A tough act to follow - Uncovering the Past

Football Digest, April, 2002 by William Wagner

ON THE COVER OF OUR SEPTEMBER 1972 issue, we ran the following headline: "The Violent World of Linebackers." Who better to picture on that cover than Dick Butkus, the most violent of them all?

Butkus was the personification of what pro football is supposed to be about: He played every game like it was his last, with unmatched intensity. And since he retired in 1973, football fields have been littered with middle linebackers who were supposed to be the "next Butkus" but wound up falling hopelessly short of that billing.

Now, though, there really is a middle linebacker who could be the next Butkus. And--as if he were destined to fill that role--he plays for Butkus' old team, the Chicago Bears.

Brian Urlacher, our Defensive Player of the Year who is making his first of what should be many appearances on our cover, possesses every bit of the athleticism that Butkus had. All the two-year veteran lacks is some of Butkus' trademark nastiness. This isn't to say that Urlacher is a pushover--he's far from it--but Butkus took ruthlessness to a new level.

Still, as Urlacher's confidence grows, so does his ability to conjure genuine hatred for his opponent. The undisputed heart of the Bears, he led a turnaround for the team that was among the most remarkable in recent NFL history. As you'll see in our feature on him on page 40, he has the rare ability to bring out the best in those around him.

The next Butkus? Urlacher is closing in on that elusive title the way he closes in on a ball carrier, and he already stands atop today's violent world of linebackers.