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Comment on this Story 1985 Chicago Bears-World Champions Again 1985 Bears team photo. There was something in the air in Platteville, WI, in August 1985. Throngs of new tourists suddenly showing up to watch the team practice. Jim McMahon, soon to be dubbed the "Punky QB" in pop-culture lore, sported a mohawk as a result of a mistake he made while cutting his own hair. And a gargantuan first-round pick, defensive tackle William Perry from Clemson, struggled to stay alive in the sweltering heat. Mike Ditka set the tone, as he told the team that this was their year. "Put a chip on your shoulder, and don't let anyone knock it off until we win the super bowl!", became the team's rallying cry. The Bears started opening day off shaky, as Tampa Bay led them at halftime. The team prevailed, however, and defeated the Buccaneers 38-28. The next week the defense dominated, shutting down New England in a 20-7 win, despite Walter Payton being held to one of his lowest rushing totals in his career.



The following Thursday night at Minnesota, Jim McMahon was forced to the bench by Ditka because of missing practice with a sore neck (many attributed this injury to McMahon's habit of head-butting his offensive linemen after scores). With Steve Fuller at the helm, Minnesota led 17-9 in the third quarter. Ditka gave in to McMahon's urges, and put him in the game. The rest, as they say, is history. McMahon fired 3 touchdown passes, #1 being on his very first play in the game, to lead the Bears to a 33-24 victory. The following week, Chicago destroyed Washington 45-10 in a rematch of 1984's divisional playoff. The next week, they beat Tampa at home, 27-19, then travelled to San Francisco to pay the defending world champions back for the championship game lost the previous year. The 49ers had no chance, as the Bear's defense kept Joe Montana on the ground for much of the game. The 49er game also featured the debut of a new American hero- "The Refridgerator" William Perry. Ditka inserted Perry as a running back at the end of the game to pay back SF coach Bill Walsh for doing the same with Guy McIntyre the year before. A star was born. To go along with a winning football team, Chicago now possessed a group of pop-culture icons.



Perry's legend grew on national television the following Monday night against Green Bay. Perry served up two crushing blocks for Walter Payton, and scored a touchdown himself, in a 21-7 victory. The following week against Minnesota, he netted his first sack in a 26-7 Bears victory. The Bears finished the first half of 1985 at 8-0.



On November 3rd, Chicago went to Green Bay for a grudge match-rematch. The Packers fought all the way through the game, as they felt Chicago had humiliated them on Monday night 2 weeks before. The Bears still came away with a victory 16-10, featuring William Perry the wide receiver, who caught a short touchdown pass just before halftime. In the next 3 games, the Bears were clearly on a roll. They beat up on Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta by a combined score of 104-3. The pinnacle was a 44-0 defeat of the Cowboys in Dallas, their worst loss at home ever. These 3 losses set up disappointment at Miami on December 2nd. The Dolphins defeated the Bears 38-24, and ensured they would remain the only unbeaten team in the modern era.



Ironically, Bears players gathered the following day to record the "Super Bowl Shuffle" video and single. Some players were invited, but refused to participate. After the Miami loss, the team did turn it back around, with 3 wins over Indianapolis, the New York Jets and Detroit, to finish the regular season. The playoffs were upon the Bears, and they controlled their destiny with home field advantage throughout the post season.



The playoffs began as Chicago hosted the New York Giants on January 5, 1986. The naysayers were primed for a letdown. Hadn't the fans of Chicago paid attention as the 1983 White Sox and 1984 Cubs struck out of the playoffs so quickly? The Bears did not listen, as they shut out New York, 21-0. "It's going to get better," stated defensive leader Mike Singletary, as the Bears had a matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in their second Championship Game appearance in as many years.



Coach Mike Ditka started the week off by telling the press that "In life, there are teams called Smith, and teams called "Grabowski"....We're Grabowskis!" The term became a rallying cry for the Bears, who were proud of their blue-collar image in a blue-collar city. Just as they had the week before, the Bears shut out Los Angeles 24-0. They dominated the game and shut down NFL Leading Rusher Eric Dickerson. The NFC Championship game featured some high drama of its own in the final seconds. Down 17-0, Los Angeles was desperately trying to put points on the board. As QB Dieter Brock dropped back to pass, he was sacked by Richard Dent, and fumbled the ball. Just as Wilbur Marshall picked up the ball and ran in for a touchdown, it started to snow. Many surmised it was George Halas giving his mark of approval on the team.



Super Bowl 20 in New Orleans was almost anti-climactic compared to the weeks leading up to the game. Jim McMahon mooned a news helicopter, was accused of calling all the women of New Orleans "sluts", and Defensive Coordinator Buddy Ryan was rumored to be leaving the team for Philadelphia. The night before the game, Ryan told his defense that "No matter what happens, you'll always be my heroes." After many tears were shed, Steve McMichael impaled the wall with a chair, and the team was ready to take no prisoners the following day.

The Bears won Super Bowl 20 by a score of 46-10, by far the largest margin of victory in a super bowl to that point. Buddy Ryan did in fact leave the team shortly after the victory, but not until after he was carried off the field along with Head Coach Mike Ditka. The Bears were undoubtedly the most dominating team in history in 1985, so talk of a dynasty was ripe in everyone's minds in Chicago. Quote of the Year: "There are teams that are fair-haired, and those that aren't so fair-haired. Some teams are named Smith, some Grabowski. We're Grabowskis."-Mike Ditka, January 1986 1985 Records:Preseason 1-3, Regular Season 15-1, Playoffs 3-0 1985 NFL Rankings: Offense 7th Overall, 1st Rush, 20th Pass; Defense 1st Overall, 1st Rush, 3rd Pass 1985 Coaches: Mike Ditka, Head Coach; Buddy Ryan, Defensive Coordinator; Ed Hughes, Offensive Coordinator DATE TEAM RESULT NOTES 8/9 Cardinals L 10-19 Preseason. 8/17 Colts L 13-24 Preseason. 8/26 Cowboys L 13-15 Preseason. 8/31 Bills W 45-14 Preseason. 9/8 Bucs W 38-28 Come-from-behind. 9/15 Patriots W 20-7 Dominant defense. 9/19 Vikings W 33-24 Best. Comeback. Ever. 9/29 Redskins W 45-10 Theismann bad day. 10/6 Bucs W 27-19 Tough Tampa game #2. 10/13 49ers W 26-10 Sweet revenge. 10/21 Packers W 23-7 Fridge plows & scores. 10/27 Vikings W 27-9 Five picks for D. 11/3 Packers W 16-10 Dirty Packers lose. 11/10 Detroit W 24-3 34 + 26 100 yds each. 11/17 Cowboys W 44-0 Nightmare for Dallas. 11/24 Falcons W 36-0 Second shutout in row. 12/2 Dolphins L 24-38 Only loss; ugly. 12/8 Colts W 17-10 Squeaker vs. Colts. 12/14 Jets W 19-6 Another close one. 12/22 Lions W 37-17 Lion QB's killed. 1/5 Giants W 21-0 Playoff shutout. 1/12 Rams W 24-0 Goin' to SB 20. 1/26 Patriots W 46-10 World Champions. HOME AWAY Passing: Jim McMahon-McMahon was voted to his only Pro Bowl appearance after his best season in the NFL. His 1985 statistics were 178/313, 2392 yards, 15 TD and 11 INT. He completed 56.9% of his passes for a 82.8 quarterback rating. He also caught a TD pass against Washington. Rushing: Walter Payton-Payton had his best season since 1979, rushing for 1551 yards on 324 attempts, a 4.8 yard average per carry. His long game was 40 yards and he score nine touchdowns on the ground. Receiving: Walter Payton-Payton also led the Bears in receptions, catching 49 passes out of the backfield for 483 yards and 2 touchdowns. Willie Gault led in receiving yards with 704. Scoring: Kevin Butler-In his rookie season, Butler led the team by scoring 144 points on 51 PATs and 31 field goals out of 38 attempts. Sacks: Richard Dent-The "Colonel" paced the feriocious Bears defense with 17 sacks. He also went to the Pro Bowl and was named MVP of Super Bowl 20, a rarity for a defensive lineman. Interceptions: Leslie Frazier-Frazier led the team with 6 interceptions. This would be the veteran's final season, as he ruined his knee while returning a punt in Super Bowl 20. Drag over the image for player's name 9 QB 34 RB 26 RB 83 WR 85 WR 74 LT 62 LG 63 C 57 RG 78 RT 87 TE 6 K 95 DE 76 DT 72 DT 99 DE 58 LB 50 MLB 55 LB 27 CB 22 SS 45 FS 21 CB 8 P QB Jim McMahon started 11 regular season games, yielding as starter to Steve Fuller for the other 5 with injuries. Rookie Mike Tomczak made several appearances in mopup duty. Running backs Walter Payton and Matt Suhey started every game and were spelled by Dennis Gentry, Calvin Thomas and rookie Thomas Sanders. Wide receivers Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon also started each game; Ken Margerum and Keith Ortego played in the slot. Brian Baschnagel spent this last year with the team on injured reserve and rookie James Manness and Brad Anderson were active but did not play. The offensive line started every game with mopup duty performed by Andy Frederick and Stefan Humphries. Tight end Emery Moorhead started and was relieved occassionally by Tim Wrightman. On defense, all 11 starters stayed healthy and on the field for the duration. The only significant change to the starting lineup came prior to game eight, when tackle Dan Hampton moved over to left defensive end and was replaced by rookie William Perry. The move sent veteran Mike Hartenstine to the bench. Also significant was that LB Wilber Marshall and SS Dave Duerson replaced 1984 starters Al Harris and Todd Bell, who held out the entire season. Gault and Gentry returned kicks and Ortego returned punts. The kicker was Kevin Butler and the punter Maury Buford. # 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 53 LB Dan Rains Cincinnati 4 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 85 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





In the 1985 Draft, prognosticators expected the Bears to select a wide receiver or the lock-down cornerback Buddy Ryan coveted. Following the quarterback debacle of 1984, a backup signalcaller was desired as well. Instead, the Bears selected massive defensive tackle William Perry, arguing he was too good a prospect to pass up. Ryan labeled him a wasted draft pick after Perry lacked conditioning early in training camp.

The Bears returned to training camp in Platteville, WI for the second year in July of '85. Rookie kicker Kevin Butler's fiancee was shocked when Kevin called her shortly after camp started. "We have to change our wedding date," the kicker told his fiancee, leaving her in shock. "We're going to the Super Bowl this year, and it's on January 26th," he told her. They had selected that same date for their wedding.

It is well known that defensive end/linebacker Al Harris and safety Todd Bell held out the entire season. It is not remembered, however, that other holdouts through much of 1985's training camp were Mike Singletary, Steve McMichael, Keith Van Horne and Perry. Singletary was the last to report after the team restructured the terms of his six-year contract signed in 1983.

After the Bears dropped to 0-2 in the preseason after a loss to the Colts, fans screamed for Ditka's neck. "It's a little early to be engraving our tombstone," Ditka deadpanned.

While Chicago won their first five games, they seemed to be the "cardiac Bears" in these games. Twice against Tampa and in games against Minnesota and Washington, they trailed by fair margins. Winners of all four of these contests, unbelievable was the Thursday night outing at Minnesota, when Jim McMahon came off the bench to fire three touchdown passes. With the scores, McMahon erased a 27-9 defecit.

Perry would become a national phenomenon throughout the season, but his star shone brightest during the four-game period from October 13th through November 3rd. During these games, Perry entered as a fullback late in the San Francisco victory, scored a rushing TD against Green Bay, recorded his first pro sack on 10/27 against the Vikings, and hauled in a TD reception at Green Bay.

The Bears' lowest point of the season was preceeded by their three best games. From November 3rd through the 24th, Chicago outscored Detroit, Dallas and Atlanta 104-3.

However, in their well-known only loss, the Bears lost the chance at an undefeated season on December 2nd at Miami. The Dolphins dominated in a game that wasn't as close as the score, 38-24. Most Bear players to this day credit the loss with inspiring them to push forward to the title.

In the final three regular season games of 1985 the Bears squeaked out wins against Indianapolis and the New York Jets, then soundly defeated Detroit. They controlled home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and were only the second team in NFL history to finish 15-1 (San Francisco, 1984). Their divisional home playoff game would be the first in Chicago since 1963. Fans were concerned about their chances, however, after the failures of the 1984 Bears and Cubs.

The Bears became the first team in history to go through the playoffs without allowing a point after they defeated the Giants 21-0 and Rams 24-0. With a minute remaining in the championship game, Richard Dent sacked Rams quarterback Dieter Brock, who fumbled. The ball was recovered by WIlber Marshall, who streaked 50 yards with the recovery for a touchdown. Perry, known worldwide as the Refrigerator, led the blocking for Marshall. A light snow had begun to fall just as the play took place, creating a storybook ending to the playoffs.

Super Bowl week was full of off-the-field news for the team. Bears officials refused to allow McMahon's personal acupuncturist on the team flight to New Orleans. The Honey Bears cheerleaders, a fixture on the Bears' sidelines since 1977, were told the Super Bowl would be their last appearance with the team. McMahon mooned a television news helicopter spying on practice, then was accused by TV host Buddy Dilberto of calling "all the women of New Orleans sluts." The host later retracted his story, but McMahon feared for his life after the stunt.

According to many players, the game was anti-climactic, as the Bears breezed to a 46-10 win. Defensive tackle Steve McMichael said that the defense knew it had the game won as soon as Patriot Tony Eason stepped to the line for the first snap of the game. According to McMichael, the young quarterback's eyes were as big as saucers, looking at the Bear defense.

The Bears returned to witness hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans standing in the bitter cold to witness the team's ticker-tape parade. Much of a parade it was not; the crowds literally blocked the procession from moving along its intended route. Ditka, GM Jerry Vanisi and team President Michael McCaskey did make it to a podium at Daley Plaza for some words. However, it was an ominous sign of things to come when it was McCaskey, not the architects of the victory, that hoisted the Super Bowl trophy in the air.

Who would have believed in 1986 that the New England Patriots would be back to the Super Bowl four times, winning three, before the Bears returned? Notable first round picks are Bruce Smith by Buffalo, Lomas Brown by Detroit, Chris Doleman by the Vikings, Jerry Rice by the 49ers, and William "Refrigerator" Perry by the Bears. Chicago becomes just the second 15-1 team in history, following the '84 49ers. San Francisco is hardly a factor in the race, however, finishing 10-6 and losing in the wildcard round. The LA Rams shut out a fading Dallas Cowboy team 20-0, then lose to the Bears 24-0 in the NFC Championship. The Bears dominate the league and win the Super Bowl 46-10 over New England. The Bears will never visit the White House for the traditional celebration, as the Space Shuttle Challenger explodes two days later, killing its crew. 1985 Bears Draft Rd Pos Name School 1 DT William Perry Clemson 2 CB Reggie Phillips SMU 3 WR James Manness TCU 4 K Kevin Butler Georgia 5-Traded to New York Jets 6-To Rams for QB Steve Fuller 7 DE Charles Bennett SW La. 8 T Steve Buxton Indiana St. 9 RB Thomas Sanders Texas A&M 10 DT Pat Coryatt Baylor 11 LB Jim Morrissey Michigan St. 12-To SD for LB Cliff Thrift 1985 Bears Trades 1985 12th-round pick to San Diego for LB Cliff Thrift 1986 12th-round pick to San Diego for P Maury Buford 1985 Bears Free Agent Signings QB Mike Tomczak, Ohio State DB Ken Taylor, Oregon State WR Keith Ortego, McNeese State 1985 Bears Retirements None 1985 Chicago Bears Awards NFL Champions NFC Champions NFC Central Champions Mike Ditka, NFC Coach of the Year Mike Singletary, NFL Defensive Player of the Year Jim Covert, T, Pro Bowl (1) Richard Dent, DE, Pro Bowl (2) Dave Duerson, S, Pro Bowl (1) Dan Hampton, DE, Pro Bowl (4) Jay Hilgenberg, C, Pro Bowl (1) Jim McMahon, QB, Pro Bowl (1) Walter Payton, RB, Pro Bowl (8) Mike Singletary, LB, Pro Bowl (3) Otis Wilson, LB, Pro Bowl (1)















