Jan 26, 1986; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka (center) is hoisted by his team after defeating New England Patriots 46-10 during Super Bowl XX at the Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

This past week ESPN the Magazine put out the Debate issue, which featured many great sports debates.  .406 vs 56 straight games, Did Sonny Liston take a fall, greatest running back ever, no brainer–Walter Payton.  They also have a section for each states greatest sports moment as voted by the fans.  Michael Jordan’s Game 6 winner vs the Utah Jazz beat out the Fridge scoring a TD in Super Bowl XX for Illinois greatest sports moment. Since there have never been any great sporting events south of Cook County let’s just call it Chicago’s greatest sports moment (sorry Springfield, Carbondale, Champaign, etc etc)

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the 90′s are the closest anyone from Chicago is ever going to know what its like to be a NY Yankees fan, but none of those Bulls moments can ever match or beat that of the 85 Bears winning the Super Bowl.  Maybe it’s that the team was full of characters from the Punky QB to the Fridge, or maybe it was the first Chicago championship of my lifetime(excluding the Sting NASL Championship), and the first one for Chicago in 22 years since the 63 Bears won the NFL Championship. The Super Bowl Shuffle could have been another factor, but the moment Coach Ditka and Buddy Ryan were carried off the Superdome turf and the scoreboard read 46-10, I knew that it was the best sports moment  I had ever scene.

Debating is fun especially when talking about championship teams, because no matter which side of the debate you are on, you really can’t be wrong.  There is a poll integrated in this post so  you can vote for greatest Chicago moment, and yes I even put a Cubs moment in their even though they haven’t won anything since I believe the Mayans were still wrapping up their famous swimsuit calendar!Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

DA BEARS

This from Wikipedia from Celebrity Boxing 2: Bol vs. Perry: Bol utilized lateral movement and his 102-inch reach to outbox the nearly-immobile Perry, winning a decision by the scores of 30-27 on all cards. Bol stated in a post-fight interview that he would donate his purse to relief efforts for victims of the Second Sudanese Civil War.

When I heard about the sad passing of former NBA star Manute Bol last weekend and read about William “The Refrigerator” Perry being on the road to recovery, it made me think of the above picture.  Who the hell put this fight together anyway, George Washington Duke from Rocky V?  I’ll take 80′s freaks for 100 Alex.

Bol suffered from a rare kidney disorder and died at the age of 47.  This from Yahoo Sports:

Bol was hospitalized in mid-May during a stopover in Washington after returning to the United States from Sudan. Prichard said then that Bol was in Sudan to help build a school in conjunction with Sudan Sunrise but stayed longer than anticipated after the president of southern Sudan asked him to make election appearances and use his influence to counter corruption in the county.

He said Bol had undergone three dialysis treatments and developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a condition that caused him to lose patches of skin. Prichard said the skin around Bol’s mouth was so sore he went 11 days without eating and could barely talk.

A Real American Hero!

Meanwhile, Perry is bouncing back despite some hearing loss since he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome last year.  Check out this post from ChicagoBreakingSports.com:

Fellow NFL standout Michael Dean Perry said Monday his 47-year-old brother has regained most of his strength and is back up to about 330 pounds as he recovers in his South Carolina home.

Michael Dean Perry says his brother lost more than 100 pounds since he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome last year. William Perry spent time at a North Carolina rehab center before moving back home.

Glad to see Fridge is “back up to about 330.”  Does anyone else see a problem with that?   Back up to 330?  I think the scale is moving in the wrong direction.  Nevertheless, I’m glad to hear that his health feels good.  He should be back in GI Joe shape in no time!

BEAR DOWN FRIDGE!!!

With G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra coming out on Friday, it made me think back to my youth and my favorite G.I. Joe character, William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Don’t remember The Fridge’s run with the Joe’s?  Check out this 80s-riffic commercial from Perry’s heyday.  (more…)

January 26, 1986 is a day that had a profound impact on the lives of many Bears fans and this one in particular.  It is the day the Bears won Super Bowl XX by a then-historic 46-10 margin.  This won’t be the case in two years when the Bears commemorate the 25th anniversary of Super Bowl XX, but on this 23rd anniversary of the lone Chicago Super Bowl title, there was nothing.  Did they all forget? 

Old Doc Brown is at it again to help us relive the the glory that was January 26, 1986.  The top shows back in January of 1986 were the “Cosby Show”,” Family Ties” and “Murder She Wrote”.  Yes, “Murder She Freakin’ Wrote” was a top show.  What were we thinking???    “That’s What Friends are For” by Psychic Friend Dione Warwick and “Say You Say Me” by Lionel Richie topped the charts, but not too far down the list was the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle” by the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew.  Iron Eagle, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and Rocky IV were big at the Box Office.  Two short days later, sadness cast over the country as the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy reminded the nation that football, for all that it is, is still just a game.

I was able to find the Sports Illustrated writeup of Super Bowl XX in the SI Vault here.   The article gushes with superlatives of the ’85 Bears and the ferocious defense that devoured the Patriots.  I will always contend that if not for the early Payton fumble on a crossed up play call by quarterback Jim McMahon, the Bears would have shut out the Patriots and been the first and only team to shut out their opponents throughout the playoffs.  As dominant as any defense could be, I don’t know that any team could ever match the 10 points the Bears gave up in the run through that postseason.

A couple of interesting takeaways from the article:

At the time, the Bears set records for margin of victory (36) and points (46).

The Patriots field goal at the 1:19 mark was the fastest score in Super Bowl history until  Devin Hester shattered that record with his 14 second kickoff return at the start of Super Bowl XLI.

The article was prophetic in saying:

The events of the next few weeks and months will determine if this is the beginning of a mighty defensive dynasty (only one of the 11 Bear defenders who started Sunday’s game is older than 28) or a culmination.

Even though the Bears made a few more playoff appearances, as sad as it is to say, I guess it was the culmination.  Don’t worry Bears, I didn’t forget about you!  Happy Devin Hester-eth anniversary of Super Bowl XX.  When Super Bowl Championships are as rare as honest politicians in this town, they should be celebrated and remembered!

BEAR DOWN!!!