The start of the new week means that we are only that much closer to the start of the 2023 NFL season, and with just 62 days until the Bears play host to the Green Bay Packers on September 10th, today's installment of Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff will focus on the life and career of the best player in franchise history to don the number 62, Super Bowl winning guard Mark Bortz.
Mark Bortz's journey to the Chicago Bears
A native of Pardeeville, Wisconsin, Mark Bortz attended Pardeeville High School, where he turned into a dominant player both on the gridiron and the basketball court. Bortz was an intimidating defensive lineman in the fall and an imposing post presence in the winter, but after excelling at both sports in high school, he would focus on football as a collegiate athlete.
After accepting a scholarship offer from the University of Iowa, Bortz became a four-year letterman with the Hawkeyes from 1979 to 1982. From his defensive line spot, Bortz was named to two All-Conference teams as well as being named a second-team All-American as a senior.
During Bortz's four years at Iowa, which also happened to be legendary head coach Hayden Fry's first four years with the program, the Hawkeyes posted only 25 wins, but the defensive lineman was recognized nationwide as one of the more talented players in the nation and was even invited to the East-West Shrine game.
Following a collegiate career that saw over 230 tackles, Bortz entered his name into the 1983 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 219th pick during the eighth round. In what would end up being one of the best draft classes in NFL history, Bortz was brought to Chicago alongside the likes of franchise legends such as Jim Covert, Willie Gault, and Richard Dent.
Mark Bortz becomes Super Bowl champion with the Chicago Bears
As a rookie, Bortz was asked to transition from his defensive tackle spot to the offensive line, specifically the guard position, where he would back up veteran interior linemen in Noah Jackson and Kurt Becker.
After effectively redshirting his first season with the Bears, Bortz became a starter in 1984 and immediately found his place in one of the league's best offensive lines. In his second season, Bortz, as well as Covert, Jay Hilgenberg, and Keith Van Horne, helped superstar running back Walter Payton reach over 2,000 all-purpose yards.
By 1985, Bortz had cemented himself as a quality starter at the guard spot and again helped pave the road for one of the league's best backs. After finishing the season 15-1, Bortz and the Bears entered the ensuing postseason as the NFC's number-one seed. After quickly running through their conference, the Bears faced the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, where they eventually won, largely due to the team's stellar defense but also due to Bortz and the offensive line helping the unit accumulate over 400 total yards on the day.
While the team would be unable to match their cumulative success following the 1985 season, Bortz remained as consistent as ever through the next couple of years of his career. From 1986 to 1990, the former Hawkeye started 75 of the team's games and even earned two Pro Bowl nods following the '88 and '90 seasons.
Bortz's season was cut to just nine games in 1991 after a season-ending injury forced him to miss the back half of the season, but the guard bounced back physically the next year, logging starts in 12 of the team's games before once again starting all 16 games during the 1993 season. After a 12-game outing in 1994, Bortz retired from the NFL after a 12-year career.
Mark Bortz's legacy with the Chicago Bears
Bortz's entire career came with the Chicago Bears, and during his decade-plus tenure, the guard logged 155 starts, an even more impressive feat when accounting for the fact that he didn't play as a rookie. Bortz started in all but one of the team's postseason games during his time with the Bears, including the team's historic Super Bowl XX run.
Since his retirement, Bortz has remained somewhat out of the limelight but has made appearances fairly recently as an honorary captain for the Iowa football team. Interestingly enough, there appears to be a fairly large group titled "Mark Bortz Fan Club" on Facebook, and while he doesn't appear to be involved in it personally, it is great to see the fanfare around one of the unsung heroes of the best teams of football to receive his due appreciation.