On Thursday’s edition of “Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show,” the namesake Alabama coach provided a heartfelt message for legendary football player Dick Butkus after being informed the linebacker died on Thursday at 80 years old.
Butkus was the No. 3 overall draft pick for the Chicago Bears in the 1965 NFL Draft and is widely regarded as one of the greatest linebackers of all time. He was named first-team All-Pro five times and racked up 22 interceptions over the course of his professional career. He is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame following his three-year career for Illinois in 1962-64.
“Great player. Great person. He’s legendary,” Saban said of Butkus (via Mike Rodak of Alabama’s 247Sports site). “He was one of the guys that made the linebacker position kind of ‘the man,’ so to speak, that made the whole defense be what it is. Great competitive character, great toughness.”
REQUIRED READING: Dick Butkus dead at 80: NFL, college football pay tribute to Illinois, Chicago Bears great
Saban has rostered three Butkus Award winners at Alabama: Rolando McClain in 2009, C.J. Mosley in 2013 and Reuben Foster in 2016. The award is given to the most impactful linebacker in the game every year.
Saban was also complimentary of Butkus in that he sat down with each of McClain, Mosley and Foster when they won his namesake award:
“[He] Sat down with every player and gave them the [Butkus] Award and spoke with them, spent time with them,” Saban said. “I thought that was fantastic.”
Butkus played out his collegiate career at Illinois, winning the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player and the American Football Coaches Association Player of the Year in 1964. The former Fighting Illini center and linebacker was a two-time consensus All-America selection in…
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