If you were like me, a kid growing up on the National Football League (NFL) of the late 1960s and early 1970s, you know “celebrity” status for footballers was generally reserved for the “rock star” quarterbacks like Joe Namath. But there was a guy who made those celebrities lay awake at night in fear of facing him on Sunday.

The source of that fear was the principal “Monster of the Midway,” Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus. Take a good look at that picture above. It’s not hard to why he earned nicknames such as “The Enforcer,” “The Animal,” and “The Maestro of Mayhem.” Imagine a quarterback being under center knowing the minute the ball touches your hands, that guy is coming at you like a 6″3″, 245-pound tornado of cleats shoulder pads over a core a unbridled rage with the sole intention of separating your from your consciousness…if not your whole head entirely.

For my money, you can keep your “celebrity” quarterbacks; Butkus was the face of football in this era. You can debate this all you want, but one thing that is inarguable is Butkus’ place in any Top Ten list of greatest football players. Simply put, the term “linebacker” didn’t really describe what Butkus did on the gridiron, but the NFL does not have a positional designation for “one-man wrecking crew.”

Butkus was the original “complete package” at the linebacker spot. Not only was he a ferocious tackler, he was the prototypical “ball hawk” in pass coverage. Don’t take my word for it, just look for yourself (the link takes you to YouTube, but it’s worth the watch…). The bottom line is Butkus was the most dominant defensive player the NFL has ever seen. If that weren’t enough, he would have made a damn good tight end.

Butkus also is the perfect embodiment for this blog with it’s combination of sports and entertainment. Not only was Butkus one of the greats ever to step on a football field, he also has a rather impressive IMDB page; it’s much more that being a “football guy” in “football-flavored stuff” (although there is a fair amount of that as well).

As for the man behind the legend, Butkus, was born to Lithuanian immigrant parents in Chicago on December 9, 1942. He played college football at the University of Illinois where he was an All-American twice as a linebacker. The Chicago Bears drafted Butkus in the first-round in 1965; he played for them until his retirement in 1973. During that time, Butkus earned All-Pro honors seven times. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979; his first year of eligibility.

RIP, Richard Marvin” “Dick” Butkus.  As long as there is football, it will be filled with the folklore of the mythic figures that made it what it is. But even if football lasts until the end of time, there will never be another Dick Butkus.

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