The Bears’ Dick Butkus, one of the greatest and most feared middle linebackers in NFL history, had many nicknames: The Enforcer, the Animal, The Maestro of Mayhem, the Robot of Destruction. And each fit him well. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Butkus was a vicious and punishing hitter who made eight Pro Bowls in his nine NFL seasons in the 1960s and 70s. With a deep voice, Butkus growled and grunted on the field – “Butkus was a bear who walked like a man,” an opposing running back said of him. Butkus was an intimidator, accused of biting offensive players on their fingers and legs and spitting on them. Many players got hurt at Butkus' expense and when describing his violent hits in interviews, Butkus’ face illuminated with joy. An expert at forcing and recovering fumbles, Butkus – who read Shakespeare and didn’t like being called a dumb brute – became an actor after his athletic career. To this day, his name is synonymous with old-school, hard-nosed football. “Some people were made to be doctors, others to be lawyers,” Butkus once said. “I was made to play football.”