| No. 62, 65 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1950-06-23)June 23, 1950 LaFayette, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | November 4, 2022(2022-11-04) (aged 72) Swansea, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 295 lb (134 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Maine South(Park Ridge, Illinois) | ||||||||
| College | Purdue | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1973: 1st round, 5th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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David Ray Butz (June 23, 1950 – November 4, 2022) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL) for theSt. Louis Cardinals and theWashington Redskins in a 16-year career from 1973 to 1988. During his time with Washington, as the team's defensive "anchor",[1] he helped the Redskins reach theSuper Bowl thrice, winning twice. He was named as one of the70 Greatest Redskins in franchise history and a member of theNFL 1980s All-Decade Team. Before turning professional, he playedcollege football for thePurdue Boilermakers. He was inducted to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Butz was born inLaFayette, Alabama,[2] on June 23, 1950, and soon moved with his family toIllinois.[3] He playedhigh school football atMaine South High School inPark Ridge, Illinois, where he was two-time high schoolAll-American.[2] He also played basketball and was the Illinois High Schooldiscus champion, setting a state record.[2] He was the nephew ofEarl Butz, aPurdue University professor who later served asUnited States secretary of agriculture.[2][3]
Butz playedcollege football atPurdue University, where he was a 1972 finalist for theLombardi Award.[2] He was a first-team All-Big Ten member and played in both theEast-West Shrine Game andSenior Bowl, where he was named the Defensive MVP.[4]
Butz was named to thePurdue Boilermakers' Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.[2][5] He was later also named to Purdue'sAll Time Football team[2] and was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2014.[6]
Butz was selected in the first round (fifth overall) of the1973 NFL draft by theSt. Louis Cardinals, where he would play for two seasons.[7] In 1975, Butz was granted free agency due to a mistake in his contract that he had signed as a rookie in 1973. Redskins coachGeorge Allen quickly signed him, but the NFL ruled that the Redskins had to compensate the Cardinals with two first-round draft picks (1977 & 1978) and a second-round pick (1978).[1][3][8]
Butz then played for theWashington Redskins for 14 years,[7] where he had threeSuper Bowl appearances: defeating the Miami Dolphins inSuper Bowl XVII,[9] losing to the Los Angeles Raiders inSuper Bowl XVIII,[10] and winningSuper Bowl XXII over the Denver Broncos.[11] At the victory parade after Super Bowl XXII, he famously shouted to the crowd, "We came, we saw, we kicked their butts."[12]
As of 2022, Butz ranks fifth in franchise history insacks (59.0, was third in 2008).[8][1][13] He was a one-timePro Bowler in 1983 in a season in which he managed eleven sacks, a career-best.[14] He was named to the NFLAll-Pro team in1983 and1984.[15][16] He only missed four games in his entire 16-year career.[2] Butz was among the largest players in the NFL when he played standing 6' 8" and routinely weighing around 300 pounds.[3]
In October 1987, Butz famously checked himself out of the hospital to play in the Redskins' game against theNew York Jets. Despite having dropped from 313 to 287 pounds due to the illness and feeling dizzy in the second half, Butz made a game-saving sack ofKen O'Brien to stop a Jets' drive late in the game and was awarded the game ball. After the game, he checked himself back into the hospital where he remained until the following Wednesday.[17][18]
In 1988, Butz played in his 197th game for the Washington franchise, passingLen Hauss to set a franchise record for games played.[19] He would later retire at 203 games played for Washington.[7]
Butz announced his retirement as an active player at the age of 38 on May 18, 1989.[20] He appeared in 216 NFL games, 191 as a starter, from 1973 to 1988.[21] He tallied 64 sacks in his career.[7] When he retired, he was the oldest starting player in the NFL.[22]
Butz was selected to theNFL 1980s All-Decade Team.[23][24] He was named one of the70 Greatest Redskins at the Redskins' 70th anniversary in 2002.[25]His name is also featured along with that of other notable players in team history on the "Ring of Fame" atFedExField.[26]
Butz moved toBelleville, Illinois, early in his NFL career and continued to reside in the area for the remainder of his life[27] with his wife, Candyce; the couple had three children.[2] He also had a home inFairfax, Virginia.[3]
In the early 2000s, Butz served as a board member for theNational Rifle Association of America.[28][29]
Butz died inSwansea, Illinois, on November 4, 2022, at age 72.[30][31][32]
David Butz was born on June 23, 1950, in Lafayette, Ala., and moved with his family to Illinois at an early age. ... Butz, who lived in Fairfax, Va., was the nephew of Earl Butz, a former secretary of agriculture under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford.
Dave Butz, a legend of Purdue Football who was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame, passed away Friday (Nov. 4) at the age of 72.