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Butkus: Flesh and Blood
From 1965 to 1973 Dick Butkus was the most revered player in professional football. Although he never played for a championship team, and one can't say he set all kinds of records, no other defender in the entire history of the NFL has so electrified the game. The stories about Butkus are legendary. They make him sound so intense, so ferocious, and for the most part they are frighteningly true. Yet underneath the layers of mythology resides a man who is as thoughtful and emotional as he is intense.
In Butkus, Dick Butkus tells his entire life story, from growing up and getting into trouble in Chicago, to his uncomfortable yet glorious years at the University of Illinois. He reveals what it felt like to be the ninth child of two hardworking Lithuanian parents--one of whom was born in a Illinois coal mine, the other never fully learned to speak English--and the camaraderie and contentment he experienced while playing football. He recounts the historic nine seasons with the Chicago Bears where he played with and against such immortals as Gale Sayers, Jim Brown, Brian Piccolo, Mike Ditka, and Joe Greene.
Dick Butkus looks deeply into his own psyche to find the source of his passionate style of play--a style that has often been described as violence and intimidation on the football field. With honesty and emotion, he recounts his battles with George "Papa Bear" Halas, the NFL, and the media.
In Butkus, Dick Butkus tells his entire life story, from growing up and getting into trouble in Chicago, to his uncomfortable yet glorious years at the University of Illinois. He reveals what it felt like to be the ninth child of two hardworking Lithuanian parents--one of whom was born in a Illinois coal mine, the other never fully learned to speak English--and the camaraderie and contentment he experienced while playing football. He recounts the historic nine seasons with the Chicago Bears where he played with and against such immortals as Gale Sayers, Jim Brown, Brian Piccolo, Mike Ditka, and Joe Greene.
Dick Butkus looks deeply into his own psyche to find the source of his passionate style of play--a style that has often been described as violence and intimidation on the football field. With honesty and emotion, he recounts his battles with George "Papa Bear" Halas, the NFL, and the media.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 17, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dick Butkus was my hero when I was a kid. Good reading this book.
November 5, 2012
Butkus is a fascinating player for any fan of the game. What drives such a ferocious defender? He answers with a nod toward the expected mix of anger and competitiveness. But his story is deeper and more complicated. It seems the days of playing for the Bears were dark with piled up losses, missed opportunities and living with the increasing pain of a knee that would have been treated remarkably different in today's game. Butkus played the only way he knew how--with all out abandonment.
Such short playing careers leave men like Butkus looking at the rest of their lives defined by something they are no longer able to do. It is admirable that he has stayed with his wife of his youth and raised a family in the midst of a career of football and all the fane that it has afforded him.
The game by game accounts are tedious--only a Bear fan would truly appreciate them. Butkus actually discusses the exhibition games. One can't help but think he's simply going through the stat sheets and squeezing info and scattered memories from them. By far the most intriguing read is his suit of the Bears for payment of his outstanding balance of his contract after he retired.
Such short playing careers leave men like Butkus looking at the rest of their lives defined by something they are no longer able to do. It is admirable that he has stayed with his wife of his youth and raised a family in the midst of a career of football and all the fane that it has afforded him.
The game by game accounts are tedious--only a Bear fan would truly appreciate them. Butkus actually discusses the exhibition games. One can't help but think he's simply going through the stat sheets and squeezing info and scattered memories from them. By far the most intriguing read is his suit of the Bears for payment of his outstanding balance of his contract after he retired.
December 14, 2010
It reads like he is in the room talking to you. There is not a lot of new information here, but it's still fun to ead about one of the greatest football players ever.
March 9, 2018
Football is the greatest sport in the world in my opinion, and this book is the best one to cover it. This book covers all of the Maestro of Mayhems life, from his first memory of football to his last. From his high school football days to his NFL days, his journey is recorded in this book. There were not really any main characters in this book besides Butkus himself. The conflict in his autobiography is just his struggle through the years getting to be where he wanted to be in his life, the NFL.
I am a huge fiction fan, but this book might have opened me up to more nonfiction. I have heard stories all my life from my dad and grandpa about how amazing Butkus was on the field, and it felt great to be able to read his first-hand accounts of it. He almost remembers every game throughout his entire life, and reacounts almost all of them. The way he wrote down his statistics in the book made it seem like they were nothing, but they were record-breaking and astonishing. It seemed like he knew he was the best, but he also knew he could be better. His writing was also extremely easy to follow. he did not use huge vocabulary, but it is as though he dumbed it down.
Anyone who loves football, would love this book. The readers could range from children to the elderly. I love this book because it teaches me about perseverence. Throughout his entire life, Butkus struggles with a knee problem. It was minor at first, but gets worse over the years. But he is able to fight through his pain and make it to the most elite football league you can. It is just an all-around amazing book that teaches you many life lessons.
I am a huge fiction fan, but this book might have opened me up to more nonfiction. I have heard stories all my life from my dad and grandpa about how amazing Butkus was on the field, and it felt great to be able to read his first-hand accounts of it. He almost remembers every game throughout his entire life, and reacounts almost all of them. The way he wrote down his statistics in the book made it seem like they were nothing, but they were record-breaking and astonishing. It seemed like he knew he was the best, but he also knew he could be better. His writing was also extremely easy to follow. he did not use huge vocabulary, but it is as though he dumbed it down.
Anyone who loves football, would love this book. The readers could range from children to the elderly. I love this book because it teaches me about perseverence. Throughout his entire life, Butkus struggles with a knee problem. It was minor at first, but gets worse over the years. But he is able to fight through his pain and make it to the most elite football league you can. It is just an all-around amazing book that teaches you many life lessons.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews