Patriots Country

New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Remembers Chicago Bears Icon Dick Butkus

"That was great to get to meet him, talk to him, spend a little bit of time with him, ton of respect for Dick, his play style, what he did for the game," New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.

Jeremy Brener

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The NFL world is in mourning after Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus passed away on Thursday evening. He was 80 years old.

Butkus was the No. 3 overall pick by the Bears in 1965 and spent all nine seasons of his career in Chicago, forming one of the best linebacker careers in NFL history.

He received many accolades throughout his career, including two Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1969 and 1970 and a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 1979 on his first year of eligibility.

Butkus retired in 1974 at age 31 due to injury, one year before New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick landed his first job in the NFL as a special assistant on the Baltimore Colts coaching staff.

Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus (51) in action at Busch Stadium.
Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus (51) in action at Busch Stadium / Herb Weitman-USA TODAY Sports

A few years ago, Belichick interacted with Butkus at an NFL 100 honoree event and the two shared a lasting memory.

"I got to spend a little bit of time with him at the NFL 100, the Super Bowl in Miami when they introduced us, spent a little time with him down there," Belichick said. "That was great to get to meet him, talk to him, spend a little bit of time with him, ton of respect for Dick, his play style, what he did for the game."

Shortly before the Thursday Night Football contest between the Bears and Washington Commanders earlier in the week, a moment of silence was held for Butkus. It's expected that the rest of the NFL will honor Butkus again as the rest of Week 5 continues.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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