The face of the Bears franchise between 1965 and the early ’70s was shared by running back Gale Sayers and middle linebacker Dick Butkus.
Neither Hall of Famer expressed any jealousy or animosity toward the other.
“I met him early on in the all-star games, before we even got to the Bears,” said Butkus, who was a first-round draft pick along with Sayers in 1965. “And I like to think we are good friends ever since. So there was never any animosity between offense and defense.”
In his autobiography, Sayers said of Butkus: “We remain great friends and have so many shared memories.”
Current Bears stars Brian Urlacher and Jay Cutler quickly defused reports that there is tension between them since the Pro Bowl quarterback was acquired in April.
“Maybe it’s just the sign of the times. People tend to forget that the ultimate objective is to have a good team and forget about the individual parts,” Butkus said Monday via telephone from an education station at the Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Cowboys Stadium. “Urlacher probably said [a disparaging name about Cutler], maybe, but he was probably just fooling around. Then it got blown up to where everybody has got to comment about it.”
These days, Butkus is most passionate about his anti-steroid program called “I Play Clean,” and he would like to see NFL stars get behind the initiative, aimed mainly at high school athletes.
A fight-night fundraiser for the initiative will be held Oct. 15 at the Hilton-Chicago.
“We are trying to get as many Bears and local celebrities to come,” Butkus said. “I am not very good at asking people for something. So if they would love to join us, I would love to have them. … We’re doing this for the high school kids.”
Butkus indicated he has received cooperation from just a few current NFL players.
“We do have [Dolphins defensive lineman] Jason Taylor, who is a good example of a guy who isn’t humongous [6 feet 6 inches, 255 pounds],” Butkus said. “We have [Seahawks quarterback] Matt Hasselbeck and [Cardinals wide receiver] Larry Fitzgerald. They are all playing clean.
“I would hate to be sitting at home and then turn on the TV set and watch the Senate hearings on steroid use in football. First of all, [steroids] are illegal. Second of all, they are bad for the game. And third, they are terrible for peer pressure and kids following by example.”
Butkus said he would like to see more current players become positive role models.
“We have to get this message across that there are no shortcuts here,” he said. “You train hard, you eat well, you play with attitude and you get to your ultimate goal. People talk about the money and this and that when you get to the pros. Well, [2009 Butkus Award winner] Aaron Curry did it the clean way, and he didn’t do too bad. He was a draft choice [No. 4 overall for Seattle]. It can be done.”
Sunday’s Bears-Packers season opener in Green Bay brings back memories for Butkus.
“I used to like to go against [former Packers center] Ken Bowman,” said Butkus, a two-time All-American at Illinois. “He played at Wisconsin, and I always thought those Wisconsin guys were kind of hot dogs. But I also got to know [Packers guard] Fuzzy [Thurston] pretty good. And of course [Hall of Fame halfback] Paul Hornung. I see [former Packers fullback] Jim Taylor at the Hall of Fame [ceremonies]. They are all a bunch of good guys.
“But, you know, it wasn’t all shaking hands and praying together afterward then. That’s the way it should be.”
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fmitchell@tribune.com
