Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears legend and iconic NFL linebacker, dies at 80

Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus, perhaps the greatest middle linebacker to ever suit up in the NFL, has died at the age of 80, the team announced via a statement from his family.

The Butkus family said the Pro Football Hall of Famer "died peacefully in his sleep overnight at home in Malibu, California."

"Dick Butkus was a fierce and passionate competitor who helped define the linebacker position as one of the NFL’s all-time greats," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Dick’s intuition, toughness and athleticism made him the model linebacker whose name will forever be linked to the position and the Chicago Bears."

Butkus patrolled the middle for the Monsters of the Midway for nine seasons, stuffing the stat sheet and striking fear into the hearts of opponents in the process. A five-time first team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Butkus was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-1960s and All-1970s teams and was inducted as a player in 1979.

He was a Chicago legend through-and-through — Butkus was born in the city and became a college football legend at Illinois before he was selected by the Bears with the third overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft. His impact was immediate as he intercepted five passes and recorded seven fumble recoveries, both career highs, while earning his first All-Pro honor. He continued to shine from there. Butkus retired in May 1974 after nine seasons, hastened by a 1970 knee injury, finishing his career with 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries.

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"Dick was the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history," Bears chairman George H. McCaskey said in a statement. "He was Chicago’s son. He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidently, what (longtime Bears owner and coach) George Halas looked for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership. He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates."

Forced fumbles and even total tackle information is unavailable from that era, but Butkus' impact can be measured by the esteem he was held in by media and his peers. NFL Films once named Butkus the most feared tackler of all time.

Dick Butkus' legacy:Chicago Bears great was brutal, fierce and mean on the field. He was the NFL.

"I want to just let (players) know that they've been hit, and when they get up they don't have to look to see who (it) was that hit them," Butkus said in 1969.

Said longtime teammate Ed O'Bradovich of the man: “Just to hit people wasn’t good enough. He loved to crush people.”

Butkus used to "manufacture things to make me mad" in pregame warmups, the Hall of Fame relayed. “If someone on the other team was laughing, I'd pretend he was laughing at me or the Bears. It always worked for me," Butkus said.

"Dick had a gruff manner, and maybe that kept some people from approaching him, but he actually had a soft touch," McCaskey said. "His legacy of philanthropy included a mission of ridding performance enhancing drugs from sports and promoting heart health. 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."

Butkus went on to appear in a number of movies and TV shows following his retirement, including the motion picture "Any Given Sunday" and most notably on NBC sitcoms "Hang Time" and "My Two Dads."

Dick Butkus wasn't just a Bears legend:He became a busy actor after football.

In 1985 the Butkus Award was established, honoring the top linebacker in college football. Since 2008, Butkus' foundation has overseen the award, with the best high school and NFL linebackers also honored.

"Near universally, Dick Butkus, a hometown hero in Chicago, was considered the person who defined the position of middle linebacker," Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said in a statement. "He established a level of production and intensity few have matched. 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."

A moment of silence was held for Butkus before Thursday night's game between the Washington Commanders and the Bears.

Contributing: Associated Press