Dick Butkus Quotes

When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something.

If I was smart enough to be a doctor, I'd be a doctor. I ain't, so I'm a football player.

I want to be recognized as the best-no doubt about it. When they say all-pro middle linebacker, I want them to mean Butkus!

If I were young, fast, healthy, and had a lot of money and my whole sex life ahead of me, I'd retire - like Secretariat.

I worked hard at becoming a professional football player, just like society says you should. It said you had to be fierce. I was fierce. Tough. I was tough.

Few people get to earn a living at what they like to do and there are hazards in any profession. Football is something I was made for. I gave the game all I could for as long as I could. I guess my only regret was that my career was too short.

If we're not on them, they go back to their old ways.

We're a big check mark on everybody's schedule. I told them it's just another challenge; let's go after it.

My thing is trying to convince them they can win.

Some parents were nervous about how they would portray everything, ... At a picnic the moms put on for the team and coaches, I said that all the reality shows are turning around and showing good things, not bad things.

Anything that happens that's good, they think, Oh, it's an accident, when is the roof caving in? You've got to get them out of that mental framework.

The bottom line is that these athletes tend to be safer investments because they really value their marketing opportunities. They don't make as much money as during their active careers.

The real reason for coming to Montour is my love and respect for football.