Anyone who grew up watching NFL games or highlight clips in the 1960s and ’70s saw plenty of Dick Butkus. The prototypical middle linebacker, he combined size (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) with incredible instincts and brute force to demolish offensive linemen, running backs, receivers and quarterbacks during his all-too-short nine seasons on the pro gridiron.
The Chicago Bears legend totaled 1,020 tackles, recovered 27 fumbles and picked off 22 passes. Butkus even played on special teams and is credited with 12 kickoff returns (on short kicks, of course) for 120 yards.
The sports world was saddened to hear of Butkus’ passing on Oct. 5. It’s another of these sports-hero losses that makes many of us want to add some related memorabilia to our stashes.
Indeed, just after his passing, a 1966 Butkus rookie card issued by the Philadelphia Gum Company sold for $3,353
