Thanks for the memories.  RIP sir.

@texasag1969 said:

Butkus was arguably the best defensive player of all time. He didn't just tackle people, he ran through them such that they rarely went further forward, but almost always backwards with speed it seemed.

Yes,  I liked the 1950s, 1960s LBs that played against the Cleveland BROWNS great Jim Brown.   like Nitschke, Huff, Butkus  ...... that group kind of a love/hate deal really.   Almost liked them better when they played against other teams.   And others in the 1970s and beyond. 

Some people just like and appreciate good football and football players........  AND .... some others are just azzholes,  lol   .   They wouldn't know good football if it jumped up and bit them up their azz.   Oh well, I prefer to just ignore them,  makes life so much more enjoyable.   I can't imagine what it is like to go through  life being (or pretending to be )  a miserable high school baby.    Oh well I just go. *poof*  and they are gone.    

Moving right along, there are whole groups of good NFL players that there enjoyable to think about.   That's why in Canton, Ohio there is an  NFL Hall of Fame or do "some"  people pretend to hate them too.   Grow up already or just. *poof*  they are gone again.  ........    (Get it yet ?   )

@ghoolie-always-ghoolie said:

You probably guessed by now but I don't give a fuck about Dick Butkus. And if we're being honest neither do you assholes.

Really, let's cut through the bullshit. For all you people wanting to express solemn condolences, let me kick you in the nuts with a dose of reality. This fucktard matters so much to us that you could scour this entire board and probably not find a single fucking Dick Butkus comment. But now the cocksucker is dead and we have to be nice about it.

First there is the bullshit about how much the fans meant to him. Fuck Butkus. His family is not advertising where his funeral is, or asking people to send flowers. In fact if any of us showed up the fucker's family would have us removed or thrown in jail.

We love Butkus, so much that by the time the Buckeyes game is over we'll never mention the word Dick Butkus again. Fuck Butkus, and fuck the Bears.

If Butkus could read all these condolences, he would say to himself, "who the fuck is this idiot?"

And yet you're keeping the thread alive. LOL!?

@ghoolie-always-ghoolie said:

Fuck Butkus, and Fuck James Cahn.

Richard Marvin Butkus (December 9, 1942 – October 5, 2023) was an American football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. He played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He was invited to eight Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro six times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. He was renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in professional football history.

Butkus was born in Chicago and played his entire football career in his home state of Illinois, which began at Chicago Vocational High School. He was a linebacker and a center for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He was a twice consensus All-American, and he led the Illini to a Rose Bowl victory in 1963 and was deemed the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference. He was named college football's Lineman of the Year in 1964. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

Butkus was selected by the Bears as *the third overall pick  in the *1965 NFL Draft. He soon established himself as a ball hawk with his penchant for forcing turnovers. During his NFL career, he intercepted 22 passes and recovered 27 fumbles (a record when he retired),^[a] and he was responsible for causing many more fumbles with his jarring tackles. His tackling ability earned him both admiration and trepidation from opposing players. According to Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones, Butkus "was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital."^[1] In 2009, the NFL Network named Butkus the most feared tackler of all time.

.......  Butkus was the youngest of nine children and came from a blue-collar family of Lithuanian descent.

He began envisioning his future as a professional football player by the fifth grade, the biography reads.

“I worked hard at becoming one, just like society says you should,” Butkus said, according to his website. “It said you had to be fierce. I was fierce. Tough.”

The athlete showcased his football skills at Chicago Vocational High School and the University of Illinois before being selected with the third pick in the 1965 NFL Draft, according to the Bears’ website.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell remembered Butkus as “a fierce and passionate competitor” on Thursday.

“Dick’s intuition, toughness and athleticism made him the model linebacker whose name will forever be linked to the position and the Chicago Bears,” Goodell said.

Yes ..... he was that good.   May he RIP,  Mr  Dick  Butkus. 

@mjp28 said:

in memoriam

Dick Butkus, the Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker for the Chicago Bears, has died at the age of 80, the team announced Thursday. Butkus was "the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history," Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said.

One of NFL football players and most important players of all time.  RIP Mr Butkus

O

Sad news yesterday!   Butkus and Sayers were drafted the same year.  Both had HOF careers for the Bears with a lot of great highlights footballs fans have had the pleasure of watching.  It's hard to believe that franchise never made the playoffs during their tenures with the team.