Dick Butkus

[Ptah]

USA Today called Butkus the "gold standard by which other middle linebackers are measured." Although not the creator of the middle linebacker position—which is credited to his predecessor Bill George—Butkus is recognized as having defined the role. He is also recognized for having set the benchmark for the success of Bears middle linebackers, which continued with Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher. Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell, known for his hard-hitting running style, cited Butkus as his hero growing up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Butkus#Legacy_and_honors

[czarjak]

1. Bad Boy

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. AFAICR, he was the quintessential MLB

Not sure he'd have the skill set to compete today, though.

[Permanut]

4. +1

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Had At Least One Interception...

...every season he played (9) and led his team in tackles 8 times!
As you might expect, there has been a lot of Butkus discussion on Chicago sportsradio today.
And then there's this from another famous tough guy:

The late defensive end, and equally savage defensive legend, Deacon Jones, once said of Dick Butkus, "He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not a hospital."

[Diamond_Dog]

3. I'm surprised they only very briefly mentioned his death

on the NFL broadcast tonight. Or maybe I missed something?

[rsdsharp]

6. I'll have to disagree with Wikipedia, about Bill George creating the middle linebacker position.

Tom Landry developed the 4-3 defense as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. Sam Huff was the Giants middle linebacker, and Landry built the defense around him. There is no 4-3 without the middle linebacker.

Bill George was a Hall-of-Famer, and deservedly so, but Huff was the first middle linebacker, in the first 4-3 defense, and his Giants destroyed the Bears in the 1956 championship game. Huff was also the subject of the 1960 documentary The Violent World of Sam Huff.