It’s been 40 years since Da Bears won Super Bowl XX. Growing up in Chicago and rooting for this team is an exercise in patience, toughness, joy, and lots of frustration. They ended my childhood years as a dumpster fire at the tail end of the 90’s, and the only time they were good pre-2006 were their division title winning years in 2001 and in 2005, and 2010, 2018 were fun seasons as well. Thankfully, I don’t fret about sports like that, and right now isn’t time for negativity. It’s time for me to just let it all out and pay a nice little tribute to the 1985 Chicago Bears; the best team ever!
History
To give this story proper context, you must understand that the Bears came off their very worst decade ever of the 1970’s where they only made the Playoffs twice, and if you trace back to their God-awful 1-win 1969 season, they didn’t make a postseason appearance till 1976! Through all of this, Walter Payton, also known as “Sweetness,” who was drafted a year earlier, was one of the very few bright spots for the team, carving out his own trailblazing Hall of Fame career in spite of all the losing and even winning the NFL MVP in 1977.
Thankfully, Water would finally get some help when the Bears drafted Dan Hampton and Al Harris in 1979, Otis Wilson and Matt Suehy in 1980, and even though the team continue to tread water, they continued to build adding Keith Van Horne, Mike Singletary, and Todd Bell in ’81 and the Punky QB Jim McMahon and running back Dennis Gentry in would arrive via the Draft in 1982.
The man who was the architect of Da Bears’ rebirth was Jim Finks, who came to Chicago in 1974; long after taking control of the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders, turning them into the in team in the 1960s before they finally won a Grey Cup in 1971. Before Calgary won their title, Jim was already in Minnesota building the Vikings into a legendary squad led by coach Bud Grant and a defensive line known as the “Purple People Eaters.” Under his watch, the Vikings made their four Super Bowl appearances and are recognized as the last NFL Champion before the NFL-AFL merger with 11 NFC Central Division titles.
It would take a good while, but after his arrival in 1974 which marked 11 years since the Bears even made a postseason appearance, combined with careful study, long-term planning and with all the draft picks that I mentioned leading up to the iconic 1983 NFL Draft where the Bears selected Jimbo Colvert, Willie Gualt and Dave Duerson, he helped turn one of the worst teams in the league into one of the best. Key piece Wilbur Marshall arrived in 1984 and a year later would bring the William “Refrigerator” Perry and kicker Keven Butler to the Windy City.
The Offense
Let’s get to the offense, shall we? With Sweetness as the team captain, you had quarterback Jim McMahon, the main backup QB was Steve Fuller, fullback Matt Suhey, with Emery Moorehead at tight end, and both Dennis McKinnon and Willie Gault as the wide receivers. The offensive line had Hall of Famer Jim Covert at left tackle and Mark Bortz at left guard, 7-time Pro Bowler Jay Hilgenberg at Center, Keith Van Horne at right guard, and Tom Thayer at right tackle. They were never going to be like the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers in terms of a passing attack. McMahon had problems with injuries, even in ’85, but with who the Bears had, they proved to be good enough in the run game, as from 1984 through ‘86, they would lead the league in rushing in all three years.
The Defense
Now, to talk about the nitty-gritty on the legendary ’85 Bears defense! I’ll try so hard not to copy word-for-word the way the late John Madden broke down that roster and the 46 defense they had; it’s hard not to, though, because nobody analyzed game plans on both sides of the ball the way he did. However, I will do my best! Up front, where three out of the four players are in the Hall of Fame, you have Richard Dent, Steve “Mongo” McMichael, the “Fridge” Richard Perry, and “Danimal” Dan Hampton! The secondary had cornerbacks Mike Richardson and Leslie Frazier, and was backed by safeties Dave Duerson and “Hitman” Gary Fencik. The key was the three linebackers: Otis Wilson, Wilbur Marshall, and Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, a.k.a. Samurai Mike!
What made the 46 so frightening was how it was constructed and what they were able to do with the personnel they had. Dent, Mongo, Fridge, and Hampton all lined up one-on-one with four of the five linemen, while you had Wilson and Marshall together on the same side so if they blitzed, the tackle needed help from the tight end and/or running back to block them both. If the offense was able to block all those men, then who had Mike Singletary? But Dave Duerson could come in on a safety blitz, too, and would line up as a fourth linebacker while Otis and Wilbur helped give a six-man defensive front! So, with all eight of those Monsters wreaking havoc, offenses just couldn’t block it.
They could move around to different spots on the line because Buddy’s blitzes were not predictable, and the guys were such great athletes, they could come from literally anywhere! The 46, which was named after Bears linebacker Doug Plank’s number, and he retired from the NFL in 1982 before the Bears made their historic run. I just wanted to put it out there. Teams really couldn’t run against the Bears’ defense either, as just as the team led the league in rushing from ’84 to ’86, they had the best run defense in all three years as well. However, we’ll never really see the 46 again because offenses are so wide open today, and Dan Marino showed that if the QB got rid of the ball quickly and the receivers had just enough room to get away from the defenders covering them, it’s an instant touchdown.
The Most Dominant Team Ever?
While the ’72 Dolphins went unbeaten and were so dominant with three brutal shutouts including a 52-0 annihilation of the New England Patriots, Da Bears just either crushed teams, come back from behind to win like they did against Tampa Bay in Week 1 and Minnesota in Week 3, just have fair share of close game or when they gave up just three points to Detroit in Week 10 be shutting out both Dallas and Atlanta by a combined score of 80-0! Also, it’s amazing that they beat the New York Giants and the LA Rams in the Playoffs without giving up a single point! Safety Shaun Gayle, who was drafted in 1984, must be mentioned as he blocked and recovered a muffed punt vs. the Giants at blustery Soldier Field for a critical touchdown!
Unfortunately, I must mention that besides the loss to Miami stopping any hope of the Bears going undefeated, Frazier got seriously hurt in Super Bowl XX and never came back, Al Harris and Todd Bell both held out the entire season, Buddy Ryan left after ’85, players started to leave and I know people who are still angry Walter Payton didn’t get his TD in the Super Bowl. It’s not a big thing for me at all, but it would’ve been nice to see them win at least one more during that time.
I was only 2 when the Bears won their last title, and my mother still remembers me sitting on Grandpa’s lap watching and cheering. With the talent the Bears had, I do wish they won at least another Super Bowl; however, from them being so dominant on the field, the Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers they had, especially Walter Payton, no single season team ever shined brighter! Plus, off the field, these guys were rock stars! The memories of the Super Bowl Shuffle will always remain. He didn’t live to see any of the Chicago Bulls championships, and I only had a short time with him, but he’s the reason I’m a die-hard Chicago sports fan, not a crazy, psycho fan, just someone living his life and love to talk sports when he’s not busy taking care of business. I hope my piece isn’t too long. I wanted to share this with you… for a little while. Thanks for being with me a little while tonight!
Thank you so much for reading and BEAR DOWN!
