Former Bears, Illinois linebacker Dick Butkus' football career
No. 23 Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will conclude its 2025 football season in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl. The Vols will face Illinois (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) on Dec. 30.
Kickoff between the Vols and Fighting Illini is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. ESPN will televise the first meeting between the two schools all time.
Dick Butkus, a Chicago, Illinois native, played linebacker for Illinois from 1962-64. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Butkus was a three-time All-Big Ten player, earning first-team honors (1963-64) and claiming second-team honors in 1962.
He was named Sporting News Player of the Year in 1964, winning UPI Lineman of the Year the same season. The former linebacker was Unanimous All-America (1963) and Consensus All-America (1964). Butkus was named a First-Team AP All-Time All-American in 2025. His jersey No. 50 is retired by Illinois.
Following his collegiate career, he was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 1965 NFL draft (No. 3 overall). The former Fighting Illini played for the Bears from 1965-73.
Butkus was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was a two-time NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1969-70). He was also an eight-time Pro Bowl (1965-72) selection, a five-time First-Team All-Pro (1965, 1968-70, 1972). Butkus was named Second-Team All-Pro three times (1966-67, 1971).
He is a member of both the NFL All-Decade Teams for the 1960s and 1970s. Butkus was also named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. His jersey No. 51 is retired by the Bears. Butkus, who died in 2023, was also named one of the 100 Greatest Bears of All-Time.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: A look back at the career of Illinois, Bears' linebacker Dick Butkus
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