Chicago Bears legend, NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus dead at 80
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus has died at 80 years old, the team said Thursday.
Butkus was a middle linebacker for the Bears from 1965 to 1973. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1979.
Butkus was a first-team All-Pro selection five times and made the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine seasons before knee injuries forced his retirement at age 31.
Following his football career, Butkus was also sports commentator and acted in TV shows, movies and commercials.
Former Bear and fellow linebacker, Lance Briggs, remembered Buktus as one of the fiercest in the sport's history.
Bears fans watching Thursday night's game against the Washington Commanders paid tribute to the late legendary linebacker, who spent his career exclusively with the Bears.
Patrick Cullen, a life-long Bears fan, remembered how he first fell in love with his home team, watching Bears great Dick Butkus defend their home turf.
"Being a Chicago native, my dad, at a very young age, started taking my brother and I to the Bears game," Cullen said. "He'd run through a cement wall if he had a chance to. He was a brick."
Cullen and many other fans are reflecting on the legacy that the Pro Football Hall of Famer leaves behind.
"What a heartbreaking loss for not only Chicago, the city, the fans, the NFL," Cullen said. "He was nothing but a Chicago icon."
One lucky Bears fan watching Thursday night's game at Old Town's Black Barrel Live will get to take home a piece of that legacy from a jersey giveaway.
"I grew up watching the Bears as a big Bears fan so he was really, really important to me so it's sad to see him go," Black Barrel Live owner Terry Psaltakis said.
The restaurant and bar owner is giving away an autographed Dick Butkus jersey to honor the life of the Bears icon.
"Now that he's gone maybe he can sprinkle a little fairy dusty to see if we can do any better this season," Psaltakis said.
Butkus was also a Fighting Illini alumus. The University of Illinois has asked people to leave flowers by his statue on campus.
The Chicago Blackhawks also paused to honor Butkus before their game Thursday night.
Mayor Brandon Johnson also offered his condolences, calling Butkus "a son of Chicago, who embodied the strength and the tenacity of his hometown with every snap he played on the gridiron."
The Bear's faithful all commented on the immense impact Butkus had on the team in building up its fan base and how he will live on in the NFL and Chicago's history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
