When I first heard the name Dick Butkus, I giggled. (Give me a break, I was 9 years old.) But my dad urged me to think past the funny name and imagine a linebacker who hit harder than anyone you could ever imagine. I tried, but still, he was from a previous football generation and this was before YouTube, and again, I was 9, so not much stuck besides the funny name.
Years later, I was working in the writers' room of the Disney Channel show I co-created, “I Didn't Do It” which was sort of a kids' version of “The Hangover” — every episode started with the chaotic aftermath of a climactic event, and a group of friends then regaled their parents, or the police, or some other authority figure with the story of what happened.
The show was set in Evanston, Illinois — a suburb of Chicago, where the show's other co-creator Tod Himmel was from, and Evanston specifically because that's where my mom's family was from (and where I spent a few weeks every summer as a kid).
For one episode, we decided to write a zany sports-centered idea of Tod's centered on the kids' destroying a prized autographed football of their dad's, and then needing to get the star athlete to sign another identical ball before their dad found out. We started to think about the right Chicago area sports legends for the cameo. Tod immediately asked me how I felt about Dick Butkus. I giggled again (give me a break, I was 31 years old).
But when I stopped giggling, Tod explained the soft spot he had for this hall of famer and what a dream it would be to have him on the show. I was sold. Also, since he had retired from football, Dick Butkus had established a pretty impressive acting career and he lived in Malibu — so we were hopeful we really had a chance to book him.
Disney was excited about the prospect too. They knew parents and grandparents watching would appreciate the Dick Butkus appearance, but they wanted an athlete for the younger generation — so the network also managed to get Chicago Bears wide receiver (at the time) Alshon Jeffery to agree to be on the show.
Dick Butkus and Alshon Jeffery would be playing themselves in the episode, but we decided to have some fun with their on-screen personas. We wrote Butkus as a social media-obsessive who proudly drives a Prius and Alshon Jeffery as his carpool buddy who loves the farmers market and likes to poke logic holes in stories (trust me, it all makes sense when you watch the episode).
Dick Butkus, on set
As we wrote lines for Butkus like, “You're the kids who photobombed my selfie?! Hashtag not cool!” we wondered if he could pull it off. Not only did he pull it off, but he stole the episode. Butkus hit every joke and punchline we threw at him like it was a helpless receiver running a crossing route.
He was also a lot of fun on set. He had a remote control fart machine in his jacket that he would frequently trigger when things got quiet on set (this goofy streak made me feel better about giggling at his name).
And after the episode, he couldn't have been more gracious about signing autographs and memorabilia, taking pictures, sharing stories from his playing days.
Tod may have put it best in sharing his recollections of Dick Butkus from the show: “The most amazing thing was for such a fierce competitor… was just how warm and soft he was. He wanted to run lines, ‘what if I do it this way? What if I do it this way?' I'm not gonna tell Dick Butkus to do his line another way!”
“He was a warm, Chicago, South Side guy,” Tod added.
Today, Tod owns and runs the first LA location of the famous Chicago pizzeria Gino's East, and memorabilia from the Dick Butkus episode of I Didn't Do It proudly adorns the walls.
I think back on our experiences working with Butkus fondly whenever I'm there. And I know that place is packed tonight with Bears fans, watching Chicago get its first win of the season on Thursday Night Football.
I know Dick Butkus is a football legend, but I like to remember him as the guy who delivered the punchline of my show “I didn't do it!” funnier than I'd ever heard it read. Hearing him say words I wrote was a pretty surreal moment, as is the news that he's gone.
NOTE: Josh Silverstein co-created the Disney Channel series “I Didn't Do It” with Tod Himmel. It currently airs on Disney+. The episode starring Dick Butkus is from Season 1, Episode 15: “Ball or Nothing“.
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