Who was the Washington Redksins defensive legend Dave Butz?
Across 16 seasons, the hulk of a defensive lineman established himself as not just one of the team’s best ever, but one of the best ever in the NFL.
The Washington Football Team was given some sad news just before the weekend, with reports confirming that one of their legendary players from decades gone by, had passed away.
Former Washington DL Dave Butz dies at 72
According to an announcement from the Washington Commanders on Friday, former Washington defensive lineman Dave Butz, died at the age of 72. Butz enjoyed a 16-year career in the NFL, of which 14 years were spent in Washington during the period of 1975-88. During that time, he was an integral part of the team that won two Super Bowl titles in 1982 and 1988 respectively en route to becoming one of the greatest players ever to play for the team. Standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing in at 295-pounds, Butz was a beast of man. With 203 games for Washington under his belt, he is ranked fifth on the team’s all-time sack list with 59. In addition, he was a two-time All-Pro and was even named to the 1980s All-Decade Team. Named among the franchise’s 90 Greatest Players, Butz was also placed in the Ring of Fame at FedEx Field.
Dave Butz was a great player from the start
Though he was born in Alabama in 1950, Butz actually grew up in Illinois where he would later become a two-time high school All-American, while also starting for the school’s basketball team as well. From there, Butz would make his way to Purdue University in Indiana, where he was a First Team All-Big Ten selection, was named to Purdue’s All-Time Football Team, and was eventually and moreover rightfully elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
When he entered the NFL in 1973 as the No. 5 overall pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, was quite frankly with a great deal of expectation. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Butz would only spend two seasons with the team before moving on to the then Washington Redskins. Interestingly, his move was actually the result of a rather strange occurrence. According to NFL commissioner at the time, Pete Rozelle, there was an irregularity in Butz rookie contract which led to him being deemed a free agent. To be clear, the Redskins didn’t get their man for free, as they ultimately had to send two first-round picks and a second-round pick to St. Louis in exchange. Even today, that would be an expensive deal, but even today Butz would be considered one of the best in the business. Across the 216 games that the legendary DL played, he posted 64 sacks, two interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. Rest in peace legend.