On the Passing of Dick Butkus

I am an oddity (obviously in more ways than just this 😉 ) in that, being raised in the Chicago area, I was a Bear fan from the early ‘60’s until the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s before becoming a Packer fan.  (Perhaps being a glutton for punishment — I was also then a Cub fan — I transferred my allegiance to the Green and Gold as the Bears of Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, and Mike Singletary were ascending and Green Bay, floundering after the departure of Head Coach Vince Lombardi, had become the backest of NFL backwaters.)

This is to note the passing of Dick Butkus, the most feared defensive player of his era and arguably any era.  Since more Packer than Bear fans read these notes, here’s a fact of which some may not be aware:  in the 1965 NFL draft — not the ballyhooed affair that exists today — the Bears had the third and fourth picks in the first round, and chose Mr. Butkus with the third pick, and Kansas halfback Gayle Sayers with the fourth.  Although my knowledge of baseball has become dated, I obviously remain conversant with the NFL, and in my view Mr. Sayers (before he was injured in 1968), who passed away in 2020, still remains, after all these years, the best pure running back I have ever seen (with honorable mention to Barry Sanders 🙂 ).  I am sure that there are all sorts of pundits who rate which NFL teams have had the best drafts over these many decades; I am pretty confident that no team has ever had a better draft than the Bears in 1965.

In 1965 season, the Bears – as they did every year for decades while they shared Wrigley Field with the Cubs – played their first three games on the road, and started 0-3, including a loss to Mr. Lombardi’s Packers.  As I recall, at that point Bears Owner and Head Coach George Halas began to rely more heavily on Mr. Sayers.  Riding Mr. Butkus’ leadership on defense and Mr. Sayers’ skills as halfback and return man, the team went 9-2 the rest of the way (9-5 overall, including a 21-point victory over the Packers.)  Although Green Bay, by virtue of its 10 wins, proceeded on to the NFL title, by the end of that regular season it was Chicago, not Green Bay, that was the proverbial team “nobody wants to play.”

I recall an anecdote to the effect that legendary Green Bay linebacker Ray Nitschke was once asked by a teammate, “Have you ever seen anyone who hit as hard as you?”  Mr. Nitschke reportedly immediately replied, “Butkus.  Butkus hit harder.”

The news of Mr. Butkus’ passing has made me a Bear fan again, if only for a moment.

Requiescat in pace, No. 51.