack Lambert on the Chicago Bears teams and Dick Butkus would have the Championship and not Jack Lambert. Fact or Fiction ?
@@makenomist8aboutit43 I agree because Butkus was on crappy teams , Lambert was additional to a defense that was already great .
When Tom Landry praises you, you know your great
That hit he had in the quick Miami clip where he drills the Dolphin and the Dolphin player’s flying body knocks over a Bears player from the force will always be my favorite.
He didn't intimidate the great Dolphins guard Larry Little in that late 60's Bears vs Dolphins exhibition game. Check it out!
@@chucklynch6523 I definitely will! I played Guard myself so it will be cool to see an unsung position getting some glory.
@@chucklynch6523 Where can I see that game?
Man, if Butkus hit someone like that today he would get a 1yr suspension!!! A true legend
Players today would be afraid to go on the field against him. .
Shit they would ask for the flag before they hit the field.
The rules of today's football protect offensive players
With the discovery and verification of CTE things had to change. I'll bet so many of those players from this era were so messed up when they retired. I have such mixed feelings as I love those crazy semi-dirty hits.
@@90whatever One would think walter payton would have gotten it playing 13 seasons and only missing one game , yet he died of a kidney issues .
That one play, going for the QB, he looked like a kid Xmas morning. Full of joy and happiness.
That's because every Sunday was Christmas to him!
Chicago's Very Own True Grit ❤️🩹 RIP LEGEND 🙏
I'm glad I was able to watch all his games like I was glad to see all of Chuck Norrises matches