Dick Butkus, one of college football’s greatest and most famous players is honored with a statue outside of Gies Memorial Stadium and the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center.

The Fighting Illini linebacker and college and pro football hall-of-fame member came back to campus in 2019 for the unveiling of the statue, depicting him soaring through the air to bring down an opposing player. F&S operator-engineers helped lift Butkus, using a giant crane to move the 1,000-pound bronze menacing tackler. Ironworkers and construction-laborers teamed up on the project, too.

From FightingIllini.com: “Dick Butkus is regarded by many as the greatest linebacker in football history. He is one of four Illinois players in history to earn consensus All-America honors in two seasons. Butkus played center on offense and linebacker on defense for Coach Pete Elliott, leading the Illini to the 1963 Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl victory over Washington. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Butkus was two-time consensus All-American, three-time All-Big Ten and the 1963 Silver Football Award winner. He finished third in the 1964 Heisman Trophy balloting and went on to a nine-year Hall of Fame career with the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Butkus’ Illinois jersey, No. 50, was retired in 1986 and he was named to the Walter Camp Foundation All-Century team in 1989. The nation’s top linebacker receives the “Butkus Award” each season. Butkus died Oct. 5, 2023 at the age of 80.”

Installing the massive bronze statue was no easy task, with F&S team members tackling the project with the same intensity as Butkus.

Shops from F&S performed a “dry fit” as a sort of dress rehearsal before installing permanently. They attached eight separate rods protruding from the bottom of the bronze to slide into holes in the base. The weight of the statue, plus those anchors which went into holes filled with a quick-dry concrete, allow the model to stay in place for good.

The statue was produced by acclaimed artist, and U. of I. alumnus, George Lundeen. Lundeen also created the Red Grange statue that welcomes visitors to the west side of Gies Memorial Stadium, as well as the awards presented to each inductee into the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame.

Butkus Statue Facts:

• 12-feet tall
• 1,000 pounds
• Made of bronze with a stainless steel support structure
• The statue took about six months to make

An Offer He Couldn’t Refuse

An unrelated tidbit.

In 2022, the F&S Twitter (now ‘X’) account posted a message that promoted snow and ice removal information on the F&S website. Generally, whenever snowy weather systems approach Champaign county, F&S pushes graphics and news about ways that team members clear walkways and building entrances.

They may work with nothing but shovels and elbow grease in the dark of a winter’s night, blustery conditions, or extreme cold. It is those Grounds workers, BSWs, and many others who are on the front line and getting through inches of snow and ice with dignity, perseverance, and purpose. These are the same kinds of traits exhibited by Butkus on the field, so his response to the @mention was apt.

Butkus promptly responded: “what do you guys want me to do  shovel”.