With the death of Dave Butz, Washington has lost a football legend.
Butz, a two-time Super Bowl champion, died at the age of 72 after receiving hospice care, according to 106.7 The Fan.
Early life
Butz was born in 1950 in Alabama. He attended Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, and was a two-time high school All-American.
He also played basketball and set a state record as the Illinois High School discus champion.
Family and Death cause
Butz was a member of the National Rifle Association’s board of directors in the early 2000s.
Butz was a resident of Fairfax, Virginia.
Earl Butz, a former United States Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was his uncle; his uncle held the Cabinet post during Butz’s first season in Washington.
Dave Butz’s death was announced on Facebook on Friday, November 4, 2022, as the former defensive tackle with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was surrounded by his loved ones. Dave Butz died for unknown reasons.
Career
Butz played college football at Purdue University, where he was a Lombardi Award finalist in 1972. He was named first-team All-Big Ten and competed in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, where he was named Defensive MVP.
Butz was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and named to Purdue’s All-Time Football team.
Butz was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft. He played for the Cardinals for two seasons. Redskins coach George Allen gave the Cardinals two first-round picks and a second-round pick in exchange for Butz’s rights.
Butz was granted free agency in 1975 as a result of a mistake in his rookie contract signed in 1973.
George Allen signed him quickly, but the NFL ruled that the Redskins had to pay the Cardinals two first-round picks (1977 and 1978) and a second-round pick (1979).
Butz then spent 14 years with the Washington Redskins, where he won three Super Bowls. In terms of sacks, he ranks third in franchise history (59.5).
He was a one-time Pro Bowler in 1983, when he had a career-high eleven sacks. In his 16-year career, he only missed four games.
Butz was one of the largest players in the NFL at the time, standing 6’8″ and weighing around 300 pounds.
Butz famously shouted to the crowd during the Redskins’ Super Bowl XXII victory parade, “We came, we saw, we kicked their butz.”
Butz famously checked himself out of the hospital to play in the Redskins’ game against the Jets in October 1987.
Despite dropping from 313 to 287 pounds due to illness and feeling dizzy in the second half, Butz made a game-saving sack of Ken O’Brien late in the game to stop a Jets drive and was awarded the game ball.
He checked himself back into the hospital after the game, where he remained until the following Wednesday.
Butz announced his retirement from the NFL in May 1989, at the age of 38.
From 1973 to 1988, he appeared in 216 NFL games, 191 of which he started. In his career, he had 64 sacks. When he retired, he was the NFL’s oldest starting quarterback.
Butz was named to the NFL All-Decade Team in the 1980s and one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.
Dave Butz Net Worth at Death
Dave Butz was estimated to be worth $0.9 million at the time of his death.
Butz was drafted fifth overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973, standing 6ft7 and weighing around 290 pounds.
After two seasons in St. Louis, the massive defensive lineman moved to Washington, where he spent the rest of his career.
Butz retired at the age of 38 after 14 years, two Super Bowls, and one Pro Bowl.
The Commanders, a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1980s, a member of the Washington Ring of Fame, and a member of their 90 Greatest list, tweeted on Friday that they are “heartbroken” by Butz’s death.
