Chicago Bears Football jersey, worn by Dick Butkus
date: label: date made
content: 1973
name: label: wearer
content: Butkus, Dick
label: associated institution
content: Chicago Bears
notes: label: Description
content: Richard "Dick Butkus (b. 1942) played football with a ferocity that could intimidate even the toughest of competitors. Following a stellar amateur career at the University of Illinois, Butkus was drafted by his hometown Chicago Bears in 1965. He manned the team's middle linebacker position for the next nine seasons, earning pro-bowl honors every year except his first and named All-NFL six times.
label: Description
content: Famous for his intensity, Butkus was a ruthless hitter, averaging 120 tackles a season. Possessing exceptional strength and speed, Butkus made game-changing plays across the field, including 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries over the course of his career.
label: Description
content: Butkus's penchant for hard play took a toll on his body, with a knee injury forcing him to leave the game in 1973. The injury caused friction between the Bears and Butkus, who felt he was intentionally mistreated by team doctors in an attempt to keep him active. In 1975 Butkus took his grievances to court. While he eventually settled the suit, the action publicly exposed tensions between athletes and their employers concerning the health concerns of individual players and a team's financial interest in keeping star performers on the field.
label: Description
content: Despite the sometimes acrimonious relationship, Butkus, who entered the Football Hall of Fame in 1979, has had his number #51 retired by the Chicago Bears and is acknowledged as one of the team's greatest players. He remained in public life following his retirement, helming a charitable foundation and working as a professional actor.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: worn
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
topic: label: name of sport or game
content: Football
label: level of sport
content: Professional
label: web subject
content: Sports
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Sports Illustrated gift fund
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0706.07
label: accession number
content: 1981.0706
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0706.07
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Jersey
label: Object Name
content: football jersey
label: Object Name
content: jersey, football
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: elastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 56 in x 36 in; x 142.24 cm x 91.44 cm