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Overnight sleep jobs1/22/2024 ![]() “A legend of the game & part of what makes the NFL’s oldest rivalry so special. RIP my friend!” - Former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. He will be missed by all the Chicago Bear family. He played the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Nor will I forget dedicating that statue – on a brittle, windy, rainy day that was tailor-made for a ceremony celebrating the toughest man in football.” - Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman. I will never forget how touched he was when I told him he was the inaugural member of the newly formed Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame, or how emotional he became in learning that we were building a statue in his honor. ![]() I am so grateful for the time I was blessed to spend with him and for the many moments that we shared. “The friendship I formed with Dick is something I will always cherish. His deep love for Illinois football will be honored and remembered forever.” - Illinois coach Bret Bielema. Dick embodied everything that Illinois football has represented in the past and what we look to represent into the future. He was an amazing person, as well as football player, and a loyal Illini. As the head coach of his alma mater that he loved, I had the great honor to meet Dick, one of my childhood idols, last September. “I am saddened to learn of the passing of Dick Butkus, the greatest linebacker in football history. #RIPDickButkus” - Pro wrestling great Mick Foley. I grew up with a poster of Butkus on my wall, and he signed it for me on the one occasion we met. “I just learned of the passing of LB Dick Butkus. We will preserve his legacy for generations to come.” - Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dick’s wife Helen and their entire family. USA Today once called him the ‘gold standard by which other middle linebackers are measured.’ Playing in an era when middle linebacker became one of the game’s glamour positions - and several of Dick’s contemporaries also would end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - his name most often was cited first as the epitome of what it took to excel at the highest level. He established a level of production and intensity few have matched. “Near universally, Dick Butkus, a hometown hero in Chicago, was considered the person who defined the position of middle linebacker. We extend our condolences to Helen, Dick’s high school sweetheart and wife of 60 years, and their family.” - Bears chairman George McCaskey. His contributions to the game he loved will live forever and we are grateful he was able to be at our home opener this year to be celebrated one last time by his many fans. His legacy of philanthropy included a mission of ridding performance enhancing drugs from sports and promoting heart health. ![]() Dick had a gruff manner, and maybe that kept some people from approaching him, but he actually had a soft touch. ![]() When we dedicated the George Halas statue at our team headquarters, we asked Dick to speak at the ceremony, because we knew he spoke for Papa Bear. He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates. He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidentally, what George Halas looked for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership. “Dick was the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history. Reaction to the death of Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus: ![]()
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