Pittsburgh Steelers trade third-pick in the 1965 NFL Draft to Chicago Bears
At the time, it was just a draft pick.
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded their third overall selection in the 1965 NFL Draft, giving Chicago the third and fourth selections in that draft. Head Coach George Halas wanted University of Illinois linebacker Dick Butkus, and he used that pick to select him third overall.
With the following pick, the Bears took Gale Sayers, an incredible running back from the University of Kansas. Those two players were the face of the Bears for the rest of the decade, and are still legends in the Windy City.
The trade was a year in the making, as the Bears sent their second and third round selections in the 1964 NFL Draft to Pittsburgh for the third selection in 1965. The Steelers would eventually draft running back Jim Kelly with the second round pick in 1964, and Ben McGee with the third round selection. Kelly only played one season with the Steelers, but McGee had a nice career, making two Pro Bowls.
Butkus went on to play nine seasons with the Bears, making the Pro Bowl eight times. He was a five-time First Team All-Pro, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Aside from all of those accolades, Butkus will mostly be remembered as the defining linebacker of his era. He was a dominating force on the defense, and changed the way the position was played.
Although Sayers and Butkus never played in a playoff game during their careers, the trade of picks that gave the Bears the opportunity to draft Butkus was one of the best deals ever pulled off.
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