Celebrating linebackers
LINEBACKER /ˈlīnˌbakər/ noun. A defensive player normally positioned behind the line of scrimmage, but in front of the safeties to make tackles on running plays through the line or defend against short passes. A linebacker is the leader of the defense and holds the responsibility of calling defensive plays while providing cover for the defensive backfield, blocking passes and reading the movement of the opposing offense with extraordinarily sharp instincts. They are defensive players who have the same obligation as everyone in their unit: stop opponents and prevent them from advancing and scoring.
Linebackers - Mike. Sam. Will. Singletary. Lewis. Seau. Suggs. The great Lawrence Taylor. Dick Butkus. Whatever their name, Linebackers play a unique and important role on the field. To be the best, you have to have vision, tackling skills, and leadership acumen. We are sometimes described as having our “hair on fire,” but that “fire” is just a determination and a sense of responsibility to lead the defense and make the plays that win the game. We are a unique group, to be sure.
That’s why annually, I travel with tremendous enthusiasm to be with my fellow linebackers at the Dick Butkus Award gathering. On Sunday, February 6. 2022, I had the opportunity to serve as the honorary alumni host of the Butkus Awards. The award was instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando and is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, is presented by the Butkus Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports a number of health and wellness activities including the "I Play Clean" anti-steroid program. It doesn’t only celebrate the best linebackers of today but it provides a path for the linebackers of the future.
As the great Dick Butkus shared, “When a player receives the Butkus Award he will know two things. First, he is recognized as the best of the best linebackers in America. Second, and in the long run most important, he will understand that this recognition brings a responsibility to serve others by giving back."
Shout out to the 2021 winners:
Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys) - Professional
Nakobe Dean (Georgia) - Collegiate
Shawn Murphy (Unity Reed High School) - High School
Proud to be a past winner and to be associated with this incredible group of current and future leaders on the gridiron and in the community.
#2006ButkusWinner #2009ButkusWinner #College #Linebackers #SEC #NFL #49ers #Humbled #Butkus #ButkusAward
