Alabama football head coach Nick Saban paid tribute to the late Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus on Thursday.

Nick Saban discussed Dick Butkus' impact on and off the gridiron on his radio show, per Bama247's Mike Rodak.

“Great player. Great person. He's legendary. He was one of the guys that made the linebacker position kind of ‘the man,' so to speak, that made the whole defense be what it is. Great competitive character, great toughness,” Nick Saban said.

Saban also revealed the Bears' Hall of Fame linebacker personally handed the Butkus Award to winners from Alabama football over the years.

“Sat down with every player and gave them the award and spoke with them. I thought that was fantastic,” Nick Saban added.

Tributes from the football world poured in after Dick Butkus passed away at the age of 80 on Thursday.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell considered Butkus “a fierce and passionate competitor” who set the bar high for future linebackers.

“Dick Butkus was a fierce and passionate competitor who helped define the linebacker position as one of the NFL's all-time greats. Dick's intuition, toughness, and athleticism made him the model linebacker whose name will forever be linked to the position and the Chicago Bears,” Roger Goodell said.

Butkus made an immediate impact after the Bears made him the third overall selection of the 1965 NFL Draft. He became a Pro Bowler in the first eight years of his nine-year NFL career. Dick Butkus also earned five First-Team All-Pro selections and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice. Dick Butkus is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 1979.

Thank you for the memories, Dick Butkus.