Butkus...dead at 80.

[Ike Bana]

Back when I was in my early 20's and a professional sports fan, I went to a JC for a couple of years in downtown Chicago, just around the corner from the old Bears offices on Madison St. On the Monday mornings before each home game, standing room tickets at Wrigley went on sale at the offices and we would walk over and buy our tickets for Sunday. In 1966-67 we rarely missed a Bears home game, standing behind the grandstand seats on the third base line side.

In 1965 the bears had two rookies who were IMHO the best players in their positions in the history of the NFL...running back Gayle Sayers and middle linebacker Dick Butkus...you can have Lambert and even Ray Lewis, Butkus was the best of them.

Watching Butkus there at Wrigley, terrorizing opposing offenses for those two years was one of the most remarkable sports experiences of my life.

Rest easy...you animal.

[Dondilion]

Rest in peace, Mr. Butkus.

[Ike Bana]

I saw Butkus play for the first time when our high schools met in the Chicago Public League football playoffs in 1960.