Remembering Purdue Legend Dave Butz
After the news of former Purdue great and two-time Super Bowl champion Dave Butz’s passing we look back at the Boilermaker legend’s life.
Hailing from Lafayette, Alabama, Butz was raised in Illinois for the majority of his childhood. At Main South High School Butz was a three-sport star, excelling at football, scoring more than 1,500 points on the basketball team, and setting a state record in discus as well.
Speaking for himself on the kind of athlete he was, Butz said, “Coach (Adolph) Rupp at Kentucky wanted me to play basketball... I was like 6-7, 280. I was giving new meaning to the words power forward." Butz kept that scholarship from Kentucky’s legendary head coach, the only one out of the 132 he received.
Another Purdue legend, Otis Armstrong, said this of his friend and former teammate at Purdue from 1970-1972, "He moved people out of the way. He's fun to watch. He just moved people out of the way, and there he is, and the ball carrier has to deal with that. He was the biggest, strongest guy I've ever seen."
Butz was one of the best athletes to play football for the Boilermakers at Purdue and continued that success into the NFL. The All-American was a three-year starter along Purdue’s defensive line, coached by Bob DeMoss. He has a long list of honors and awards, the most notable being his 2014 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
When inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Butz shared, “I don't think I could've done it without all the teammates that I had. It helps to have such a good group of guys to help you get in."
Butz also has spots on Purdue’s All-Time Team, was the 1972 Zipp Award winner, and was the MVP of the Senior Bowl.
After his stellar Boilermaker career Butz was drafted with the 5th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1973 NFL Draft. He played parts of two seasons before being essentially traded to the Washington Redskins when NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle deemed him a free agent following an injury. The reason for this is, before his rookie year, Butz held out and signed a rookie contract that was made up of several one-year deals.
When Butz retired in 1988, the legendary Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs said, “When I think of Dave, I think of all the great plays he’s made for us over the years,” and he also referenced a story of Butz legend.
“I think of him coming out of the hospital two years ago to play against the New York Jets. He made one of the biggest plays in the game [sacking quarterback Ken O'Brien], and then he checked back into the hospital afterward.”
Another former teammate of Butz, Joe Theismann tweeted out a tribute to his “dear friend” and “A true gentle giant.”
Here's a YouTube clip of Butz talking during another Hall of Fame acceptance and some highlights from NFL X Files.
Butz was a huge man who made an even bigger impression on Purdue University and the NFL community.