’85 Bears Flashback: Fridge Leads Bears overs Packer 23-7
This season marks the 25th anniversary of the 1985 Super Bowl Bears. We’ll look back at all of the games leading up to the last Lombardi Trophy coming to Halas Hall. To take the full trip down memory lane, check out Run The Ball for a complete DVD series of every game of the histiric 1985 Bears season. Tell them Bear Goggles On sent you! You can also get your ticket to join the ‘85 Bears in their Glory Days Reunion here. Tickets are still available, so go get them today! Special thanks to a couple of YouTube channels for the great ‘85 Bears stuff they have as well – here and here. Check em out!
October 21, 1985
Put the Bears-Packers rivalry, an undefeated Bears team, Mike Ditka-Forrest Gregg hatred in a big bowl, add a national TV audience and you’ve got a recipe for a special game. Put that mixture in “the refrigerator,” pour over George Cumby and you’ve got the makings of a legend.
The Bears were riding high off a statement victory against the San Francisco 49ers as the hated Packers rolling into town for a Monday Night Football matchup. In the days before ESPN, NFL Ticket and the Red Zone Channel, Monday Night Football was THE game that everyone watched. The Packer jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on a Lynn Dickey 27-yard TD pass to James Lofton. But that was as good as it would get for the Packers. There was a coming out party in Chicago this night, a rather large coming out party.
The week before, Mike Ditka and the Bears put their newest appliance on display in San Fran, but that was more or less to stick it to Bill Walsh for showing them up in the playoffs the year before. This night, Perry would turn into a folk hero as he turned Packers’ linebacker George Cumby into his personal welcome mat to the end zone.
In the second quarter, Perry ushered Walter Payton into the end zone to help the Bears knot the score, running over Cumby in the process. Later in the quarter, Perry got into the end zone himself, again bowling over Cumby. Check out the highlights:
Here are some nuggets from the Chicago Tribune’s archives:
From Ed Sherman
"George Cumby will probably be a little leery the next time he goes to the refrigerator. He might expect it to block him.The Green Bay Packer linebacker had three meetings with Bears` defensive tackle/fullback William “the Refrigerator“ Perry at the goal line Monday. Only once did he come away with any bacon in the Bears` 23-7 victory.“It isn`t enough that we have to worry about Walter Payton,“ Cumby said.The 224-pound Cumby was infinitely more concerned with the 314-pound Perry. Their confrontations were the highlight of what was an error-filled excuse for a football game.“We didn`t expect him in there,“ Cumby said. “When he came in, we were surprised.“Cumby felt the Refrigerator`s wrath on Perry`s first series, when Perry was the blocking back in the Bears` goal-line offense. Perry nearly sent him back to Green Bay, and Payton went over for the first Chicago touchdown.“I tried to hit him on the angle,“ Cumby said. “I wanted to take the blow away from me. I hit him pretty good, but he outweighed me by 100 pounds. His size took over. I tried to take him on one side, but I soon discovered that one side was as big as the other.`"
From Don Pierson
"On both of Payton`s touchdowns, Perry knocked Packer linebacker George Cumby into football trivia.“I only have one obligation and that`s to block the linebacker,“said Perry. “Whoever else got in the way I took him out, too. Cumby didn`t say anything. I think I rung his bell.“Not since George Halas unveiled the T-formation has anything caused such commotion. It was the only thing that seemed to rouse the Soldier Field crowd of 65,095, which was quiet throughout another convincing victory by the 7-0 Bears."
I wonder if that would be considered a devastating hit in today’s game. Don’t get me started again!
The Bears knocked out Lynn Dickey and Randy Wright out of the game but four fumbles helped keep the Packers close. For a great recap, check out Don Pierson’s writeup here. Check out the full box score and team leaders at Pro Football Reference here.