"To play this game -- and I've always said this -- you have to have a Neanderthal gene. Butkus had two," says former Chicago Bears teammate Doug Buffone on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.

Over the past seven years, two Georgia players have won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. First-year starter Jalon Walker just made it three in eight years. On Wednesday ...

where Dick Butkus not only played but set an enduring standard for the linebacker position by becoming one of the most feared and respected players in football history,” Illinois athletic ...

Since 1985, the Butkus Award has signified the nation’s top linebacker. This year, the award ceremony returned to Champaign, the place of the Butkus name became legend. The chance to host this year’s ...

For the first time, Illinois is hosting the ceremony for the Butkus Award ... to remember Dick and also celebrate some great football players." What would No. 50 think if he saw the award being ...

It is possible that Dick Butkus ... player. In 1963, his junior year, he made 145 tackles and caused 10 fumbles in leading Illinois to the Big Ten championship, a No. 3 ranking and a 17-7 victory ...

The chance to host this year’s ceremony a great way for Illini athletics to honor one of the greatest players in program history. “Dick (Butkus ... and Bobby bent over backwards to bring ...