You can go home again
Area high school players sometimes get to play for bears, too
DICK BUTKUS: VOCATIONAL ALL-AMERICAN
Before becoming an All-American at Illinois and a Hall of Famer with the Bears, the great Dick Butkus was a celebrated star at Chicago Vocational in 1958-60 and was considered one of the greatest high school football players in Public League history. The 6-3, 240-pound Butkus was a three-phase difference-maker who played linebacker and fullback and was a punter and placekicker.
A three-year varsity player for coach Bernie O’Brien, Butkus was the Sun-Times Player of the Year as a junior in 1959, when he was credited with making 70 percent of the Cavaliers’ tackles. In the first game of his senior season, he scored on a 50-yard run, kicked an extra point and added a safety with a tackle in the end zone in a 33-0 rout. He later returned an interception for a touchdown against Morgan Park. He was voted to a 12-player All-America team for Teen Magazine in 1960.
With Butkus leading the way, Vocational played in the city championship game at Soldier Field in each of his varsity seasons, only to suffer disappointment each time. In 1958, the Cavaliers lost to Austin 12-6. In 1959, they tied Lane Tech 6-6 and were declared co-champions but lost out on a Prep Bowl berth against Fenwick on statistical tiebreakers. In 1960, Vocational was upset by Taft 14-6 in the title game. Butkus was limited by a knee injury he suffered in the semifinals. He still rushed 11 times for 60 yards and scored the Cavaliers’ only touchdown, but he missed an extra point and fumbled. It was a disappointing finish, but then it was on to bigger and better things.