Illinois to honor Dick Butkus with statue at new football center

Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus will forever be enshrined as one of the greatest players to don a University of Illinois football uniform.

Illinois announced Monday that it plans to honor the legendary Bears linebacker with a bronze statue outside its newly constructed football performance center.

Athletic Director Josh Whitman said the university is excited to celebrate Butkus’ legacy.

“Dick Butkus is the greatest defensive player in the history of football, and he embodies the identity of the Illinois football program,” Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. “His toughness was legendary. His competitiveness was unparalleled. And, his Illini pride is without peer.”

Illinois alum George Lundeen will create the Butkus statue and plans to have it finished in time for the 2019 football season.

Butkus played three season at Illinois and completed his college career with 374 tackles. He recorded 97 tackles in 1962, 145 in 1963 and 132 in 1964. As a senior and team captain, Butkus helped the Illini defeat the University of Washington in the 1964 Rose Bowl. He was named Illinois’ most valuable player for the second consecutive season.

Butkus, an eight-time Pro Bowl participant, recorded 22 interceptions and had 25 fumble recoveries over his nine seasons with the Bearz.

Before attending college, Butkus played football at Vocational High School, where he made 70 percent of his team’s tackles as a linebacker. That’s why the Sun-Times honored Butkus as Chicago’s high school player of the year in 1959.

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