Dick Butkus Obituary; Fearsome Hall Of Fame Linebacker, Is Dead at 80

Dick Butkus, a Hall of Fame middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears throughout the 1960s and 1970s who was also chosen for the N.F.L.’s 100th anniversary all-time squad, passed away on Thursday in his Malibu, California, home. He was 80. The Bears confirmed the death but did not give the cause.

He was both hard hitting against the run and fleet-footed in foiling pass plays in his eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He later took up acting.

Butkus stuffed running plays up the middle despite being a good size for his day at 6 feet 3 inches and 245 pounds. Additionally, he was quick and agile enough to move around and intercept opponents’ pass plays. He was selected for the Pro Bowl eight times and was named to the first team of All-Pros five times. In 1979, the year he first became eligible, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After quitting football, Butkus went into theater. He played a tennis player who discussed the beer’s strongest point with Bubba Smith, a former outstanding defensive end for the Baltimore Colts, in one of a series of Miller Lite television commercials that featured sports. The series’ main talking point was always, “Tastes Great! Less Filling!”