Legendary Chicago Bears middle linebacker Dick Butkus passed away last week at the age of 80, and he was one player who cast his shadow over his position.

As we all know, Butkus was one of the fiercest competitors in the game.

From 1965-73, Butkus was named to eight Pro Bowls, missing it in his final year that was shortened by injuries. He incurred the nicknames “the Enforcer,” “The Animal,” (not to be confused with wrestler George “The Animal” Steele), and “The Maestro of Mayhem.”

Butkus was famous for his sideline shots on the bench, or on the field, that often showed his bloodied body parts.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column - reminiscing about sports and pop culture in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes beyond - I’ll take a look at some of football’s more famed middle linebackers during Butkus’ time and beyond, as well as some classic sports nicknames.

Who was “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant? And did you notice the “shadows?”

Man in the Middle ... A University of Illinois grad, Butkus had 1,020 tackles and was credited with 27 fumble recoveries - the all-time leader at that time. He played all nine of his years with the Bears, but only on three winning teams. The Bears were 9-5 in his rookie season, 7-6-1 in 1967 and 7-7 in 1968. Butkus benefited from a rookie named Gayle Sayers in 1965.

Butkus was coached by Bears’ legend George Halas, along with Jim Dooley and Abe Gibron. He later surfaced as a TV and movie actor, and was also famous for his Miller Lite commercials. Butkus, who worked in countless movies and TV series, also made his mark as a spokesperson for “Rise” shaving cream (remember that?), Shick Razors and Aqua Velva aftershave (did you use it?).

He also had a stint as a studio analyst for the NFL Today in 1988, and was involved with WrestleMania in 1986.

A rival of his in the fabled NFC “Black and Blue” division was Packers middleman Ray Nitschke, who became famous for his missing front teeth. Ironically, Nitschke also was a Fightin’ Illini grad and played with the Packers from 1958-72.

Nitschke also kept his notoriety through Miller Lite commercials, and also had a part in “The Longest Yard.” He passed away in 1968 at ther age of 61. With his one-man wrecking-crew, blue-collar approach, Nitschke was known as “The Wildman.”

Like Butkus, he played his entire career with one team. And both would be considered relatively small in today’s game with their 6-3, 245-pound frames.

Other middle linebackers you may remember are Detroit’s Mike Lucci, Dallas’ Chuck Howley - the first defensive player to win a Super Bowl MVP - Miami’s Nick Buoniconti, Kansas City’s Bobby Bell and Willie Lainer, the Jets’ Larry Grantham, San Francisco’s Dave Wilcox, Pittsburgh’s Mike Curtis, and the Rams’ and Redskins’ Jack Pardee.

As far as the Eagles, Chuck “Concrete Charley” Bednarik is at the top of the list, followed by (in no particular order) Bill Bergey, Maxie Baughan, Jerry Robinson, Jeremian Trotter and Seth Joyner. And how about Tim Rossovich?

Some of the old-timers should remember the Lions’ Joe Schmidt, and the Giants’ Sam Huff.

What’s In A Name? ... Besides Butkus and Nitschke, other NFL players with recognizable nicknames from the past are the Jets’ “Broadway” Joe Namath, Houston’s Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Dallas’ Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Atlanta’s Craig “Ironhead” Heyward and Deion “Prime Time” Sanders.

Also, there were William “The Refrigerator” Perry, “Sweetness” Walter Payton, “Mean” Joe Greene, and “The Assassin” Jack Tatum. Another middle linebacker (you can place up with the rest) was Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds. And who could forget Jerome “The Bus” Bettis and David “Deacon” Jones.

Going back a bit there were the Rams’ Elroy “Crazy Legs’ Hirsch, Dick “Night Train” Lane, and Red “The Gallopin Ghost” Grange.

In the Eagles’ nest besides Bednarik, other Eagles’ notable nicknames were Jerome “The Freak” Kearse, Reggie “The Minister of Defense” White, and Ron “The Polish Rifle” Jaworski.

Along With George ... Aside from George “The Animal” Steele, here are some of the better wrestling names from our days: “Baron” Mikel Scicluna, “Gorilla” Monsoon, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, “Crazy” Luke Graham, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, and women’s champion “The Fabulous Moolah.”

Another Classic Game ... “Tornado Bowl” may truly be a lost classic.

It debuted in 1970, and was among a series of games that has to do with a bowling concept.

You had a top or a “tornado” and tried to knock down as many bowling pins as possible for your assigned color. It was another of Ideal’s simple games that left a lasting mark.

Passing the Torch ... In 1993 on this date, the Phillies did the improbable when they beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 in Game Six of the NLCS to advance to the World Series.

Curt Schilling was the NLCS MVP with a 1.69 ERA. He struck out 19 strikeouts batters in 16 innings. Schilling was 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in the World Series.

Watching Those Braves’ Games ... Remember when it was a treat to watch the Braves and baseball on TBS? It was billed as the “Superstation.”

Skip Carey and Ernie Johnson were the original broadcast team in 1977, and the station went on to broadcast as many as 150 games per season.

My favorite TBS team of announcers was Carey, Pete Van Wieren, and Joe Simpson. They meshed well together, and easily attracted you with their presence and presentation.

White Shadows ... I was watching an episode of “Dragnet” lately - a great TV police drama and the precursor for “Adam 12” - and I noticed how there were shadows on the walls. This was due to the filming and the white lights that formed the shadows.

When I was younger, I never noticed this on TV shows. However next time you’re watching a vintage show, try to notice it. It’s funny now because of the high-tech video we watch, but this was “par for the course” (I often wondered what that meant) in our yesterdays.

Readers Write - On TV Personalities and Knuckleballers ... Regular contributor Richard Ochs noted some of the TV personalities and a knuckleballer pitcher that I forget to mention last week.

“Do you and your readers remember these personalities? If you’re over 70, you probably do. For newscasters, Channel 6 had Gunnar Back and Channel 10 (then CBS) had John Facenda.

Handling the weather were Dr. Francis Davis (Channel 6) and Wally Kinnan, who was at Channel 3 (then NBC).

Joe Pellegrino did the sports at Channel 6, teaming up with Larry Kane and Jim O’Brien. Don Henderson hosted a sports call-in show at Channel 29 during the 1960s.

We should recognize another knuckleball pitcher, Barney Schultz. He pitched in the bigs for seven years. His biggest and most memorable season was with the Cardinals in 1964. He had 14 saves to go with his 1.64 ERA. I remember him well, because we all know what happened during the last two weeks of that season. Bob Uecker was his personal catcher.”

Cathie Kenesky also pointed out Channel 6 legendary newscaster Jim Gardner, stating “Can’t forget this guy!!! He was the best!!!”

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach, manager, or media personality who was a part of our yesterday.

Do you remember Phillies pitcher Bobby Thigpen? His lone Phillies season was in 1993, and the right-hander had a 3-1 record with a 6.05 ERA in 17 games. He was acquired from the White Sox Aug. 10 for Jose DeLeon. However, Thigpen had a 2.08 ERA in four games during the postseason with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

His Phillies career was over when he was released in November, and he signed with the Mariners as a free agent. For his career, Thigpen had a 31-36 career record with a 3.43 ERA over 10 years. He is often recognized for setting the then-saves record of 57 in a season back in 1990.

Feedback ... Your comments, ideas, and thoughts are always welcomed at tnsports@tnonline.com