OT Dick Butkus.
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Been a Bears fan all my life. IMO Butkus, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton and Bronco Nagurski are the Mt. Rushmore of the franchise. Butkus was a man's man, back when football was about hitting people, and hitting them so hard they didn't get up again. He was fun to watch. An absolute mauler. Deacon Jones once said of how Butkus played: “Every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital.” Butkus didn't earn squat playing in the NFL, but did pretty well for himself making TV commercials and movies after he retired from the NFL. He actually had an underrated sense of comedic timing, sort of like Peyton Manning.
RIP, Dick.
RIP, Dick.
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Your Packers had a pretty good one in the middle with No. 66, Ray Nitschke. Many years ago I sat next to Ray on a plane flight. I tried not to bother him, but eventually we got talking about the Packers/Bears rivalry, about which he had some funny stories. He was a nice guy. Not anything like the fire-breathing dragon he was on the field.
What I remember most about meeing Nitschke was looking at his hands when he rested them in the armrest. One, they were huge. Two, all of his fingers were gnarled and seemed to go every which way. Holy crap! He must have broken every finger multiple times. Kind of made me understand many years later why so many of the old greats became so hobbled in their old age. Butkus was the same way. He retired at 34 because his knees were shot. By the age of 54 he could barely walk. Because of the old guys modern players enjoy a decent pension plan and health insurance. The old guys were gladiators. Let them play until they go out on their shield.
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Watching some of his playing day’s highlights, he sure looked like a giant human being. He was physically tough and boy did he play that way. Is he the toughest man to play football? To me, he looks like a OT playing linebacker.
Butkus and Payton doing Oklahoma drill in heaven right now
He played at 6'3"and 245-250 lbs. That would be an average sized LB by today's standards, but he was as big or bigger than most offensive linemen when he played, so he looked enormous. He was the "monster" of the Monsters of the Midway. I'll have to spend some time on YouTube tonight taking a trip down memory lane. One of my favorite memories of Butkus was when he was at the bottom of a scrum trying to recover a fumble, and when the referee reached down into the pile to try and pry the ball out, Butkus bit his hand. They asked him later why he did it, and he said that when someone pushes his hand through your face mask, you bite it. That was how he played.
I met Nitschke, too. After we finished talking, I slapped him on the shoulder and thought I had just struck a bronze statue. I, too, remember his mangled fingers.
I got to see only one Packers-Bears game. It was at Soldier Field in November, '71, I think. Devine coached the Packers who had John Brockington as their running back. Butkus was already hobbled by injuries at that time. but I can remember some colossal collisions between him and Brockington.
Never saw him play but watched some highlights. He really looked like he was trying to hurt people lol. Several plays he looked like he was trying to twist the running back's head off. Definitely a different era. Him and LT were probably the 2 best defensive players ever.
I don't agree with you on that. Maybe in college but not the NFL.
According to one site, today the average NFL LB is 6'2-1/4" and 240 lbs. That is pretty close to what Butkus played at. But when Butkus played in the 1960s the average NFL offensive lineman was 6'3" and 250 lbs. That is what Butkus played at. So he was a "monster" for his day, and when you watch film of Butkus he just swallowed people up. It is also important to remember that when Butkus played the NFL was all about great running backs. Passing was kind of an afterthought. The middle linebacker position was way more important than it is in today's game. Now great defenses are all about edge rushers and lockdown CBs.
Average Height and Weight of an NFL Linebacker in 2023
I've been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the NFL. It helped give
hortonbarbell.com
Ummm they didn’t lift weights back then. Dick lived in the Valley. His son played at SC. And is good friends with one of my best friends who also played at SC. I not only met him but hung out with him at his house more than once. He had an old weight set in his garage. He said and I quote “ I wish we had weight training programs back in my day. Might have saved my knees” He was a kind affable guy. But a monster on the field. Ultimate switch guy. Withbtidays workout programs he would have been 20-30 pounds heavier.I don't agree with you on that. Maybe in college but not the NFL.
According to one site, today the average NFL LB is 6'2-1/4" and 240 lbs. That is pretty close to what Butkus played at. But when Butkus played in the 1960s the average NFL offensive lineman was 6'3" and 250 lbs. That is what Butkus played at. So he was a "monster" for his day, and when you watch film of Butkus he just swallowed people up. It is also important to remember that when Butkus played the NFL was all about great running backs. Passing was kind of an afterthought. The middle linebacker position was way more important than it is in today's game. Now great defenses are all about edge rushers and lockdown CBs.
Average Height and Weight of an NFL Linebacker in 2023
I've been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the NFL. It helped give
Butkus just looks like a monster, the biggest man on the field. OL look small next to him. Best middle linebacker ever. I think so. Second best linebacker behind LT.
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