From one great Chicago Bears linebacker to another.
Hall of Famer Dick Butkus stopped by Bears’ OTA practice on Tuesday to honor Khalil Mack with the Butkus Award, which is awarded to the best linebacker in the game. It is awarded at the high school, college and professional levels.
This marks the second time in Mack’s career where he has won the pro-version of the Butkus Award, joining Carolina’s Luke Kuechly and Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware as the only multiple winners at the pro level.
Mack won the award in the 2016-17 with the Raiders. He finished second for the college Butkus Award as a linebacker at Buffalo in 2013.
Here’s the statement issued by the selection committee:
“Mack returned fear to a vaunted Bears defense and was an instrumental, game-changing mismatch weapon who brought a havoc-wreaking presence to the NFC North champions with his signature strip sacks. His inspiring leadership and rare practice habits helped set the tempo for all phases of the team. Combining with Bears rookie and 2017 collegiate Butkus Award winner Roquan Smith went a long way toward returning the Bears atop the division and uniquely added to the richest linebacker tradition in the league.”
Mack received 39 percent of the overall vote. Seattle’s Bobby Wagner and Indianapolis’ Darius Leonard finished second with 19 percent of the vote, and Luke Kuechly had 13 percent.
