In Memoriam: NFL Legend & NRA Director Dave Butz

by
posted on November 8, 2022
In Memoriam Dave Butz F

NRA Director and 16-season NFL Defensive Tackle Dave Butz died Friday, November 4, at the age of 72. In his 14 seasons with Washington, he made three Super Bowl appearances, winning two of them in 1983 and 1987. Voted an All Pro, he played 197 of his 288 NFL games with Washington—including one when he released himself from the hospital to play then went back to the hospital—and had 64 career regular season sacks.

“Dave Butz was larger than life—in every sense of the word,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre of the 6', 8", 295-lb. Butz. “Most Americans know him as a legendary award-winning Washington football champion and a standout College Football Hall of Famer at Purdue University.”

“To the NRA family and to shooters all across our great country, Dave was an outstanding coach, trainer and mentor,” said LaPierre. “A gentle and patient giant whose time and energy knew no bounds when it came to encouraging and inspiring shooters of all ages.”

After his NFL career, Butz served as an NRA director from 2001 to 2022, often making public appearances on behalf of NRA, as well as giving shooting tips and coaching new shooters. He was an excellent shotgun shooter, and his Kreighoff K-80 appeared tiny in his massive hands.

Over his long service as a director, Butz was appointed to the NRA Shotgun, Youth Programs, Collegiate Programs, Competition Rules & Programs, Range Development, Education & Training and Grassroots Development committees, and he was elected by his fellow Board members to the Nominating Committee.

“Dave always had a soft spot for young shooters. I can’t tell you the number of times Dave would see a kid eyeing his Super Bowl rings and without asking, he would have the kid come over and try it on. It was always a toss-up trying to figure out if the kid was more amazed that they were trying on a Super Bowl ring or that massive ring was still loose after trying it on two fingers,” said LaPierre. “But, it was always worth it to see the child's face light up and hear Dave's hearty laugh every single time. We are all going to miss you, Dave.”

Latest

Revolutionary Art Of Don Troiani
Revolutionary Art Of Don Troiani

The Revolutionary Art Of Don Troiani

By using surviving artifacts, eyewitness testimony, accurately reproduced uniforms, original firearms and the thorough study of battle sites, Don Troiani has done more than imagine what happened 250 years ago. His art is as close as it can get to a true representation of what period combat would have looked like.

The Armed Citizen® April 21, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Captain John Parker's Fowler: Witness To History

While thousands of firearms were used in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, few survive today. One survivor is the flintlock fowler used by Capt. John Parker of the Lexington militia.

New For 2025: Mossberg 590M Standoff & 500 Slugster Pump Shotguns

The Mossberg 500 is one of the most popular pump-action shotguns ever made. That doesn’t keep the company from making updates and improvements, as evidenced in the new-for-2025 590M Standoff and 500 Slugster series.

Preview: Warthog Sharpeners V-Sharp Elite A4

Warthog USA’s V-Sharp Elite A4 pairs the company’s most feature-packed portable blade-sharpening unit with a detachable wooden base for added stability.

The Men & Guns Of Lexington Green

On April 19, 1775, 250 years ago, approximately 80 armed militiamen from Lexington gathered on their village green to confront several hundred British infantrymen. The events of that morning began a conflict that would ultimately establish the United States of America.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.