Dick Butkus, the hard-hitting Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker who starred for his hometown Chicago Bears before his outgoing personality earned him popularity in television and film acting, has died at the age of 80, the team announced Thursday.
In a statement released through the Bears, Butkus’ family said he “died peacefully in his sleep overnight” at his home in Malibu, California.
Butkus’ name has become synonymous with the violent side of football: fear and intimidation. Butkus was also synonymous with greatness at middle linebacker, and in many ways the NFL itself.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 5, 2023
Butkus was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. It was an easy pick, because it’s hard to imagine writing the history of the game without Butkus.
“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.”
