Butkus: Flesh and Blood [Hardcover]

Dick Butkus (Author), Pat Smith (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1997

From 1965 to 1973 Dick Butkus was the most revered player in professional football. Although he never played for a championship team, and one can't say he set all kinds of records, no other defender in the entire history of the NFL has so electrified the game. The stories about Butkus are legendary. They make him sound so intense, so ferocious, and for the most part they are frighteningly true. Yet underneath the layers of mythology resides a man who is as thoughtful and emotional as he is intense.

In Butkus, Dick Butkus tells his entire life story, from growing up and getting into trouble in Chicago, to his uncomfortable yet glorious years at the University of Illinois. He reveals what it felt like to be the ninth child of two hardworking Lithuanian parents--one of whom was born in a Illinois coal mine, the other never fully learned to speak English--and the camaraderie and contentment he experienced while playing football. He recounts the historic nine seasons with the Chicago Bears where he played with and against such immortals as Gale Sayers, Jim Brown, Brian Piccolo, Mike Ditka, and Joe Greene.

Dick Butkus looks deeply into his own psyche to find the source of his passionate style of play--a style that has often been described as violence and intimidation on the football field. With honesty and emotion, he recounts his battles with George "Papa Bear" Halas, the NFL, and the media.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like his no-nonsense tenure as one of the dominating linebackers in NFL history, Dick Butkus's no-nonsense autobiography covers plenty of ground, offers no excuses, scares the hell out of you (you will never look at your knees--or your doctors--in quite the same way again), and, in the end, entertains with his candor and verve. Butkus has axes to grind, and he grinds them wonderfully, but he also is capable of examining his own behavior. What emerges is a portrait of an athlete willing to explore--roots, warts, and all--the aggression and rage he rode to glory on the field, and the challenges he faced trying to harness those same emotions off the field.

From Library Journal

Butkus is certainly one of the all-time greats of professional football, whose easy election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was assured and whose personal life is by all counts above reproach. His autobiography should be both interesting and inspirational. So what's wrong? He and journalist co-writer Smith have somehow produced a mundane recital of his career from high school through professional football. Butkus writes of his close-knit family and, in what is probably the strongest part of the book, describes his nearly impoverished Chicago youth. His years at the University of Illinois are passed over quickly to focus on his time with the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, the story of his Bears career never gets going. Perhaps this book will have some interest in the Chicago area, but otherwise it is a marginal purchase.?William O. Scheeren, Hempfield Area H.S. Lib., Greensburg, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (October 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385486480
• ISBN-13: 978-0385486484
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars greatest football player who ever lived, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Butkus: Flesh and Blood (Hardcover)

Dick Butkus shows that his talents are not only limited to the football field in this excellent autobiography. This book is a must for any football fan of any age.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This was a great book about the way he really was, January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Butkus: Flesh and Blood (Hardcover)

This book was good, it starts out kind of slow but once he starts talking about his career with the bears it speeds up and is hard to put down. I felt the author did a great job portraying Butkus. This book is good for someone who understands the game of football.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Best Ever at Linebacker, February 6, 2000

By 

John Nixon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Butkus: Flesh and Blood (Hardcover)

Never been a Bears fan, never will. But who amongst us growing up in the '60s and loving football, did not admire Dick Butkus? Whatta' player! I loved the cover of this book! What a menacing figure! Let's talk about the book. Overall, a good, insightful book but a couple of items disappointed me. First, the ramblings about his falling out with the Bears. After many pages, I felt like saying, 'Get over it!' but considering who I would be speaking to...well. Second, I was curious what his kids grew up to be like. Not much mention of his wife nowadays either. But, this is a book about Butkus and his life was football. Fun to read...