Dick Butkus

Dick Butkus played nine seasons for the Bears at middle linebacker and made eight Pro Bowls in his first eight years. Knee injuries forced him out at 31, but in those nine seasons he established the modern template for the position: 22 career interceptions, 27 fumble recoveries (an NFL record when he retired), and a tackling reputation that left a generation of running backs in fetal position. NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice (1969, 1970), Hall of Fame first ballot in 1979, and the Butkus Award given to college football’s top linebacker every year since 1985.