R.I.P. Dick Butkus, NFL star and actor
Butkus, one of the most powerful defensive players in NFL history, had a long and successful second career as a performer
Aux News Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus has died. One of the most celebrated defensive players in NFL history, Butkus also had a notable career as an actor, appearing in more than 50 projects in the 1970s, ’80s, and beyond. Famous for the absolute brutality of his tackles, Butkus later turned to philanthropy, in addition to his work as an actor, celebrity spokesperson, and sports commentator. Per Variety, he died on Thursday, with his death confirmed by the Chicago Bears, the team he played with for many years. Butkus was 80.
A Chicago native, Butkus was a football star in high school and college well before he ever joined the NFL, setting tackling records in pretty much every league he ever played in. Once dubbed “The Most Feared Man In The Game” by Sports Illustrated, Butkus was notorious for hitting opponent players harder, and more conclusively, than anyone else in the NFL; by the end of his career in 1974, he was credited with more than 1,000 tackles across eight years of professional play, and was notorious for stripping the ball from the players he hit. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 1979, the first year he was eligible for the honor.
Meanwhile, Butkus had also begun to branch out into more performative arts—including a long and lucrative sideline as a pitchman, making him, among other things, one of the first celebrities to do a commercial in the midst of football and TV ads’ biggest day, the Super Bowl, in 1970. Most notably, he had a long partnership with fellow former NFL star Bubba Smith, with the duo poking fun at their tough-as-nails images with a series of ads for Miller Lite. (A few years later, they’d re-team for the one regular gig of Butkus’ acting career, short-lived helicopter action series Blue Thunder, which also starred an extremely young Dana Carvey.)
As an actor (a career that kicked off with an appearance as himself in 1971's Brian’s Song) Butkus was never the most nuanced performer—but, then, he didn’t really need to be. As a genuine tough guy Chicago type (of the sort worshiped, and embodied, by Saturday Night Live’s “Da Bears” crew, which often invoked him by name), Butkus was already halfway to caricature, while also being possessed of a natural charisma and warmth that helped him maintain a career as a character actor well into the 2010s. Whether on Macgyver, Magnum, P.I., Matlock, or more, you went to Dick Butkus to get “a Dick Butkus type”—and got him. Meanwhile, he also busied himself as a sports commentator, and a philanthropist; the Butkus Foundation continues to disperse funds and prizes for a number of charitable causes to this day.
Butkus reportedly died in his sleep earlier today in Malibu. He is survived by three sons, and Helen, his wife of 60 years.
32 Comments
RIP to the man with one of the funniest names in sports
He and Dick Trickle are doing unspeakable things with the angels now.
Rusty Kuntz is filming.
The Double Dicks.
Former Congressman Tom Lantos had two daughters, and ended up with a son-in-law named Timber Dick, and another one named Dick Schwett.
Thats a lot of dick.
(through racking sobs) His name sounded like “Dick Buttkiss”… (cries uncontrollably)
Yeah I know he’s reportedly dead but I’d be careful if I were you.
I wonder if that was one of the reasons he was so tough.A Boy Named Sue sort of thing.
And he said, “Son, this world is rough
And if a man’s gonna make it, he’s gotta be tough
I knew I wouldn’t be there to help you along
So I give you that name, and I said goodbye
And I knew you’d have to get tough or die
It’s that name that helped to make you strong”He said, “Now you just fought one heck of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right to kill me now
And I wouldn’t blame you if you do
But you ought to thank me, before I die
For the gravel in ya gut and the spit in ya eye
‘Cause I’m the son of a bitch that named you Sue”
Noted cricketers Ashfaq Afridi and Dikshit Patel beg to differ.
See, this is why Billy Birmingham retired.
nobody cares about cricket.
And the inspiration for one of TV’s most underrated weird alien children – Dick Butkus from The Neighbors, son of Larry Bird and Jackie Joyner-Kersee:
My favorite Brian’s Song Butkus scene was a quote while he was offscreen.
Assistant coach: Piccolo, you bone-headed spaghetti eater, that was Fake Draw Screen Right. What the hell do you do on Fake Draw Screen Right?
Brian Piccolo: Well, on uh, Fake Draw Screen Right I uh, pick
up the linebacker if he’s comin, ‘less of course it’s Butkus, then I
simply notify the quarterback to send for a preacher.
Brian’s Song trickled its way down to my health (“health”) class in the very late 90’s. Kids today are almost certainly missing out; their meatheaded homophobe teachers, to take a break for a while, aren’t showing them the achingly sincere 70’s TV movie love story about two guys being dudes.
Dick Butkiss? That’s not even a challenge
how remarkably original of you.
Those old NFL players hanging out drinking beers commercials were fantastic. Love the one used here, with everyone in the bar laughing at how ignorant Smith and Butkus were until they shot quick looks around the room and shut them up.And I’m sure everyone remembers what Rocky’s bulldog’s name was. When a man that tough names his dog after someone, you know he’s the real deal.
As a non-NFL fan living in the UK, I’m thrilled that after 18 years I finally understand Steve Martin’s line in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 about his grandchild’s potential name.
I love those old NFL Films clips of him just being an absolute beast on the field. Kind of like watching a lion taking out gazelles.
He was so good he scared a player to death.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_HughesOk, no he didn’t. He was just the closest player to Chuck when he had a heart attack.
He was my favorite character in The Neighbors.
Keith Olbermann has some very complimentary things to say about Butkus on his podcast today. Butkus seems like the kind of guy who nobody has anything bad to say, except for the players on opposing teams, and even then, it was professional rivalry, not personal.
I don’t think any athlete in the world would care that Olbermann said something complimentary about them.
You’d be quite wrong.
I saw how he celebrated Aaron Rodgers’ injury. That’s low.
It’s sad. He used to be cool. Now he’s just a bitter old man, desperately crying out for attention from a world that’s passed him by.It sounds like he hates almost everybody he ever worked with, including Maddow, and he’s trying to use all that bile to get noticed.
Most Olbermann obits are about all the nice things the famous dead person said about him, now that they can’t deny it.
I just think of it started a few years ago of when people would interview Dan Patrick they would ask him about the relationship, and Dan always tried to be polite at first and said they were just coworkers. Then after years of people being dumbfounded that oh these guys who defined 2 person Sports Center weren’t friends would ask Patrick why, and he finally had to say “because Keith is an asshole”
they’d re-team for the one regular gig of Butkus’ acting career, short-lived helicopter action series Blue ThunderDoesn’t “My Two Dads” count as a regular gig? I liked “My Two Dads.”
He was a regular in seasons 1&2, but was written out in season 3.
Ohhhh. I bow to your My Two Dads knowledge.
I’ll have to see if that 80s Legend of Sleepy Hollow adaptation with Jeff Goldblum is streaming anywhere. Oh, and Hamburger: The Motion Picture, of course.