He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates.”īutkus inherited the middle linebacker job from Bill George, a Hall of Famer credited with popularizing the position in the NFL. “He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidentally, what George Halas looked for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership. “He was Chicago’s son,” Bears chairman George McCaskey, Halas’ grandson, said in a statement. The Bears also added future Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers to the roster that year with another first-round pick. 9, 1942 as the youngest of eight children, he grew up on the city’s South Side as a fan of the Chicago Cardinals, the Bears’ crosstown rivals.īut after being drafted in the first round in 1965 by both the Bears and Denver Broncos (at the time, a member of the now-defunct American Football League), Butkus chose to remain in Chicago and play for NFL founder and coach George Halas.
He was a star linebacker, fullback and kicker at Chicago Vocational High who went on to play at the University of Illinois. Butkus was the rare pro athlete who played his entire career close to home.