By Paul Wickham Schmidt
Courtside Sports Special
Oct. 7, 2023
It was a different football era. Powerful running backs like Jim Brown (Browns), Jim Taylor (Packers), and Gayle Sayers (Bears) dominated the offenses. Quarterbacks threw strategically and relatively sparingly, by todayâs standards. (Packer Hall of Famer, Bart Starr, one of the best ever to play the position, averaged fewer than 20 pass attempts/game during his career. Some of todayâs top QBs throw more than that by halftime!) 300 pounders were almost unheard of, on either side of the ball (today, most major college teams average over 300 pounds âup front.â)
The defenses were dominated by tough middle linebackers. Guys with names like Ray Nitschke (Packers), Sam Huff (Giants/Washington), and âCousin Joeâ (actually no relation) Schmidt (Lions). Today, most fans probably canât name their own teamâs starting middle linebacker, let alone their opponentâs. Thereâs really no current NFL counterpart, on either side of the ball, to the âfearsome, dominant middle linebackerâ of the circa 1960âs NFL!
There was one middle linebacker that every fan knew: Dick Butkus of the Bears â the toughest of the tough, the meanest of the mean, the nastiest of the nasty, the baddest of the bad!Â
Growing up as a Wisconsin kid steeped in the Packers-Bears rivalry, the NFLâs oldest, Butkus was the âvillain you loved to hate.â But, there was no denying his greatness and his impact on the game. The legendary Packer coach Vince Lombardi and his team had great respect for Butkus. “Butkus, hell, we used to put three people on him and still couldn’t block him,” said former Packer Dave âHawgâ Hanner. https://www.packers.com/news/packers-had-total-respect-for-the-legendary-dick-butkus.
Known on the field for his brawn, Butkus was also brainy. Although slowed by injuries at the end of his career, he retired young with his marbles and most of his essential body parts still intact. Like his great rival Jim Brown, Butkus went on to a successful career as an actor and tv personality. He became symbolic of the Bearsâ franchise and the city of Chicago.
Farewell to Butkus â âDa baddest of da big bad Bears!â Thanks for the rivalries, memories, and excellence!Â
You can read Mike Freemanâs retrospective on Butkusâs life and career in USA Today here:
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PWS
10-07-23
This was a fine and very apt tribute to Dick Butkus. I remember all of those â60s stars very well. Thanks for passing it along⊠My rating: 5 stars. Roxane KS
Thanks, Roxanne!
DPF!
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