Super Bowl

CHICAGO (CBS) ― When the Bears won Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986, a team that could already be called perhaps the most exciting sports team in the country brought Chicago together in a spirit of celebration rarely seen.

Here's a look back on that magical time.

The 1985 Bears were a team of skill and talent, and they won all but one game in the regular season. But they are also remembered as a group of strong individual personalities that captivated the city.

A discussion of Bears history is certain to include a mention of "Punky QB" quarterback Jim McMahon, Hall of Fame running back and notorious prankster Walter Payton, lineman William "the Refrigerator" Perry, masterful defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, and of course, the colorful coach Mike Ditka.

And who could forget the "Super Bowl Shuffle," which sold 2 million copies despite being performed and released well before playoff positions were even established?

The Bears, of course, did go to the Super Bowl, heading to New Orleans in January 1986. Despite pregame publicity that notoriously included McMahon mooning a passing news helicopter, the game exceeded many Chicagoans' expectations.

The Bears not only won the Super Bowl, but they set records for the time. Winning the game 46-10, the Bears scored the most points ever in a Super Bowl to that date, and also won in the biggest blowout.

Those records have since been broken; four other teams have exceeded that point total in Super Bowls since then, and there have been bigger blowouts. But it was enough to put Chicago on top of the sports world for the first time in many years.

Perry scored a memorable touchdown in the game, and defensive end Richard Dent became the Super Bowl most valuable player with 1 1/2 sacks, as explained on the official Super Bowl Web site.

"The organization has come a long way," Ditka told his onetime Bears teammate, former CBS 2 sports director Johnny Morris. "I think the Bears were a great organization for a lot of years, and I think there were some lean years, and I think it's great for the City of Chicago and everything that's happened."


Chicago Celebrates
"Years ago, I heard somebody say one time, 'It'll be a cold day when the Bears won the Super Bowl,'" late CBS 2 weatherman John Coughlin said.

That turned out to be true. On the day of the Super Bowl, the temperatures at 10 p.m. were 0 at O'Hare, 5 at the lakefront, and 3 at Midway.

But that didn't stop a flood of people from pouring into the streets.

On Super Bowl Sunday, fans got especially frenzied at taverns on Division Street between Dearborn and State streets. Fans poured themselves into every square inch of the bars on that stretch, and the frenzy began with the opening moments of the game and never let up.

When the game ended, fans took to the streets, unimpeded by the temperatures.

But the Division Street taverns were hardly the only place where thousands broke into celebration. In some places, such as Daley Plaza – renamed Bears Plaza for the occasion – many people decided to watch the entire game outside.

And those who couldn't get the day off to watch at home still watched the game any way they could. At Engine Co. 45, at 432 E. Marquette Rd., firefighters clustered around the TV between fire calls. The department had bet Boston firefighters some Bears T-shirts for Patriots T-shirts.

At the University of Chicago's Bernard Mitchell Hospital, the Super Bowl broadcast echoed off the walls and throughout the wards. Patients and staff in the kids' ward at the hospital had a "baby Bear fan" party of sorts.

And even private homes came to look like nightclubs.

The next day when the Bears were welcomed home in a huge downtown parade, the temperature again read 5 degrees at a building on LaSalle Street, and the wind chill was 23 below.

But half a million people of all ages and backgrounds were unified. It is not often that people in a city the size of Chicago come together to celebrate anything, but that day, people of all ages and backgrounds were unified.

The parade headed up LaSalle Street from Jackson Boulevard to Washington Street, and ended in Daley Plaza.

Fans flooded the parade route until police on horseback cleared a path, and tour buses carrying the team passed through. Some daring fans tried to climb the sides of the buses, and at least two made it on top of them.

At "Bears Plaza," people had climbed on lamp posts and traffic lights until police ordered them to get off. And shredded paper fell from buildings across the Loop, especially from City Hall, until it covered the ground like snow.

But the spirit remained one of jubilation, especially once the buses reached the end of the route. It took an hour for the buses to get to the plaza, but the excitement reached its peak there.

Mayor Harold Washington and Bears President Michael McCaskey stood on a podium with the Super Bowl trophy, as several players took the microphone.

"Today, in this country, everybody is a Chicago Bears fan," McCaskey said. "Our Bear family has a dream, and that's to be a championship ball club – the players, the coaches, the staff, have worked hard and long to make it happen. It happened. We are the Super Bowl champs!"

The excitement of the Bears' victory was dampened the day after the parade, when seven astronauts died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and the nation went into mourning.

And while the Bears had many good seasons in the ensuing 21 years, they didn't make it to the Super Bowl again, until this year. They fell short to the Indianapolis Colts, but they brought excitement to an extremely cold day in Chicago once again.



Video Library
 Stars Of The '85 Bears Team Talk About Their Super Bowl Win
 Chicagoans Party All Over When Bears Win Super Bowl In '86
 Bill Murray Joins The Bears After Super Bowl XX
 Remarks From Mike Ditka After The Bears' '86 Super Bowl Win
 Half A Million Welcome Super Bowl XX Champion Bears In Parade
 Some Reflections On What The Bears' Super Bowl Victory Meant
 The Bears Join Mayor Washington To Celebrate The Super Bowl Win

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)