I remember watching Dick Butkus when I was a kid. In particular, I remember one hit (which I did not see on the highlight reels) where a receiver over the middle jumped to highpoint a pass. Butkus hit him in the back of his legs when he was at the highest point of the catch and pushed through, pinwheeling the receiver so he landed on his head. I don't remember if the receiver held on or not. Probably the only reason Butkus is not at the top of every one of those lists is that he played for the losing Bears.
There was a time when some fans watched football waiting for those vicious hits, a little like auto racing where some go hoping to see a crash. Maybe the growth of professional wrestling has provided a different outlet for those folks. But if football is to survive it is going to have to find a way to draw fans to a less and less violent game.
There was a time when some fans watched football waiting for those vicious hits, a little like auto racing where some go hoping to see a crash. Maybe the growth of professional wrestling has provided a different outlet for those folks. But if football is to survive it is going to have to find a way to draw fans to a less and less violent game.