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Chicago Bears Draft History: The 1983 Draft

By Bryan Dietzler

Feb 2, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; General view of Super Bowl XX ring to commemorate the Chicago Bears 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots at the Superdome in New Orleans, La. on Jan. 26, 1986 at the NFL Experience at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; General view of Super Bowl XX ring to commemorate the Chicago Bears 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots at the Superdome in New Orleans, La. on Jan. 26, 1986 at the NFL Experience at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bears had a few rounds in the 1983 NFL Draft where they had two picks per round.  The fourth round was one of those rounds.  With the 91st overall pick in the draft, Chicago selected guard Tom Thayer out of Notre Dame.  In that same round they added Drake tight end Pat Dunsmore with the 107th pick.

Some of the picks Chicago made pointed to the fact that they really wanted to rebuild their offensive line and Thayer would be another important step towards solidifying it.  But the Bears would have to wait because Thayer didn’t start his career with the Bears right away.  Instead, he went on to play for the USFL’s Chicago Blitz.

Thayer’s first season with the Bears came in 1985 as he got there just in time to join them on their magical run to the Super Bowl.  He played eight seasons in Chicago missing just four games during that span.  Thayer was released just before the start of the 1993 NFL season.  He signed with the Miami Dolphins following his release and played in just three games before he retired.

The career of Dunsmore is not as well-known as many of the other players drafted with him in the 1983 NFL Draft  He was a part of the team just prior, during and just after their Super Bowl run.  Unfortunately for Dunsmore he was on injured reserve during the 1985 season and didn’t play at all that year.  He played sporadically for the Bears during his time in Chicago, which lasted from his rookie season in 1983 to just before the start of the 1986 season.

He is remembered for two somewhat well known things during his career in Chicago.  In the playoffs, following the 1984 NFL season, he caught a touchdown pass from Payton to help the Bears win their first playoff game since 1963.  Then, in the preseason, prior to the start of the 1986 season, Dunsmore was involved in an all-out fight between the Bears and members of the St. Louis Cardinals.  He was beat pretty bad by three Cardinals players.

Dunsmore was released about a week after the brawl and never played professional football again.

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