Staley Da Bear
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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Many of George’s interceptions were the result of his ability to diagnose plays. His defensive coordinator, George Allen, once called George the smartest defensive player he ever coached. In his autobiography, George Halas wrote, “(George) could tell almost instantly where the play was going and put himself into position to stop the run or pass.”
Joe Marconi, who played for the Rams and the Bears, said Rams coach Sid Gillman had such respect for George that they named a pass protection after him: “George protection.”
In his 14-year run with the Bears, George was revered by his teammates. He was a presence as much as a middle linebacker.
“The man,” Ed O’Bradovich called him.
Mike Ditka said that when he came to the Bears, the players did everything together off the field because George mandated it. “Nobody said ‘no’ to Bill George,” Ditka said. “He was a college wrestler. Every so often somebody would want to wrestle him. And they wouldn’t do too good.”
Carl Brettschneider didn’t do too well in
a 1956 brawl between the Cardinals and Bears. According to George Strickler of the Chicago Tribune, George hit the linebacker with “The best punch since Floyd Patterson upset Archie Moore.”
George did it all for the Bears—and more. He and his sons even cultivated the backyard garden of Ed and Virginia McCaskey. “Bill George was more than just a player as far as our family was concerned,” Virginia McCaskey said. “There were Fourth of July barbeques at his home that were always a big deal to attend. His mother made an afghan for me in Bears colors. It was a very personal and wonderful relationship.”
Butkus had a different relationship with management, but as a middle linebacker he was a physical dominator and intimidator in the mold of George. To Butkus, defense wasn’t just about tackling. It was about punishing the opposition. He would hit the ballcarrier high and drive him into the ground with ill intent and stunning force. “You mention his name, my body starts aching,” said Charlie Sanders, a Hall of Fame tight end.
In one game at Tiger Stadium, the Lions tried playing an I-formation against the Bears. Before the game was over, every member of the Lions’ “I”—center, quarterback, fullback and halfback—had been knocked out of the game by Butkus.
Butkus was everything a Bear is supposed to be. He came from a Lithuanian neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago, attended Chicago Vocational High School and then the University of Illinois.