The Champaign Room · Oct 5, 2023
REPORT: Illinois legend Dick Butkus dies at 80
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesIllinois Football legend Dick Butkus has died at 80 years old, first reported by TMZ Sports.
Butkus, who played at Illinois from 1962-64, is among the greatest college football players of all time and considered to be one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history.
A. native of Chicago, Butkus was a linebacker and center for the Illini before playing his entire professional career with the Bears, where he was invited to eight Pro Bowls and named a First-Team All-Pro six times.
Butkus was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and his number 50 hangs on the press box at Memorial Stadium.