Former Washington defensive lineman Dave Butz died Friday. He was 72.
Butz came to Washington in 1975 after spending the first two seasons of his NFL career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Butz would spend the final 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Redskins.
The former No. 5 overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft finished his career with 64 sacks. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion with Washington, first-team All-Pro [1983] and second-team All-Pro [1984]. He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1984. Butz’s most significant individual accomplishment was being named to the 1980s NFL All-Decade team.
Butz is in the Washington Ring of Fame and is also named as one of the “90 greatest” in franchise history.
Two things stood out immediately when seeing Butz: his size [6-foot-8, 295] and his helmet.
RIP to Redskins Great Dave Butz!! If u never saw him play just look at his helmet. It tells the whole story. 🙏🏽💪🏽💪🏽 @Commanders #HTTR #HTTC pic.twitter.com/EUajm7wEyP
— Teddy E 🪖 (@Teddyjr919) November 4, 2022
Butz played in 216 career NFL games, and considering the position he played, that’s an amazing accomplishment. He only missed four games during his 16-year NFL career. He retired after the 1988 season when he was 38. He was the oldest position player in the NFL at the time of his retirement.
The Washington Commanders released the following statement on social media.
We’re heartbroken over the loss of Washington Legend Dave Butz, a 2x Super Bowl champion and member of our Ring of Fame and 90 Greatest list. Sending our deepest condolences to Dave’s family and friends.
We’ll have more on the life and career of Dave Butz.
We're heartbroken over the loss of Washington Legend Dave Butz, a 2x Super Bowl champion and member of our Ring of Fame and 90 Greatest list. Sending our deepest condolences to Dave's family and friends. pic.twitter.com/ZkxgGoFNwR
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 4, 2022
