The Butkus Award

Honoring athletic achievement and service to the community while recognizing the nation’s best high school, college, and professional linebackers.

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ABOUT DICK BUTKUS

Instituted in 1985, The Butkus Award® is one of the elite individual honors, originally given each year to one player in college football: the most impactful linebacker in the game. In 2008, The Butkus Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, took stewardship of the award to fully realize the original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community. Since that time, the award has honored the nation’s best high school, college, and professional linebackers. An independent Butkus Award Selection Committee conducts the selection process each year. The committee is comprised of 51 experts, including professional, college, and high school scouts, and prominent sports journalists.

Butkus Award Winners

2022 High School Award

Drayk Bowen

Andrean High School

2022 Collegiate Award

Jack Campbell

University of Iowa

2022 Professional Award

Roquan Smith

Baltimore Ravens


“When a player receives the Butkus Award he will know two things. First, he is recognized as the best of the best linebackers in America. Second, and in the long run most important, he will understand that this recognition brings a responsibility to serve others by giving back.”

News & Events

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    38th Annual Butkus Awards: The Best Linebackers in Football (2022)

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    37th Annual Butkus Awards: The Best Linebackers in Football (2021)

    Read More about 37th Annual Butkus Awards: The Best Linebackers in Football (2021)
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    Dick Butkus Statue Unveiled

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