Dick Butkus is known well as an American football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. But how much do you know about his family?
We will discuss details of Dick Butkus siblings in this write-up.
Who is Dick Butkus?
Dick Butkus was born in Chicago as the youngest of eight children, but the first to be born in a hospital. He was a very large baby, weighing 13 pounds 6 ounces (6.1 kg) at birth.
His father John was a Lithuanian immigrant to Ellis Island who spoke broken English and was an electrician and worked for the Pullman-Standard railroad car manufacturing company. His mother, Emma, worked 50 hours a week at a laundry.
Butkus grew up in the Roseland neighbourhood on Chicago’s South Side. He was a fan of the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League(NFL) and attended their games at Comiskey Park. His older brother Ron played football for three colleges and tried out for the Cardinals before quitting due to a bad knee. For four years starting at age 15, Butkus worked with his four brothers as a mover.
Dick Butkus Death, What Happened to Dick Butkus?
Dick Butkus died in his sleep at his home in Malibu, California, on October 5, 2023. He was 80 years of age before his death. He started battling health issues when he suffered Injuries sustained during Dick Butkus’s playing career compounded with time. He had his knee replaced with a metal unit. An osteotomy left him with one leg 1.5 inches shorter than the other, which affected his hips, back, and neck. Around 2002, nerve damage in his spine caused him to develop foot drop.
He lost strength in his hands, needing both to lift a coffee cup. Still, Butkus maintained that football had a largely positive impact on his life, and that its benefits should not be overlooked.
In August 2001, Butkus underwent quintuple bypass surgery to remove blockages in his arteries. After the surgery, he co-authored a book titled The OC Cure For Heart Disease with Lawrence J. Santora, the doctor who performed the procedure.
Who Are Dick Butkus Parents?
Born into a family of 8, it means Dick Butkus has seven siblings. However only four of Dick Butkus brothers are known to the public and they are Ronald, Donald, David, and John. There is no details about who Dick Butkus sisters are.
A Look Into Dick Butkus Career
Dick Butkus was the third overall selection of the 1965 NFL Draft, taken by the Chicago Bears, and also in the second round of the 1965 AFL draft by the Denver Broncos of the American Football League. After several days of recruiting by both the teams and leagues, his decision to sign with the Bears was viewed as a major victory for the NFL.
Although the Bears offered him less money than the Broncos, playing for his hometown team and coach George Halas was more enticing.
In 1966, Butkus was named the second-team middle linebacker on the All-Pro teams of the AP, UPI, Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), and New York Daily News, with each selector placing him behind Ray Nitschke of the Green Bay Packers. He reclaimed the first-team spot on the UPI and NEA teams in 1967, the AP team in 1968, and the Daily News team in 1969, all of which he occupied through the 1970 season. Butkus scored the first points of his career in 1969, when he tackled Steelers’ quarterback Dick Shiner in the end zone for a safety on November 9. He also recorded 25 tackles in the game, and for his efforts was recognized as the NFL Defensive Player of the Week by the AP.
