Unsung Heroes of the 1985 Chicago Bears
Going into the 1984-85 NFL season many people knew the Chicago Bears were going to be a good team. No one could have predicted just how dominate the team would be that year and it was a great year to be a Bear's fan. The Chicago Bears went on to finish the regular season 15-1. They were one game short of a perfect season and would have been only the second team in NFL history to complete a perfect season. Ironically, this feat was spoiled by the Miami Dolphins, the only team to accomplish a perfect season. With a blowout Super Bowl XX win over the New England Patriots 46 to 10 the Bears ended a historical season. The 1984-85 team is considered the best team in Chicago's history and the second best team in NFL history.
After the teams only loss to the Miami Dolphins during week 13, the Bears recorded the infamous rap song title "The Super Bowl Shuffle". Many high profile Bears players could be seen rapping and dancing in the video including Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, and William Perry. Even though the song and video were a marketing ploy, "The Super Bowl Shuffle" set the tone for the rest of the Bears season. Many of the Bears players were well known, but behind the scenes, some players made an impact on the season and the infamous song.
Mike Tomczak was a mediocre quarterback who went undrafted but joined the Bears as a free Agent for the 1984-85 season. He was one of the first people to agree to the idea of "The Super Bowl Shuffle" song and video. He can be seen playing guitar in the video but doesn't have a singing performance. Even though he didn't see much playing time during the Bears historical season he did get to play in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl and earned himself a ring. Tomczak bounced around from team to team but finished his career in 2000 as the last remaining active player from the '85 Bears. His perseverance to stick it out that long even though he rarely started as quarterback shows the mentality of the Bears that season.
Dennis Gentry was another player you may have never heard of. He played his entire 11 season NFL career with the Chicago Bears as a wide receiver and running back. Gentry is featured in "The Super Bowl Shuffle" playing bass guitar even though his name does not show up in the credits. Gentry's most notable contribution on the field came as a kick returner. He was the 2nd all time leading kick returner with 4.353 yards and 3 touchdowns. Special teams players rarely get notoriety in the NFL. Gentry's ability to return kicks gave the Bears great field position throughout the '85 season and helped sparked such great offensive stats.
Gary Fencik was towards the end of a great career when the Bears won the Super Bowl in '85. He spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears and is their all-time leader in tackles and interceptions. Fencik was also the team's defensive captain in 1985. Fencik was featured singing in "The Super Bowl Shuffle". He referred to teammate Doug Plank and himself as "The Hit Men". Even though Fencik's career was winding down during the Bear's greatest season of all time, his veteran leadership was of paramount significance. Without Fencik, and the other unsung heroes of the 1985 Bears, who knows if the team would have accomplished all that it did.
