In today's Rewarding Moments In Redskins History presented by Maryland Lottery My Lottery Rewards, we look back at when the Redskins signed Dave Butz ahead of the 1975 season.
Dave Butz has gone down as one of the greatest players in Redskins history, but he didn't always wear the burgundy and gold. For the first two years of his career, he was a St. Louis Cardinal.
As the fifth overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, Butz made an immediate impact with the Cardinals by being named to the NFL's All-Rookie team. He only played with the Cardinals for one more season, though, because Redskins head coach George Allen made one of the biggest trades in league history at the time by offering two first-round picks and a second-round pick to acquire Butz.
The trade worked out for Butz and the Redskins. Butz went on to play in Washington for 14 seasons and helped the Redskins become one of the top teams in the NFL with Super Bowl appearances in 1982, 1983 and 1987. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1983 and a team captain in Super Bowls XVIII and XXII.
Butz recorded more than 500 tackles in his career and was one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history. He finished his career in Washington with 35.5 sacks, which is good enough for seventh in team history since the stat was first recorded in 1982. He received several honors for his career, including an induction into the Redskins Ring of Fame.
