25 Facts About Dave Butz

David Roy Butz was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League for the St Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins in a 16-year career from 1973 to 1988.

Dave Butz was named as one of the 70 Greatest Redskins in franchise history and a member of the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.

Dave Butz was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Dave Butz was born in LaFayette, Alabama, on June 23,1950, and soon moved with his family to Illinois.

Dave Butz played high school football at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, where he was two-time high school All-American.

Dave Butz played basketball and was the Illinois High School discus champion, setting a state record.

Dave Butz was the nephew of Earl Butz, a Purdue University professor who later served as United States Secretary of Agriculture.

Dave Butz played college football at Purdue University, where he was a 1972 finalist for the Lombardi Award.

Dave Butz was a first-team All-Big Ten member and played in both the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, where he was named the Defensive MVP.

Dave Butz was named to the Purdue Boilermakers' Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.

Dave Butz was later named to Purdue's All Time Football team and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Dave Butz was drafted in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the St Louis Cardinals, where he would play for two seasons.

In 1975, Dave Butz was granted free agency due to a mistake in his contract that he had signed as a rookie in 1973.

Dave Butz then played for the Washington Redskins for 14 years, where he had three Super Bowl appearances: defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, losing to the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII, and winning Super Bowl XXII over the Denver Broncos.

Dave Butz was a one-time Pro Bowler in 1983 in a season in which he managed eleven sacks, a career-best.

Dave Butz was named to the NFL All-Pro team in 1983 and 1984.

Dave Butz only missed four games in his entire 16-year career.

In October 1987, Dave Butz famously checked himself out of the hospital to play in the Redskins' game against the New York Jets.

In 1988, Dave Butz played in his 197th game for the Washington franchise, passing Len Hauss to set a franchise record for games played.

Dave Butz announced his retirement as an active player at the age of 38 on May 18,1989.

Dave Butz appeared in 216 NFL games, 191 as a starter, from 1973 to 1988.

Dave Butz was named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins at the Redskins' 70th anniversary in 2002.

Dave Butz's name is featured along with that of other notable players in team history on the "Ring of Fame" at FedExField.

Dave Butz moved to Belleville, Illinois, early in his NFL career and continued to reside in the area for the remainder of his life with his wife, Candyce; the couple had three children.

Dave Butz died in Swansea, Illinois, on November 4,2022, at age 72.