Ditka was a tight end when he played in the NFL but with the help of Buddy Ryan, the team was considered a defensive team first. [10], During training camp, seven players, including Mike Singletary, Steve McMichael, Keith Van Horne and rookie William Perry, were either unsigned or holding out due to their contracts. As of February, 1, 2021, this was the last time the Bears had two 100-yard rushers in a game.[20]. He spent one year with the L.A. You might fight in the backyard at the picnic for the last beer. The Rams' vaunted defensive line, which consisted of Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy, was once hailed by Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus as the greatest defensive line of all time. The Broncos' 1977 AFC Championship run was fueled by an aggressive defense that boasted five Pro Bowlers: defensive end Lyle Alzado, linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson, cornerback Louis Wright and safety Bill Thompson. Shop affordable wall art to hang in dorms, be. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. Join our linker program. Top 10: Player Nicknames From 'The Fridge' to 'Bulldog,' a ranking of the 10 best nicknames in Chicago Bears history, along with a few honorable mentions. "I couldn't believe, if you look at the '85 team, that Walter Payton was the first person to pass away," said Gary Fencik, a Bears safety from 1976-87. All rights reserved. - Dick Chapura: Tank. The brains of the operation was Joe Klecko, who earned Pro Bowl selections at four different positions. The Bears had not allowed 31 points in one half since the 1972 season opener. Known as "L.A. Mike" with the Bears, the Southern California native dropped out of sight after his playing days, to the point where the Bears didn't know what happened to him for several years. Dent and the Bears had been attempting to work out a contract extension, as his contract ran through the 1985 season, and paid him $90,000. Less than a decade following the nation's civil rights movement, the group's appearance on the cover signified the social and cultural growth that was taking place in society. Later that same season, he was promoted to interim coach with six games left and has remained coach of the team, which moved to Tennessee prior to the 1997 season. Miami's bland, yet iconic nickname was born from the Dolphins' perception that they were underrated and under-appreciated. Even though he speaks with a German-style accent, he was born and raised on Chicago's north side. the Bluejays just beat a strong Baylor Bears team 85-76 thanks to strong . Fisher missed the 1985 season because of an ankle injury that ultimately led to his retirement after the Super Bowl. Led by linemen Bob Lilly and Larry Cole, linebackers Chuck Howley and Lee Roy Jordan, and defensive backs Mel Renfro, Herb Adderley and Cliff Harris, the Cowboys held the Dolphins to a mere three points in their Super Bowl VI victory. A team's nickname can define an offensive or defensive unit, especially in the NFL. See the sights from the festivities in Canton Ohio as Brian Urlacher received his gold jacket, rode in the HOF parade, and spoke at his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. : Jim Dooley (Offensive Consultant), Ted Plumb (Receivers) and Dick Stanfel (Offensive Line), Secretary of the Board of Directors: Virginia Halas McCaskey, Training Camp: UW Platteville (Platteville, Wisconsin), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 2:31PM. There were nicknames and dances and SNL skits. Glen ''Koz'' Kozlowski is also known as. In addition to involvement in various charities and businesses (including owning Shaun Gayle LLC, a marketing, promotion and talent representation firm), he has spent the past several seasons as an analyst on NFL broadcasts that air on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. In three playoff games during the 1985 season, they allowed just a total of 10 points. The Notre Dame graduate moved into the starting lineup as a rookie right offensive guard with the Bears in 1985 and stayed there through the 1992 season, finishing his career in 1993 with a three-game stint with Miami before retiring. A veteran coach who held positions with seven NFL teams, four colleges and two high schools in a 38-year career, Plumb was an offensive specialist. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Matt is also the uncle of Penn State quarterback Kevin Suhey. 1985 Chicago Bears roster Jan 25, 2016 at 06:24 AM ChicagoBears.com takes a look back at the complete 1985 team roster that finished 15-1 in the regular season and moved on to win Super Bowl XX. He still manages to attend several Bears-related events, particularly the team's annual fan convention. Gault continues to pursue an acting/screenwriting/producing career in Hollywood. He amassed an impressive 1,488 career tackles, 885 of which were solo efforts. Here is a rundown on the Bear players and their pet nicknames: - Mark Bortz: Bortzilla (as in Godzilla). [42] At that time, Obama called them the greatest team ever; however, he called his own words into question when hosting the 1972 Dolphins, the only NFL team with a perfect season. Even though he was listed on the 1985 roster, he did not play because of injuries and eventually retired. His stops include Westminster College (Utah), where his career began in 1970 as defensive coordinator, and continued through the College of Emporia (Kansas), Texas-Arlington, Colorado State, Southern Utah, Texas-Austin, UTEP and the Dallas Cowboys. [11] Before the team's season opening game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, players Al Harris, Todd Bell and Richard Dent requested to be traded. The Punky QB. What's the difference between the 85' Bears and the 2014 Bears (besides obviously winning the Super Bowl)? ''Misleading'' because no one knows how fast he is or where he is on pass routes. Teddy bears are also cute and cute bear names would best fit those adorable cubs. Who can forget Iron Mike, Sweetness, The Punky QB, Mongo, Danimal, Samurai Mike, The Fridge, and Butthead? Steve McMichael: McMichael played for the Bears from 1981-1993. The '77 Cowboys defense also included the 6-foot-9 Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, who in 2019 declared Doomsday the greatest defensive unit of all time. He played with Chicago through 1986 before ending his career with a brief stint with the Redskins in 1987. That attention to detail caught the eyes of the Detroit Lions, who hired Gentry in 2001 as a scout. Reynolds, Bubba Smith, Ed ''Too Tall'' Jones, Gene ''Big Daddy'' Lipscomb, Ted ''Mad Stork'' Hendricks. [16], This was the Bears last victory at Candlestick Park. His tenure with Indy ironically culminated with a Super Bowl XLI win over the Bears, earning him a second Super Bowl ring. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XX. New England kept them out of the end zone, but Butler kicked his third field goal on the last play of the half to give Chicago a 233 halftime lead. Although retired from coaching, Plumb still takes part in the yearly Texas vs. Sadly, Gayle suffered a terrible tragedy Oct. 4, 2007, when girlfriend Rhoni Reuter and the couple's unborn child were shot and killed in their Deerfield home. A former acquaintance and business associate of Gayle, Marni Yang, was arrested in March 2009 and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro selection. At 32, Hartenstine was one of the older veterans on the '85 Bears. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Kobe was taken too soon, but written in history forever, The sports that people play and watch the most, "The more often you have pushed the boundaries in practice, the easier it is to push that crucial bit harder and longer in matches. Haupt was a longtime defensive line coach and coordinator. Since retiring, he's become a top investment strategist and advisor for Chicago-based Adams Street Partners, where he is a partner and head of business development. at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, The game featured a hit on Lions quarterback Joe Ferguson where he was knocked unconscious by Bears linebacker Wilber Marshall. CHI Jim McMahon 1 yard run (Kevin Butler kick). He's still regarded as one of the greatest offensive linemen in University of Michigan history, starting all 36 games he played with the Wolverines. "That's what the '85 Bears had." ROAD TO SUPER BOWL 50: A Colts fan on why Indy is pulling for Peyton Even in the '80s, the golden age of sports nicknames, it's hard to remember a team with. Van Horne won a $1.6 million defamation judgment against Chicago radio personality Erich "Mancow" Muller in 2000. Who says you can never go home again? It perfectly summed up the dominance of Buddy Ryan's bunch, but similar to the 1940s, no specific unit officially claimed. He spent five seasons with Dallas, one with Cleveland and the final three with the Bears. I think it's the same reason people look with disfavor on the Raiders. Dooley spent almost his entire pro football career as a player, coach and administrator with the Bears. All Rights Reserved. Like several teammates, Sanders was a rookie in 1985. With an offense led by quarterback Jim McMahon and running back Walter Payton, the Bears ran roughshod over the league that year with a 15-1 regular season record and an easy 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots . Brownie - Can be a good name for wild brown bears. The unit helped turn the Rams from an irrelevant team to a title contender by the end of the decade. His primary work these days is as a public/motivational speaker, plus he recently started his own marketing group. Ditka has since gone on record stating that his biggest regret of his career was not creating a scoring opportunity for Payton during the game. Michael McCaskey announced in April that he will retire at the end of the 2010 season. Tight end, 1961-1966Head coach, 1982-1992. The Bears were first in scoring defense, allowing only 198 points in the regular season with an average of allowing only 12.4 points/game, as well as scoring more points than given up. Or, how about ''the Assassin,'' Jack Tatum? Simpson? The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Still, he wasn't idle that season, serving as an assistant to then-defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. 9. Simpson to a mere 49 rushing yards in the divisional round. Green Bay's Mark Lee and Ken Stills intensified the game after Lee sent Payton over a bench and Stills leveled Matt Suhey. He went to four consecutive Pro Bowls, two Super Bowls and in the 85 season, he had five interceptions. He also earned an MBA from the University of Washington. [15] The 198 points allowed were 65 less than the second-most allowed that year, while the point differential of plus-258 is 110 more than the second-ranked differential and the third-highest in NFL history. In 2015, that total would rank in a tie for 20th in the league. Mongo. The offensive tackle and backup center was stymied throughout his career by injuries, requiring eight surgeries. NFC Central Division [33] They were also second in scoring with 456 points (28.5 points/game), trailing only the Chargers that season. Rookies from the Bears 2018 draft class arrive at Halas Hall to be fitted for their gear and sign contracts before this weekend's rookie minicamp. Eason became the first Super Bowl starting quarterback to fail to complete a pass, going 0 for 6 attempts. Like former teammate Bortz, "Hilgy" also had an unusually long playing career (13 years, including 11 with the Bears and single seasons in Cleveland and New Orleans). On the next possession, Theismann punted for 1 yard (his only punt in the NFL), and Chicago scored on the very next play to take a 1410 lead, and they cruised from there. Suhey played fullback for the Bears from 1980-89 and was the primary blocker for Walter Payton. Olsen is flanked in Canton by Jones, who tallied 173.5 sacks during his legendary career. Prior to that, Becker spent several years working in youth football programs and camps with the Fox Valley Park District and the Aurora Catholic League. . Week 4 saw Chicago trailing 10-0 early to the Joe Theismann-led Washington Redskins. He missed playing just two games, both in 1986. Once his playing days ended, Taylor became a personal trainer, eventually working with more than 5,000 athletes. Take a look at some of the best photos of former Bears players wearing the team's orange jerseys from 2004-2011. Since retiring, Waechter and his wife have built a successful agricultural supply firm in Grand Island, Neb. Nov. 28, 1964. He spent six seasons with the Bears (1980-85) before following Buddy Ryan to the Philadelphia Eagles. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. After a 15-season NFL career (one year with New England, 13 with the Bears and a final season in 1994 with Green Bay), McMichael spent time as a broadcaster and five years as a pro wrestler. Wilson hosted his sixth annual Celebrity Golf Outing on Aug. 5 at Bolingbrook Golf Club for his 55-Alive initiative that promotes physical fitness and nutrition for at-risk youths in the Chicago area. Friedman spent 21 years as director of video services, filming all games and practices with the Bears from 1974 to 1994 before leaving the team. - Mike Ditka: MD, the Doctor. He lives just outside Washington, D.C. Perhaps one of the more prolific yet at times underrated linebackers to play the game, Rivera spent nine seasons with the Bears before eventually embarking on a coaching career that started where he left off as a player, with the Bears, as defensive quality coach (1997-98). I mean balls ricocheting off guys heads and flying into receivers hands. 1985 Chicago Bears Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees Previous Season Next Season Record: 15-1-0, 1st in NFC Central Division ( Schedule and Results ) Coach: Mike Ditka (15-1-0) Points For: 456 (28.5/g) 2nd of 28 Points Against: 198 (12.4/g) 1st of 28 Expected W-L: 14.1-1.9 SRS: 15.94 (1st of 28), SOS: -0.19 Playoffs: The 2018 class of undrafted free agents signing with the Bears. The star of the unit, Mark Gastineau, was a hard-charging, gregarious player who recorded a then-NFL-record 22 sacks in 1984. At the end of his tenure, the Bears had a 6-6 record in the postseason. The oldest grandchild of George Halas was known as a business and management expert prior to joining the Bears as team president in 1983 following Halas' death. Greatest Show on Turf: Explosive Rams teams led by Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner. The team was corralled by hard-nosed Mike Ditka. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. The former McNeese State standout spent three seasons in the NFL, all with the Bears.
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