Recalling the Bears' Historic 1985 Season

When defense became destiny

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the ’85 Bears, who many still consider to be the greatest team in NFL history.

Perhaps defensive end Dan “Danimal” Hampton put the four-decade milestone best: “You know, some people may say, ‘Who [cares] that it’s been 40 years?’ ” he said. “But in our heart of hearts, we on that team smile and still say, ‘Wow, we walked that way one time and it was a great time. And nobody can ever take it away from us.’”

The mastermind of the defense was Buddy Ryan, a demanding but beloved coordinator whose players were fiercely loyal to, and he to them. The architect of the Bears’ aggressive and swarming “46 Defense,” Ryan put players where their individual strengths and talent shined, leading the team to a dominating 15-1 regular season.

“It was all of the pride and arrogance and everything else that Buddy had, and we wanted to back that up, week in [and] week out,” said middle linebacker and defensive captain “Samurai Mike” Singletary. “The way we practiced, the way we prepared from one day to the next, we wanted to be every bit of that.

“We not only wanted to make Buddy look good, we wanted to make sure that Ditka left him alone. We wanted to make sure that Buddy got to do what he believed that we could do.”

Singletary, a deeply religious and quiet man, is the youngest of 10 kids. He was told early on that he was too small to play football. But when he put his helmet on, he morphed into one of the most ferocious middle linebackers the NFL had seen since the glory days of another feared Bears legend, the late Dick Butkus.

Ryan gave Singletary carte blanche to not only call the defensive plays but also to roam the field in any way he wanted. He could freelance and rush the line, back up and become a fifth member of the secondary or just go wherever his nose for the ball took him.

“When you talk about putting the defense on the field and allowing that defense to have autonomy, people don’t understand that that defense was really, to me, one of the first defenses that operated like an offense,” Singletary said.

“Buddy empowered me to audible and wherever the offense was going, we could go. If they did something, we could adjust. He’d just say, ‘Make sure that come Sunday, you make the right call.’”

And Singletary did so because he didn’t want to answer to Ryan on Monday about why he made the wrong call.

“The defense was a team almost all by itself,” Singletary said. “We kind of operated as if Buddy and Ditka were two head coaches on one team. Buddy was going to do everything he could to make sure the defense held our own.”

The Bears defense was so revolutionary in its makeup that it became the gold standard for all NFL defenses to follow. Even today, many defenses are still patterned after or influenced by the Bears.

But one thing still bothers Singletary: Eight members of the ’85 Bears are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — Ditka, Walter Payton, general manager Jim Finks, Singletary, Hampton, Richard “The Sackman” Dent, Jim Covert and Steve “Mongo” McMichael.

“It’s still amazing to me, out of all the coaches that have gone into the Hall of Fame, Buddy still is not in it,” Singletary said, shaking his head.

From stumble to shuffle

After starting 12-0, the only blemish on the 1985 regular season was a heartbreaking 38-24 “Monday Night Football” loss to the Dolphins in Miami.

Rather than fall apart, the Bears returned to Chicago and taped the “Super Bowl Shuffle” less than 12 hours later — a rousing ode they would ride all the way to New Orleans.

“We walked into the studio and nobody wanted to do it,” Singletary recalled. “We were still mad from the night before. All of a sudden, we hear this music, we hear the lyrics, and we’re thinking, ‘Oh, man, we’re gonna do this?’

“But doing the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle’ really helped us put into perspective what we were thinking about. It was the best thing that we ever could have done.”

Though as much as the team loved the finished product, it also was a defining put-up-or-shut-up result.

“We were like, if we don’t go to the Super Bowl, we’re gonna be the dumbest team ever,” Singletary said with a laugh. “It helped us really get things in focus and give us a little swagger to not only go out there and play, but make sure we win.

“We knew when the other teams heard that song, they were gonna be ready. So, we knew we had to be ready to meet that challenge — and we did.”

Singletary wasn’t the only stalwart of the Bears defense. The line of left defensive end Hampton, left defensive tackle McMichael, rookie right defensive tackle William “The Fridge” Perry and right defensive end Dent stoked fear into virtually every opposing offense they faced.

How good were the ’85 Bears, really? Hampton is quick with the answer.

“If you Google what was the greatest defense of all time, it’ll say the ’85 Bears,” he laughingly boasted.

And for good reason. The Bears defense set numerous records, many of which still stand today. The records are not only a source of pride for the players, but also for their fans.

But Hampton remains perturbed by the Bears’ lone loss to Miami.

“As the years go on, some people say, ‘Big deal, nobody cares,’ but it still bothers me to this day,” he said. “I really hate how the thing played out. Every time I see [Dolphins Hall of Fame QB] Dan Marino, he always smiles at me, and I always shake my head.”

Hampton isn’t remembered only for his play. He and McMichael were among the first players to do the “Gatorade Dump,” drenching Ditka after the Super Bowl win — a celebratory ritual that remains a staple for football teams everywhere.

The Bear essentials: untamed and unfiltered

One of the team’s most important members never saw a down of on-field action.

In 1985, Ken Valdiserri was in his second year as the Bears’ director of public relations. He’d go on to become a team vice president, spending 17 years with the club.

“The ’85 season was so magical it seems like it was just yesterday,” said the Notre Dame alumnus. “When you look back at the friends that you were able to [make] and maintain relationships with, and how you still reconnect with those folks, it’s like a time warp. It’s like you’re still there, you reflect on how special that time of our lives was then, being in [our] mid-20s as most of us were.”

The Bears remain the youngest team to win a Super Bowl (average age of 26.36 years). They also had nine players make the Pro Bowl that year.

Aside from the defense’s prowess, the Bears offense also was a major force in the team’s success, scoring 456 points during the regular season, and then outscoring its three postseason opponents (Giants, Rams and New England) 91-10.

“Everyone talks about the defense, but the running game was pretty stout, leading the league that year (2,761 yards),” Valdiserri said. “Obviously, Walter [Payton] was a big part of that, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 1,551 yards [fourth in the league], which was one of his best years.”

The Bears not only ruled the NFL, but also the media landscape. Ditka’s bold personality often was the primary source for headlines and sound bites.

“Mike became a media darling because he was so loose; he was a sound bite waiting to happen,” Valdiserri said. “Our [news] conferences on Mondays were sheer theater. And some of the exchanges between [Ditka and reporters] were just hysterical. They were 45 minutes to one-hour shows.

“The media gobbled it all up. And that year, of course, the ratings were very high on local television, especially the sports segments. A lot of the media benefited from that because of the profile that Mike brought to the equation.

“But then behind that were the personalities and the characters that Mike let flourish. They said what they wanted, unfiltered. Nowadays, the NFL puts a lid ... on the coaches, the assistant coaches, team spokespersons and so on.”

One season, one legacy

Nearly a dozen of the ’85 Bears stayed in Chicago beyond their playing careers, including Hampton and strong safety Gary Fencik.

Ditka, 86, who has been experiencing health issues, moved back to Chicago from Florida, where he and his wife had lived part time for two decades, earlier this year to be closer to his doctors.

A 40th reunion of the ’85 Bears took place in September but several members were missing. Payton died in 1999 from bile duct cancer. Strong safety Dave Duerson committed suicide in 2011 and wide receiver James Maness died in 2024 from Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier this year, McMichael died from Lou Gehrig’s disease and Bears matriarch Virginia Halas McCaskey, daughter of team founder George Halas, died at 102.

Also missing was cornerback “L.A. Mike” Richardson, who is imprisoned in Arizona for manslaughter. He is due to be released in December 2026.

The ’85 season gave the players and their fans a swagger of immeasurable pride.

Said Hampton, “The people of Chicago had an affinity for that team because for the first time in so many people’s lives, in the great city of Chicago, the Second City, for the first time ever we were recognized as the first. We were the best, the greatest. We were the team of the modern era that kind of kicked the door down and became recognized as champions. And the people of Chicago will never, ever forget that.”

Even “Saturday Night Live” memorialized “Da Bears” in a recurring skit about a handful of devoted Bears fans.

However, one thing will forever remain a mystery: Why were the Bears unable to become a dynasty?

“At the end of the day, it is befuddling how we only won one Super Bowl,” Hampton said. “We’ll never know why.”

But Hampton and his teammates take consolation in one thing: “The Super Bowl, as great as it was, would have never happened without Buddy Ryan or Mike Ditka. It required both of them,” he said. “As the years go on, it will always be a dream come true.”

Where are the ’85 Bears now?

It’s been 40 years since the Chicago Bears’ 15-1 record in the 1985
regular season, which was followed by two playoff wins before trouncing the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX in New Orleans. That remains the second-largest blowout in Super Bowl history.

● Brad Anderson, WR: Commercial real estate executive
●Tom Andrews, OL: Restaurant chain executive
●Kurt Becker, G: Coach/businessman
● Mark Bortz, LG: Retired farmer
●Maury Buford, P: Contractor

● Kevin Butler, K: University of Georgia football broadcaster/private
kicking coach
● Brian Cabral, LB: University of Colorado mentor and character coach
●Jim Covert, LT: Healthcare executive
●Richard Dent, RDE: President/CEO, energy services LLC
●Dave Duerson, SS: Deceased 2011 (suicide)

● Gary Fencik, FS: Finance/investments executive
●Leslie Frazier, RCB: Assistant head coach, Seattle Seahawks
●Andy Frederick, OT: Civil engineer
●Steve Fuller, QB: Real estate executive/high school football assistant
coach
● Willie Gault, WR/KR: Actor/screenwriter/producer

● Shaun Gayle, DB: President of sports management firm/Sky Sports NFL analyst
● Dennis Gentry, WR/RB: Detroit Lions scout
●Dan Hampton, LDE: Broadcaster/businessman
●Mike Hartenstine, LDE: Retired security executive
●Jay Hilgenberg, C: Bears radio analyst/golf course co-owner

●Stefan Humphries, G: Physician/physiatrist
●Tyrone Keys, DE/LB: Executive director of nonprofit youth mentoring
program
● James Maness, WR: Deceased 2024 (early onset Alzheimer’s disease)
●Ken Margerum, WR: Retired college football coach
● Wilber Marshall, RLB: Retired/disabled

●Dennis McKinnon, WR: CEO, sports management firm
●Jim McMahon, QB: Cannabis entrepreneur
●Steve McMichael, LDT: Deceased 2025 (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease)
●Emery Moorehead, TE: Retired real estate broker
●Jim Morrissey, LB: Financial/insurance consultant

●Keith Ortego, WR: Deceased 2022 (unknown cause of death)
●Walter Payton, RB: Deceased 1999 (bile duct cancer)
●William Perry, RDT: Retired construction company owner
● Reggie Phillips, CB: Real estate executive/investor
●Mike Richardson, CB: Incarcerated (manslaughter), Arizona Dept. of
Corrections

●Ron Rivera, LB: UC Berkeley, football GM/ex-NFL coach
● Thomas Sanders, RB: Medical supplies account manager/youth talent
coach
●Mike Singletary, MLB: Chicago Bears minority owner/businessman/ex-NFL coach
● Matt Suhey, FB: Investment banker/commodities trader
● Ken Taylor, PR: Youth speed training coach

● Tom Thayer, RG: Bears radio analyst
● Calvin Thomas, RB: Youth coach and mentor/businessman
● Cliff Thrift, LB: Businessman
● Mike Tomczak, QB: Broadcaster/sports agent/assistant coach
Youngstown State
● Keith Van Horne, RT: Real estate/restaurant businesses

● Henry Waechter, DE/DT: Owner, sales/marketing firm
●Otis Wilson, LLB: Owner, charitable youth foundation
●Tim Wrightman, TE: Owner, Lazy Bear Ranch hunting preserve (Idaho)