Dave Butz

David Roy Butz (born June 23, 1950 in Lafayette, Alabama) is a former American Football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins in a sixteen year career from 1973 to 1988.

Early career

Butz played high school football at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, where he was two-time high school All-American. He also played basketball and was the Illinois High School discus champion, setting a state record. He then played college football at Purdue University, where he was a 1972 finalist for the Lombardi Award.

Butz was later named to Purdue's All Time Football team.

NFL career

Butz was drafted in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, where he would play for two seasons. He then played for the Washington Redskins for 14 years, where he had three Super Bowl appearances. He was a one time Pro Bowler in 1983 in a season in which he got eleven sacks, a career best. He only missed four games in his entire 16-year career. When he retired, he was the oldest starting player in the NFL.

Butz was selected to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and was named one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.

After football

Butz has recently served as a consultant and board member for the National Rifle Association.

Family

Butz currently lives in Belleville, Illinois.

Earl Butz, a former United States Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was Butz's uncle.

References