1985 Chicago Bears

[Cd.]

Just remembering what a year it was. I drove up from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal and settled into my empty apartment all alone. I opened up a warm beer and saw the drama unfold before my very eyes. Can you tell me where YOU were that afternoon?

http://www.bearshistory.com/seasons/...cagobears.aspx




The 2005 Chicago Bears were that years Super Bowl Champions for the NFL in the sport of American Football. In the 2005 Super Bowl this team defeated the New England Patriots for the world championship.

Roster of the 1985 Chicago Bears

Pos. Name School Exp.

4 QB Steve Fuller Clemson
7 6 K Kevin Butler Georgia R
8 P Maury Buford Texas Tech 4
9 QB Jim McMahon BYU 4
18 QB Mike Tomczak Ohio State R
20 RB Thomas Sanders Texas A&M R
21 CB Leslie Frazier Alcorn State 5
22 S Dave Duerson Notre Dame 3
23 DB Shaun Gayle Ohio State R
26 RB Matt Suhey Penn State 6
27 CB Mike Richardson Arizona State 3
29 RB Dennis Gentry Baylor 4
31 DB Ken Taylor Oregon State R
33 RB Calvin Thomas Illinois 4
34 RB Walter Payton Jackson State 11
45 S Gary Fencik Yale 10
48 CB Reggie Phillips SMU R
50 MLB Mike Singletary Baylor 5
51 LB Jim Morrissey Michigan State R
52 LB Cliff Thrift EC Oklahoma 7
54 LB Brian Cabral Colorado 7
55 LB Otis Wilson Louisville 6
57 G Tom Thayer Notre Dame 3
58 LB Wilber Marshall Florida 2
59 LB Ron Rivera California 2
60 OL Tom Andrews Louisville 2
62 G Mark Bortz Iowa 3
63 C Jay Hilgenberg Iowa 5
70 DL Henry Waechter Nebraska 4
71 OL Andy Frederick New Mexico 9
72 DT William Perry Clemson R
73 DL Mike Hartenstine Penn State
11 74 T Jim Covert Pittsburgh 3
75 OL Stephan Humphries Michigan 2
76 DT Steve McMichael Texas 6
78 T Keith Van Horne USC 5
79 G Kurt Becker Michigan 4
80 TE Tim Wrightman UCLA 3
81 WR James Manness Texas Christian R
82 WR Ken Margerum Stanford 5
83 WR Willie Gault Tennessee 3
84 WR Brian Baschnagel Ohio State 10 8
5 WR Dennis McKinnon Florida State 3
86 WR Brad Anderson Arizona 2
87 TE Emery Moorehead Colorado 9
89 WR Keith Ortego McNeese State R
95 DE Richard Dent Tennessee State 3
98 DE Tyrone Keys Mississippi State 3
99 DL Dan Hampton Arkansas 7



1985 Salaries


In this day of NFL players holding out and not accepting $18 million in guaranteed money, here is a refreshing look back at the salaries of the 1985 Bears starters. This was published in the January 10, 1986 Chicago Sun Times. According to the paper, signing bonuses and incentives are not included in these figures.

Offense Jim McMahon, Quarterback, $600,000 Walter Payton, Running Back, $685,000 Matt Suhey, Running Back, $260,000 Willie Gault, Wide Receiver, $241,000 Dennis McKinnon, Wide Receiver, $100,000 Jim Covert, Left Tackle, $190,000 Mark Bortz, Left Guard, $90,000 Jay Hilgenberg, Center, $110,000 Tom Thayer, Right Guard, $160,000 Keith Van Horne, Right Tackle, $225,000 Emery Moorehead, Tight End, $200,000

Defense Dan Hampton, Defensive End, $325,000 Steve McMichael, Defensive Tackle, $225,000 William Perry, Defensive Tackle, $138,250 Richard Dent, Defensive End, $90,000 Otis Wilson, Linebacker, $150,000 Mike Singletary, Linebacker, $200,000 Wilber Marshall, Linebacker, 250,000 Mike Richardson, Cornerback, $175,000 Leslie Frazier, Cornerback, $130,000 Dave Duerson, Strong Safety, $125,000 Gary Fencik, Free Safety, $275,000

[KillZone]

Crimimal, that team was criminal that year. I remember that team because I was still a fan of professional football and I was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys (more on that later).

That Thursday night game when McMahon came off the bench and “lit it up” was incredible. In fact, it was so incredible that it looked like the Vikings and the Bears had planned for that to happen (which, of course, they didn't).

That team was full of characters. Besides McMahon (who could be and was outrageous), there was Perry and a defensive lineman that I think was nicknamed “Bam-Bam.” Maybe that was Dent. Or was it McMichael? I think there was an offensive lineman that was a close pal of McMahon’s, yet I cannot recall his name. Ditka was also a character. He may not have been popular in Chicago, but Ditka wanted to win as badly as any coach in the league. Who could forget Singletary's eyes? Talk about intense...

Criminal, who was "Bam-Bam" (or did I dream that up?)?

Unfortunately (for me), in 1985 I was still a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, and the Bears destroyed Dallas in Dallas on national TV 44 to 0. They could have played 16 quarters and the Cowboys would not have scored on that Chicago defense.

It isn’t a secret why the Bears were so dominant. Their defense was simply overwhelming: 1985 NFL Rankings: Defense 1st Overall, 1st Rush, 3rd Pass. That was one of the best defenses in NFL history, imho. The defensive line (Hampton, McMichael, Perry and Dent) was more than dominant. It was overwhelming that year, for they were hitting on all cylinders, and they did so all year.

The following was a revelation to me: Singletary, the best linebacker in the NFL, made $200,000 per year that year.

My, my, how things have changed…

Thanks for the memories, Criminal. Pro football was still something I enjoyed in those days.

[beatlebabe]

The Superbowl Shuffle

[Cd.]

Originally Posted by KillZone

Crimimal, Criminal, who was "Bam-Bam" (or did I dream that up?)?

i don't remember a Bam Bam.. maybe it was Steve McMichael because he had a baby face but was solid muscle.

My favorite player on that team was William "The Refridgerator" Perry, no 71.

You had the junk yard dogs, Jim McMahon, the snuff dipping QB who loved wearing statements on his headbands. There was Gary Fencik, the Yale man and former Oxford scholar. There was Kenny Margerin, the California boarn and bread windsurfer nature boy wide receiver. And of course there was 34 himself... the Bears greatest running back of all times, Walter Payton.

I often think that the 85 Bears was the team that revolutionized the game and actually made it fun to watch.

Mike Ditka has to be the most brilliant football coach of all times because he put a team together that really generated excitement. It was a team that had a personality and an identity.

[KillZone]

I enjoy discussing the NFL up through the mid-90s. After that, I just lost interest. Okay, Criminal…

If I am not mistaken, when Jim McMahon was asked, “What was the best thing about BYU?”, he said, “Leaving it” or “When I left it” (or something funny like that).

I read his book, and I lost respect for him as a person because he was quite critical of his parents, I believe. If he felt that way, that is his business, but he need not criticism them in a book. But as a player, he was entertaining to watch play, and he could be and often was spectacular.

Steve McMichael played at UT, and he was a stud. I think he was Bam-Bam, but it he may have been called that at UT.

“Sweetness” didn’t exactly go down easily when he was hit by one player. Payton was another warrior.

Even though I was a Dallas fan at the time, I was glad when the Bears won the Super Bowl. I like Mike Ditka (yet another warrior), and I liked a lot of other players on that team. It was remarkable to watch their defense play and completely dominate their opponent.

Ditka and McMahon had “issues,” if I recall, and they still were able to accomplish what they did. I never heard the exact nature of their “issues,” but Ditka traded Jim a couple of years later, didn’t he?

Now, if you want to discuss the Dallas Cowboys winning 3 out of 4 Super Bowls under Jimmy Johnson and "Gunsmoke" Barry Switzer, that’ll be fine with me.

[OhJenMac]

December 2nd 1985

My 19th birthday...My best friend and I went to the Orange Bowl to witness the decimation laid on the "invincible" Bears by my beloved Miami Dolphins, spearheaded by this man...



The greatest birthday ever....

[KillZone]

My 19th birthday...My best friend and I went to the Orange Bowl to witness the decimation laid on the "invincible" Bears by my beloved Miami Dolphins, spearheaded by this man...

That must have been a blast for you and your best friend, OhJenMac. Hanging 38 points on that Bears defense was (obviously) rather hard to do, but the Dolphins did it in the game you refer to, as I suspect you fondly recall.

Marino: After Marino’s first year in the league, my question wasn’t, “Will he win a Super Bowl?” It was, “How many will he win?”

The fact that he never won a Super Bowl “taints” his reputation as a quarterback for some so-called experts. (I saw this attitude expressed by a couple of so-called experts on ESPNClassic a month or so ago when they featured Marino on “Sports Century.”)

I disagree and even find that kind of reasoning illogical. His numbers (passing records) speak for themselves, imho.

[Cd.]

Incidently, my all time favorite quarterback was Tony Eason, who played for the Patriots in the 1985 superbowl. I rember watching him play for Illinois. An interesting story here... In some bowl in 1983 (I don't remeber if it was the Fiesta bowl or sugar bowl or whatever) Illinois was playing Alabama in the very last game and it was Bear Bryant's very last game as Bama's coach. The quarterback opposing Bama was Tony Eason.