He was the unique Monster of the Midway.
One in every of the best linebackers and Chicago Bears of all time, Dick Butkus had a life only he could live.
From historic Soldier Field all of the strategy to Hollywood, Butkus was one in all one.
While the Hall of Famer passed away in October 2023 on the age of 80, his legend stays as tall today because it did when he was the most effective defensive player within the NFL for nearly a decade from 1965-1973.
As beloved as he’s within the Windy City, there was a little bit of turbulence at one point between Butkus and his beloved Bears.
Back in 1974, Butkus sued his team for $1.6million for breach of contract after suffering a serious knee injury that ultimately forced him into an early retirement on the age of 31.
The Latest York Times was the primary to report it, saying: “Butkus, who suffered a severe knee injury in a game last November, charged in his Circuit Court suit in Chicago that the club management didn’t provide him with the medical and hospital care it had promised in a five‐yr contract he signed last July 13.
“The suit added that extensive injections of cortisone and other drugs caused irreparable damage to Butkus’s knee and that the treatments were made without advising Butkus of the long‐term effects of the drugs.
“Although Butkus’s annual salary under the terms of the contract is $115,000, the suit, filed by James A. Dooley, asked $600,000 in compensatory damages, plus $1‐million in punitive damages.”
The grievance was eventually decided out of court, and the connection between the franchise and its legendary player was repaired through the years.
After Butkus’ football profession got here to a sudden end, he found one other surprising second wind in an unlikely place.
Hollywood, California.
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Butkus became an actor, starring in several movies, television shows and commercials, often as himself.
He appeared in movies resembling The Longest Yard, Johnny Dangerously and Hamburger: The Motion Picture.
IMDb has Butkus listed as having 62 acting appearances to his credit from 1971 until 2014.
Butkus make clear his acting profession in an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 1998, revealing that his work with fellow former NFL player, Bubba Smith, helped him tremendously.
“I used to be anxious about making a mistake, because people would say, ‘He’s only a football player,’ so I used to be harder on myself to do it right,” Butkus said.
“Then I learned from the Miller Lite commercials, ‘Who cares should you blow a line?’ It doesn’t matter should you do it in a single take or 100 takes, if I can do it higher every time.
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“The top result’s what people see.
“Working with Bubba, I used to be capable of add things with facial gestures and stuff… I could play off him and add something.
“It didn’t matter if I got the laugh.”
While Butkus doesn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he does have a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio.
Yet his acting profession was still nothing to scoff at. That is how successful each of his wildly different careers were.
From a football helmet to a call sheet, Butkus was one in all a form and stays one of the legendary figures the game has ever seen.
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