Legacy Panel - 1985 Super Bowl

again in the mic. You know, I think when we got to go to the elder statesman here of this group, we got Emery moorehead. I always say Emory mooreheads, a wide receiver that ate himself into a tight end in a longer career. It's great to see you all. This place that's packed and we love it. We love you guys, unreal right big, Oh, what's your record? What's your feeling of the weekend? The support of the Bears, fans, your bearer, career, every little bit of everything. It is always a pleasure

to see the bad fans come out. I mean coming down off the Kennedy and seeing all the fans, but most of all to sit here and see these guys. I love the point of my life when I get to be around him. I mean, I have so many so much love for him and so many great stories, and it's just honor a pleasure to be here. You know, we just sat up here and Dan Hampton was talking about how much you enjoyed being a teammate at William Perry, a guy that can am in and lit up our

locker room every day. Fridgie got an opportunity to come back to Chicago. About some of the fun you had with the Bears, both as a defensive tackle and a running back of your time, that had to be a lot of fun for you to be able to join the Bears at such an important time. I was just saying, just some of the enjoyment you've had here in Chicago, some of the fun from being a defensive tackle all the way to one of the first big man running backs.

Because last year Matt Naggie had a play where he gave a Keen Hicks the ball for a touchdown and he called at the freezer and salute to the bridge William Perry. You know, it was great, It was great and everything, and uh, you know, I couldn't say any you know, saying him everything was everything was you know, wonderful, and I enjoyed it and was fun, you knowing it doing him for the people and enjoying myself. Willie the

instigator of the Super Bowl shuffle. Yes, kind of a gutsy move to do it on the plane after we lost our first game that season. Did you ever think about taking a step back and maybe giving that lost a little bit of time to warm up or were you full speed ready to go? No. I was pretty confident. You know, I think the loss for us, so to put us in perspective, I think we knew we were good, but we knew if we didn't play together as a

team that we wouldn't win. So that day was pretty trying because everything was set up to do the video, and I had the dubious tasks and trying to commits these guys after we had lost in lamorad to come the next day and shoot the video. So I talked to Mike Singletary and Mike said, Okay, we've already committed. Let's do it as a team. Let's let's let this be a team building for us. So we decided to get together as a team at that video and make sure that we committed to each other that we're going

to go out and play our best. And that's what happened. In the course of rest is history. Richard, when you look back at it all, not surprised where you are, but are you impressed with everything you've been able to accomplish and achieve Since you weren't the highest draft choice, you're able to do what Buddy Ryan wanted to do. You wanted to get out of you. You know, you had to play the run, you had to rush the passer, and then you sit here today as a Hall of Famer.

I think we're all the fans are equally as impressed as we are. Well, you know, on the road to the pro standards coming out of Tennessee State, most people, you know, guys that get drafted, they're worried about when they getting drafted what they're doing. You know. The point of it is that when you get into the league and you get drafted, you're getting more money than what you had when you walked in the door. So there's no reason to be upset about where you be in placed.

You're getting the opportunity, you're getting a platform to show what you're worth and show what you could do. And you know, after coming to Chicago Bears and you know, meeting and seeing some of the guys, they didn't know anything. They didn't know much about me. I didn't know much about them, but we seemed to find ourselves and and I didn't understand why I wasn't playing. But you know, Buddy had a problem and I had a problem with not taking the trap on. Well, so when we move

a lot, which is I really appreciate it. So when Fridge is over the center, I got to, you know, spill to play with my right shoulder, so but when he's over the guard, I can squeeze it. So I had a minute trying to get that together and found out I got that together. Then you know, I was in the starting lineup, so you know, but I could understand. I did not understand, but I did later and eventually.

You know, as a kid, you know, you dream to do some things in every dream that I imagine as a kid to play football in the National Football League. Everything that has happened except the Hall of Fame, which I didn't know anything about the Hall of Fame during that time, but I seen myself do what what was done in my career. You know, if you can dream it, that means God is blessing you. You have to once you pray about it, you have to be about it. And with the players that I had in my around me,

you know, it was all about the opportunity. You know, I don't miss the game. I missed the guys that I played with, like all of us, Jay, you kind of had a unique journey here. You're an undrafted free agent out of Iowa. You became a seven time Pro Bowler, but you were raised in the National Football League. Your uncle, Wally played sixteen years in the NFL. Your dad played football. Your younger brother Joel, played ten or eleven years with

the New Orleans Saints. Was it Bill McGrain that kind of got you attached to the Bears and gave you your opportunity? Yes, it was really um. It was you know, the Bears organization, and Jim Finks was with Chicago at

the time, the general manager. He used to be with the Minnesota Vikings, and as you said, my uncle played with the Vikings, and when Finks knew Wally Hilgenberg, my uncle played up there, and as you said, I met Buddy Ryan as when I was a sophomore in high school, as he was a Wally's position coach and going up

to the Minnesota practices and camps. So I knew buddy then, and I actually I went to Super Bowl nine and I remember my uncle Wally was a roommate of Alan Page, and I went up to the room to talk to Wally and he wasn't there, but I sat in the room and Allan talked to me for like twenty minutes at my sophomore in high school about you know, the sports I was into, and he was just really he took a twenty minutes of his time to really spend

time with me. And then my rookie year, you know, being undrafted coming into Chicago and trying to make a name for myself there, I am practicing against Alan Page every day for that first season and he really worked with me that that that year. So, um, you know, I didn't come into the NFL the way I thought I thought I was going to arrive, But um, I was so lucky. You know, I get Jim Finks and

Bill McGrain, you know, Hall of Fame Jim Finks. I come to the Chicago Bears, there I'm coached by Mike Dick, who's a Hall of Fame. Offer Toive Wine coached Hall of Fame Dick stanfill I practiced against you know, Dan Hampton, Hall of Fame, Mike Singletary, Hall of Fame, Steve Vic Michael should be in the Hall of Fame. It's just it goes on and on and then and then especially and then when Fridge came to the Chicago Bears, he really changed the the what it meant to go out

there and practice that day because his arrival. Because I knew when they drafted Fridge and I saw his highlights in college, and what I was gonna have to go through that training camp. I mean, I got myself ready in eighty five to play not the the opponents, because I knew he was Fridge was coming to Chicago, and boy, I was happy that the Fridge was the Chicago Bears and I didn't have to play him on any other team.

But you know, we all hear from the defensive players how difficult it was for them to earn the respect of Buddy Ryan. So you meet Buddy Ryan as a kid, how did he treat you when he came to Chicago. Oh? It was like the like yesterday. I remember the very first day of practice out in the field that we had cows and we broke down to cows, and being the rookie free agent I had, I couldn't even go with the defense the first period of practice. I couldn't

go with the offense. I had to go with the defense and sit there and snap the ball for you guys coming off the ball and and I go running up to the defense. He drill and they're buddy standing there. He looks at me and he goes, where's the ball? Rook And I go, I go, what are you talking about? He goes, Hey, every good center has a football in his hand. He goes, you never know when the game's

gonna break out. And right there that day, from that day, for my whole career, I'd never stepped on the football field out of football in my hand. I always had a football in my hand. Jay, you're also I've talked about how quick William was off the ball. H That's something that you know, Tom and I both really studied a lot of game tape. I first learned that from

Noah Jackson. By rookie year in the NFL, we used to have the film projector, and the rookies had to carry the projector on the flights and travel and to carry it and bring it to the meetings and set it up. And and Noah always liked watching tape before he went to bed at night. So I'd go up there to get the projector and I sit down and watch tape with him. And Noah really taught me what he was looking at. He would get up there and start diagram. You know, you gotta be like a boxer.

You gotta snap, and you gotta be able to hit the guy and not give him all your body weights. So he abbyvis. I learned a lot from Noah, you know, with that that projector there, and I mean I just think a guy like that, that that should be be recognized an awful, awful lot. Jim Finks did a wonderful job the eighty three draft. I can't imagine there's anyone better in NFL history. I mean, look what it gave you, guys. Okay Otis was already here, Emory you were here, Walter

was here, McMahon was here, hamp was here. But then you bring in that eighty three class with Jimbo and Willie and Tom and Richard as a later round pick. It's a great class sports sports. They keep coming. How much how much respect for Jim Finks, Well, I would say it's a lot of a lot of respect for him because I would say he probably orchestrated along with the scouting staff, you know, and put into pieces to

the puzzles together. I mean, to understand what you need and to go out there and get what you need. He was, no doubt about an important part of that. Yeah, my experience with Jim Finks was a little different. I came to the Bears. Denver had cut me. The Bears picked me up, and I went through the preseason and then the very last cut, Noah Jackson was holding out and they signed Noah and they cutting me at the game of the last before the game and anyway, I

finished that year. Then the next year they had hired they fired Near Armstrong and they hired Mike Dickam, and they brought Mike in and they moved me to tie end and so I had a great year. At the first I was playing at two hundred and fifteen pounds that tied end. So it was easily getting away from all the linebackers in the safeties and with play action.

To Walter, it was just unbelievably easy. But anyway, after the season, in fact that Virginia might remember this, they said they were going to signed me to a new contract, and Ed said, we're gonna sign you to a new contract and me for having a great year. So I come in, I signed the contract and Jim Finxes also there and he goes Emory. He says, come back here, I'm want to talk to you. And he says Emory.

He says he lived in with Necca and he had a maid by name mister mister Robinson that went to the same church I did in Evanston, and he said, Emory. He said, miss Robinson been telling me for five years to sign you. And he says, now we finally go sign you to a nice contract. So I got through the Bears through missus Robinson, testing him every year, signed him, resigned him, resigning me. And that's how I ended up

getting the nice contract out of the Bear. All Rhodes lead to the NFL, Emory, right, All rhodes lead to the NFL. William, When it was all going on your rookie year, you just loved playing. Did you realize what was going on becoming a national and international sensation because of your popularity. Did you recognize it or are you just all about ball? Oh? Well, when you know, when I came in, and when I came in, Bells drafted me and uh, I'm gonna playing I'm playing defensive defensive tackle.

And he never think I was gonna be a fullback, you know, lanning up in the backfield. And he he surprised me calls, uh called when San Francisco did it against against them. Then he he got me and stuck me in the backfield so he can rub it in his rubbed in his face and everything. So you know, it was it was great and I you know, I loved it and it was fun. Yeah, I'll tell you

another story about fredge. Uh that year we were after the Super Bowl, uh, Fisher, Steve Fuller and I go on a ski trip with a bunch of fans over to Switzerland. And so we go over there and of course we're the big guys and everybody's like, who are these guys? Who are these guys? And I say, no, I played football, and I said Chicago Bears. They still didn't know, and I said, Walter Payton and I didn't know, and I said, the Fridge there, we know the bear.

You know, it's kind of reason, you know, when you this event. So there's there's people here from all fifty states and seven different countries. And when you have a personality like Fridge and Walter Payton, these guys, that's why the popularity outreaches just the chicagol and the Illinois area,

and it is a worldwide phenomenon. I actually when I first saw Fridge, it was I was watching TV and he had this short shirt on when didn't have much of a gut, you know, but I watched how he was, you know, working the field from sideline the sideline, and I said, this guy could move. And finally then he's end up in Chicago and you know he's running the ball for a while. But once he got in starting lineup, you know, it was tough to block him. One on one. I said, what a great guy is right beside me.

I'm beside him. I said, So what we're gonna do. We're gonna dictate on this side. We're gonna tell people what they can do and what they can't do. Right, So William I tell Williams and William I'm not gonna stick my nose in your business, and you don't stick your nose in my business. But what I need you to do, and when the ball come my way, run to the numbers. If the ball go passing, I'm gonna

stop running. I got it right. And if the ball goes inside, I'm not gonna rush in there because I got him in there, I got Steve in there, I got singing to all these different people. So you know, I was taught a lot about playing football in a way of take two things away and play the other. See, now you're dictating about what's gonna take place. So we knew nobody's gonna run the ball on our side. We knew he was gonna make the ball goes other way. And it was all about when they try to trick

you and reverse him back. But when you can play with people like that, that that you know, working hand in hand and really controlling the whole game, where I can have fun because I know what you can do and I know what you can't do. Now you may try it, but you know, I figured, if you give me the ball enough, we're gonna get a turn over. We're gonna do some things. But I appreciate this man so much playing beside him, and that's why, you know, a guy like Otis Wilson also should be in the

Hall of Fame. Also Wilber Marshall. We played. I played with a lot of guys and Jimbo Coverer, you know, and Jay Higinbury. We had so many great ball players and it was just so much fun. We didn't realize how much fun that we was having, but you know, that's you missed the guys that you played with. And then to really to add on to that, it was a great thing. And knowing Buddy Ryan's system, you know, Buddy had an attack system, and like Richard was saying,

we knew it. We took care of a certain area to see, I'm on the all the way on the other side with Dan Hampton, We're sending them your way exactly right, and I would try to send them his way, and I knew, I said, nothing's gonna come out from from the numbers to the sideline. I got that covered. I'm pushing everything back in and then Hampton's over there, you know, Fridge in the middle and him and seeing where you're gonna go, there's nowhere to go. You know.

So it was just so much we would I would always say, and we would always say, I'm not gonna let Hampton down. Handon said, I'm not gonna let Ridge down. We knew what Richard's gonna do. See that. We called Richard the colonel, and the colonel men like Kentucky fried Chicken at one time they only sold chicken. We knew what he was gonna donna get up, so we said we don't let him handle that. We're gonna get up.

Deal without a doubt exactly stay. You know what what what What we really appreciate about Buddy, and to me is as a player, like you know, people talk about Peyton Manning making calls on the line of scrimmage, how smart and great he is. Well, hell, those other guys gotta be smart too, right, because if they don't know what's going on, you ain't nothing going on. So in defense, we did the same thing. You know, I look at Buddy, he pat his hand. I know that's automatic front control,

you know. So we didn't never get a call until third down, but the first and second down we played what we see. If you get an eye formation, we did something you're getting red whatever formation So the point of it is what I appreciate. He gave us the game. And if some coaches don't want to give the game. Some coaches like they get off on what they do. But if you don't have players, you're just getting off yourself. You're not getting anywhere. So the point of you have

to make the players be responsible for their action. If you make them be responsible, they're gonna play harder, they're gonna do more, you know. But if you're just making a call, make a call, I just say, hey, coaching, I got two on them and just sending one. Just try to get us one on one, not sending someone free. Because now we're getting everybody going. And so it's a

math game football. Is you got five linens, that's gonna have to block four, or you're gonna have six, gonna have to block four as soon or later, it's gonna work out in your way, you know, Amory will and this is funny, though I can say it's funny, Oh

this is funny. This is indicative of our team. So so how many of you guys may not know our offense was ranked number two in the league that year, right, but we had such an amazing defense with ranked number one in the country, and I mean the best defense, but the offense we would just sit back and do our thing and we give him the ball. But we were right number two in the entire league. But people

don't know that because we had such a great defense. Well, if they were fortunate, they always got to play fresh because we held out of the ball. Play twenty minutes. Mcmah. You know, Richard, you only had to play twenty minutes a game because we controlled the ball. Though you take the special teams out of it. The play sixteen minutes again, I mean, the offense led the NFL A first downs,

The offense led the NFL and scoring that year. I mean there's a ton of things rushing the ball control when you didn't do anything, we come off and say we controlled the ball, We led the NFL and first downs.

I mean. See. The only problem is is that you know, when you get tired as an offensive player, you can't sit there on the sideline and cheer for the other team's offense because you know you want to rest on the That's why you defense can verbally be on the offense because you guys are getting tired and you're getting mad at us because we're going three and out. We can't get mad at you guys were going three. Well, it was going three and out. We would tell him,

you know the funny thing that he didn't mention. They always got the ball in the thirty five yard line. The team never came past the fifty yards and we was always three and out being number one. We love we love you guys. I know it was right. And we used to say, you know, just to piss him off. He was like, hey, guys, just hold him, you know, get the first down, hold him. We'll come back, we'll score.

It seems like the same stories that we just had from the sixty three group, the sixty three groups that our defense was so gay and we did so great. We just asked for the def just hold them. He just we just looked at nine points. We said, you know, we can't get anybody no more than nine points. And we knew that we could turn over and we can score. Oh we're gonna turn over, get a field goal. So we know we got ten points. It's gonna be a problem.

You know what. Pleasure just to watch those guys, I mean, as as I sat down and watch our defense played the other team. I was at a hallt I mean it was like amazing to see what they did, how they perform, the professor leaves they had, and also the excitement they had. I mean, these guys were excited to hit people. You can't be that excited to day because you know you can't do as much as we did

have back then. But it was really amazing. Willie, see what you started, and you know what you see where you started. You see what you started. I was thinking it too. I was thinking it too. They will talk all day about that defense, what they need, what we're missing. On this panel, it's Mike Richardson to do some chirping at this defensive line because they always complain of y'all didn't get enough pressure for that. He got them deep

touchdowns and interceptions. No, our defense was great. And one thing, you know, Buddy, Buddy was a guy in you made a play, he didn't even talk to you. He'd call you by your number whatever, and he would come back to the offense right before the game. He'd say, you get me ten points. He says, I let the dogs loose, and he said we'll crushing. Yeah. Now, Buddy was buttery.

I mean what I enjoyed about Buddy. And on Mondays after the game, or I can remember the championship game and and the Giants flipped the tight end started putting my mind side and Buddy I would say, get a hit on the tight end, get a hit on him. I said, okay, I'm gonna get a hit on him. Playoff game. So I get a hit on him. And now Hampton upfield, my top off field, I can go back outside. I'm looking at the quarterback down the middle. I'm saying, I see ball, Get ball, dude, I need

to go back this. So Buddy's like, what's going on out the coach? We're seeing ball? We get ball. We'll talk about it on Monday, right, Like, I don't know what y'all doing, But hey, we were coaching. We see that ball. I see it. I'm gonna get it. I'm not gonna go all the way back outside while I'm inside pushing the tight in down. But but I enjoyed his meetings, you know, in the meetings and what he was calling people, you know, with bad plays, good plays.

But we always played as a team on defense to beat to beat the other positions. So the defense line would have the best grades of linebackers, so on with the corners and safeties, and then we started having individual play. So you know, it's uh, I'm a small guy from a small school. Here I got you know, Tom or whatever. We went to Notre Dame, you know, like and so I may have a guy in Notre Dame but from some big school, and it's all you gotta post. Now, I gotta post that guy. You he come from a

big school. I'm a small you know, I'm a small school guy. So it was fun to have this camaraderie that we used to have on Mondays. You know, it's always something to look forward to on Monday. You know what, we never look forward to monding because you got Dicker running the projector and you I always say you could tell how well you played by the sweat rings underneath

your armpits, because it was never pleasant. And he watched every play probably five or six times, right, you know, Sunday Sundays really, I mean, you go through the week of practice as an offensive line and uh, you know against this defense, that was a tough week. The game Sunday, you know that that was kind of a break. Monday was actually the worst day, is going over the review with Mike Dick and running that projector I mean, he critiqued us heavily. It was always like, um, the game.

You know, after the game, you'd have a nice win, you want to come in and see some nice plays of replay and coaches come in there go all right, guys, we're in a hurry today. We can't tell you a good job. We're just gonna go correct. Well, what's wrong in this film, right? I mean, we gotta we gotta we gotta run for Buddy and we gotta run for dickcas. So we made a you know, a plans with Buddy that look, Buddy, if we don't lose anymore, we don't run the ladder. We don't we don't run the shuttle.

You remember that. And Buddy said, yeah, okay, great, because you know we gotta run. Then we gotta do walk through. So Bud, he wants you to be like what you'd be in the game, tired, try and make decisions, check checkpoint, and yet then Dicker wants to run us. So you know, defensively why we're running a whole lot. So we made this, we made this beat and we said we're not losing

anymore because we don't run that ladder anymore. What happened after the Miami game and nothing happened at the Miami game. We was looking for Miami to show up, but you know, Miami couldn't show up. But you know, that game, I think that you know, they had I was tripping over all kind of things, Ghostie's out there or whatever they was.

But uh, you know they I think what they did, they spread us out, they did half roll, They get rid of the ball quick, right, And at that time, you know, Buddy and Mike was fighting on the sideline at halftime because Buddy was putting more people on the line of scrimmage. Mike was trying to throw the ball like the Miami Dolphins, and uh, you know, you look at the Dolphins Dolphins twenty eight and stopping the run. So it's like, why are we are trying to throw

the ball? And Dick is getting that Buddy, like, why are you putting everybody on line of scrimmage? You know. So you know, you got two head coaches there and there was a little fight going on, but uh, we could use the loss. We wasn't thinking about being undefeated. But after that game, we looked at coming into that game. We had an opportunity to be undefeated, and uh, some of the guys thought maybe we should go down there in practice getting used to the weather. And you know,

Buddy came up with it. So since let's talk to Mike, this ain't gonna happen Buddy coming up with asking Mike. If Mike would have came up with it, we probably have went. But the point of it is that we was looking forward to seeing Miami show up again. They just couldn't show up. And to add to that, um Mark Clayton. You know, he's a Louisville guy, and uh, I can't think of Cooper. Yeah, Mark Duke, No, Mark Clayton. Yeah, but they were not Moore. That's the name. That's the

name I'm talking about. That Moore has a golf outing, so I go to the golf outing. So they figured they give me a little information on how they won that football game. They seem to think the fact that when Buddy left Wilburin to take care of that slot guy whoever he has, he's sometimes he was duper, sometimes it was Clayton, that they was going to exploit that and take advantage of that. And that's what they tried to do. So, you know, Richard, Richard, you know, hit

it on the head. You don't win every every football game. We figured they beat us and we get an opportunity, hopefully to get back at him. But they couldn't get through New England. So eighteen and one wasn't bad. I'm kind of glad that they didn't show up because you know, I loved Jim Bow and I told him when I went to the Pro Bowl, Jimbo told me, hey, take it, take it easy on Danny. I said, okay, Jimbo, I'll do that, you know. Hun, So I went and hit him.

I said, you know, that one was on Jim Bow. Okay, the next one's on me, right. So but uh, you know, if they would have showed up, it would have been, oh, it'd have been pretty ugly guys. I don't know, you know, because we would we really look forward to seeing those guys in the Super Bowl. But they didn't make So. He had the great running game, Your impact in the speed department to help stretch the field. How critical was that,

honestly to the Bears offense? Well, as a speed guy, there's very few things that I can control as a receiver. I can't control the play being called. I can't control the defense. I can't control the quarterback to one of the all the lineman blocking. The only thing I can control is me being in shaping all my plays and do my best. So I tried to make sure that I was the fastest guy in the field all the time,

in better shaping everyone else. I always ran extra. I ran with these guys the extra after practice, so every time I stepped on the field, I was the fastest guy, and I was in better shaping anyone else on the field. That's what I can control. So probably still the fastest exactly. So I think as a receiver, you look at that and you make your contribution. I was very pleased at

what I was able to do. I mean, I had a great running but we had a great running back, nam Walter Payton, so we didn't throw the ball a lot. I led my team, you know, all five years I was here in receiving and yardage. So I think I contributed as much as I could. I ran fast, I

cleared out for other guys. You know, we played unselfishly, really, I think, and today it's a little bit different because everybody's about me, but I sometimes would get one of through passes thrown to me a game, but that was part of the game. I ran cleared out for Dennis, could out for Emory. If I didn't do my job, they didn't get catches. So I think it was important to do that from an unselfish standpoint. You know, Chicago. Look, I've been around the world and Chicago is probably the

best city in the world for me. It has an amazing city. And I'm not just saying that because I'm here. I'm not just saying it because i'm here. I say that every where I go. Chicago made an amazing impact on my life. And it's the best seat in America. It just gets too cold. You didn't have the weather. I think it would be too many people here. But it's a great city, great fans, great people, and it's definitely a Chicago beartown. I think Coach Allis for giving

me the opportunity to play here. You know, he gave the range to Jim Finks to draft people and bring the right players in. I think was a vision of his to see that, and of course is carried on through his his daughter and they're his grandkids. So it's a great organization, a great city, and I was very pleased to be a part of a five years and be a part of something like this that you can never, never ever forget, and it'll always be a part of

my life. Like Richard said, you forget. You missed the plane with the guys, You missed the locker room, and you missed the trips, and those are the things that all keep with me forever, and we all miss and we all missed Walter Peyton. So across the guard, let's talk Walter, because we didn't have the ability to have obviously a seminar and a discussion with all the great backs, Tom and Jay. You blocked for him. You're in that huddle, Emery, Willie, Richard,

you were great. You and Otis great friends with him. Let's talk Walter, everybody. Let's start with Tommy. You know it was weird for me because I was an av Walter. I was more of a fan of his than a teammate. And because you grow up in the area and you know that the Bears went through some lean years, but there was always greatness in Walter Payton. So when you had the chance to come in here and be an offensive lineman for him and be on the same team.

You just wanted to meet his approval, just like he did with Dica and just like he did with Dick Stanfeld, their offensive line coach. You felt if you could meet their approval, then you were kind of on the road to doing something special. Well, I obviously you guys lock form.

My experience with Walter was, you know, on every Tuesday, Tuesday's was our day off, so we would go hunting rolling Harper, myself and Walter and you know, me coming from Brooklyn, New York, I know nothing about outdoor life and hunting and woods and all that stuff. So obviously he had to tell me what to go by. And you know, I got all my fatigues the green stuff, and got my over and under rifle and we went

bird hunting. We would hit feasant hunting, so we had a chance to really sit down and really get to know somebody. I think we right up there by you j It's a place called Twin Willow Feasant Farm. We used to go up there right there in Kenosha, and we go up there and just spend the whole day, you know, shooting birds and then they give you the birds and you go home and cook them, but they're You know, everybody knows Walter as a great, great football player. Well,

Walter was the coolest guy that I knew. I mean, always had a smile on his face. He never said anything derogatory about somebody. I mean, he shit everything he had. That's the great thing about it. You know, he had all of the nightclubs and Sean Burg. So when we went a football game, we go to the restaurant or the club and we just have Kyle Blanche. If you want to drive fast cars, you can take one of his cars. And I mean it was just great spinning

seven years playing with him. And the only thing I didn't like about Walter was when he went and worked out on this hill over at Arlington Heights. He had this huge hill, and I figured, you know, sixty three and a half two forty five in shape, I'm gonna run up this hill more than Walter. After about the third time I went up this and then came back down, I never saw that hill again. I mean, and he would run up and down this hill like like it was nothing. And then I said, okay, I see you

gotta pace yourself. So from that point on, I started pacing myself. But a great individual, a great athlete, a good family man. You can't say nothing bad about Walter. Yeah, Walter. Walter was a phenomenal athlete and a great person. And like Tom said, coming from Everston, you know you've heard about Walter. I played four years before I got to play with Walter, and when I came here, I was, you know, he was the best player in the football at that time and always and always will be in

my mind. And I was very fortunate because in my situation, like I said before, I was in New York for three years with the Giants, a year in Denver, was playing wide receiver fullback, and when I moved to tight end, we were very fortunately the next year to get Willie because Willie stretched the field just like he was talking about.

And then I was playing tight end, so it was easy for me to get away from linebacker because I had played wide receiver and it was easy for me to release on bigger guys than it was a smaller guys. But then you throw in play action pass to Walter Payton. I mean they'd faked that ball to Walter. Willie be running down the sideline, clearing it out and I'm coming off the line and crossing the field and I'd be wide open. I love playing tight end with these guys

out there, because you gotta give Walter to respect. And they'd faked that ball to Walter and pull it out and I'd release and I'd be down the field crossing and them guys to be turning around looking going, oh God, there you go. And I averaged almost close to sixteen yards a catch in my career because of Walter Payton and Willie gall doing what they do. So appreciate them. Guys. Battery may of days switch out of Mike here. Oh okay, So my experience with Walter is a little bit different.

I met Walter before I became a Bear. I actually met him at a charity event, maybe a couple of years before I became a Bear, so I knew him. And when I was drafted by the Bears, he was one of the first guys I called. He called me and congratulated me, which was great. And when I got there, my very first touchdown, people don't know that was thrown to me by Walter Payton. Yeah, and actually I called my first touchdown. I called three touchdowns at one day

in New Orleans. Walter threw me one, Jim McMahon threw me one, and Walter threw me another one. So I had two touchdown pass from Walter Payton. So as a football player, I think no one can argue that he's probably the best to ever play. I mean from a runner, blocker, passer, the way he worked, he was arguably the best player ever to play the game. It's certainly a running back and and and you probably don't know this, but Walter

was a practical joker also. I mean you always had your head on the squirrel when you're around Walter because you never know who's gonna happen. I mean we go in the practice field and all of a sudden a firecracker on missile will grow off. And then Walter, you know, he put um jock h powder in your jock, you know, or heat bomb in your in your underwear or something.

It's just crazy. And he would hug you so tight because he was so strong, and he tried to squeeze the breath out of you, which you know, I'm a small guy, so that wasn't hard for him to do me like that. So but yeah, Walter was a great player, great to play with. He worked amazingly. Um his work ethic was set nine and just a tragic loss. And we really miss him, really missed that guy. William William have anything William Walter Walter, Well, you know I couldn't say, uh,

say too much, too much about it. The gay the gay was great and and he and he he ran hard, it ben't even and he blocked and everything else he did, he did, he did everything. He mean, he was, he was, he's he's a great, great football player all the way around. And you couldn't you couldn't say you couldn't say nothing

about the call he was that he was that good. Yeah, yeah, jest, yeah, I mean, my my, my experience, you know, obviously coming from a small black college, used to play against the school, so uh watched him a lot as a kid, just like you guys in here looking at us. That's how I was looking at him. And and we was on the plane when when we fly, Walter sit the first row outside of the first class, and he got those

first three seats. So the rule of the thumb, no one sits with him because if you sit with him, you get hurt. So I said, you know, I'm gonna sit with him. I gotta sit here and talk to this man, because you know, I've been watching him all these years, and clearly next week, you know, I told my hamstring and hurt my ankle. So I was done for the whole preseason. But uh, but while I was sitting there, you know, just kind of getting off of Neaton Walter, and he's, hey, you, I'm gonna actually show

you a trick. I said, okay. Well, so he had this deck of cards. He had been had it there for a while. They looked like beat up, and he said, you think I can tear this deck? I said, no, I don't think. So he told her deck in about twenty seconds. I looked and said, h still, this give me another deck of cards, right, So the students came

back with a brand new deck opening up. I gave it to him and they talk him about thirty seconds longer, and he told that deck and I said, boy, at that point, you know, he was like God to me. You know what I mean? I mean, this guy is so strong. Yeah, got the sweetest voice and the sweetest person you ever want to meet. But yet when I ain't. When you're talking about hand strength that way, it's like you know, I'm never gonna get in the way. You're never gonna have a problem with me. But you know,

I used to love watching him do his thing. I had to pass to a smooth where he kick his leg that I kind of equated into my game. And you know, when we get in that huddle on the field, he would always say, don't do what I say, do what I do. And that means when he's on the field watching him do his thing, you know he may say, you see us and hit him so but yeah, you know, if he's not doing it, you know you don't do it.

But the point of it is watching him go to work is what you know, you live for to work at that level. Yeah, and that's what I tried to do weekend and week out to compete and play at that level the way he played. Yeah, these all great things. Um, you're hearing about Walter and it's um, it's tough to you know, a format like this. It take all nights, sit here and you could tell Walter Payton stories and what he meant to all of us, and he really

took time. I think personally, you get to know everybody on the team, which was something and what I what I really appreciate about it. You know, I came into the Bears, you know, nobody from nowhere, and I when I made the team, M Ray Early, who's the equipment guy at the time, put my locker next to Walter. So I locker next to Walter for years and that that was a great experience. I mean, that was that was amazing. He rased me so many times in the morning.

There's some sibing and some embarrassing stuff I can't even talk about, but but it was all good fun. But the thing is the way he would treat you as

a teammate outside of Hollis Hall was special. The way he would come and focus on you and I played in some Pro Bowls with him, and the way that he would still recognize me as his teammate there, and the way that personal relationship that we had would be stronger than any relationship he had over there in Hawaii, and he'd want to spend time with you over there too. He it's just a huge loss he's not with us.

But I mean the memories of what he was he was and how hard he worked and inspired and just his attitude is the thing that I think inspired all of us. I mean, I remember when we were starting to make the playoffs and you could just tell how much he wanted to win. To win the playoffs. I remember the one time he talked to the team he was willing to give up all the money made in the playoffs. That divided it up amongst us, because that's all he wanted an opportunity to get in the playoffs.

And that's I mean. I think we all maybe felt a little special thing that in the eighty five year that we all wanted to win the Super Bowl for ourselves, of course, but in our heart, I mean Walter, we all we all loved Walter Peyton, no question about it,

no one thing. One thing about Walter is m If you ever look at a picture of Walter outside of football, away from the facility, you look at every person in the background on the picture, they're all smiling, and you know, Walter could walk into an elevator and by the time

that elevator stops, everybody's smiling and happy. There was a couple of times and Walter I got to play with Walter for a couple of years, but there's a couple of times where he would drive down to Joliet and come and sit in my mom and dad's backyard, and I have some pictures of it. We have a photo album of it. And the kids from the neighborhood would all gather around his motorcycle and they'd all be sitting

on and wearing his helmet. But every single person and every single picture in the background had a smile on their face. And he's so unlike the superstars of today because they have an entourage or they have an attitude where they almost make people uncomfortable. Walter Payton was the complete opposite. No matter what scenario he was in, he made everybody feel comfortable. Number one on the list of the Bears. Top one in your centennial scrapbook. Make sure

you pick one up before the weekend is over. Outstanding publication, Number one on the list. We all agree, all right, let's roll some of those Super Bowl twenty highlights. How about it? Bears got their Super Bowl And I don't even know where to begin, because you guys knew you were winning his damn game. It was no doubt about it. We knew we'd went if we didn't turn the ball over. Unfortunately, you know that first series we turned the ball over.

But when they have a minus twenty six yards total offense. At halftime, he saw the figure out the game's almost on VAD when there went for you didn't have to go but twenty yards in. But my I mean the first play to me when you know, we we we came in the game saying, hey, you know, let's shut these guys out. We played them before, we knew they didn't have much. We've shut two teams out. So we

was like, let's let's go for it again. And obviously Walter fumbing the ball, some people got upset as you're a big catch there, will That played right there, Willie. I remember McMahon the huddle saying, hey, give it a little give it this one more second here, this could go for a long play. He called it. When he called it, I was like, okay, great, I'm ready. The first play in the second half, the first play of the second half. Yeah, where was that thirty five yard

field position? There? Man, we're on the two yard line. How did that happened? Yeah, Reggie Phillips. But but my play, I mean, you get that looks great. I mean, anyway, so we gotta go out now to stop the guys from score. Bo that's a headache right there, folks, I promise you. So we gotta knock these guys out. We can't let them score because generally was the first one

score they say nor to win the Super Bowl. So you know, people have been patting us on our back and telling us how great we were, and now you gotta go on the field right away. So my first play, I get knocked on my ass. Okay, I mean I come off, they go play action. Holloway hits me in the chest and I'm trying to not fall back on my back. I'm off balanced and I see him coming back and wipe me out. So I said, either you can hit reset or you let this man take you out.

So of course you hit reset. You know all I thought about being on TV knocked up my ass, and I said, you know now, you said, well, you know you're playing the Super Bowl. Why would you know you need someone to strike If you've never been there, you don't know, right, But the point of it is I had that opportunity to hit reset and became MVP. That's great, awesome. So so my when when they announced my name to run on the field, Yeah, I couldn't hardly feel my

feet hit the ground. I mean, because think about it, the magnitude of the Super Bowl. I grew up watching the Super Bowl. I'm thinking to myself, Oh my gosh, a billion people watching me. So I was really it's like a nervous energy. I mean, it's hard to describe, but I was ready, but I was really guts inside. It's like such a huge feeling. But I once I touched the ball for the first kickoff return, it all just became a normal game. It became just a regular game.

But that first play was something that really because you don't want to make a mistake, but yet you know what you're doing. But because you're a professional, but yeah, you also know there's millions of people watching you. But then once you touch the ball, is just the game.

When Fridge got into the backfield, whether it be San Francisco, Green Bay, the offensive lineman, we used to say, you better make a good block because if you don't and William hits you in the batch in the back, you're gonna get hurt, You're gonna get pushed out of the way, and it's gonna look bad. So William was great in center for us when they did give him the ball, to make a good block to get out of the way.

It's a big game, but the point of it is, you know, you don't make it more than what it is, the same game for higher states. You know, some people come out and they change their ways. When you do that, you just bleink it's over. Okay, it's the same game you played throughout the year, but now it's just at the higher levels. Yeah, it's just like the Olympics. You know, it's the same thing. Yeah, right, but see Olympics. You

gotta waits. You gotta wait four you gotta wait four years to get ten seconds to get it done right. Can't mess around? Yeah, I think that, you know, playing in the Super Bowl, I was going into my ninth year, but we had already beat New England earlier that year, so we were pretty confident. And when the defense when they tried to run the ball or pass the ball three times in a row, I think they knew that. They knew they couldn't run the ball against our defense.

And I remember years ago, probably about ten years ago, I was at an event up in Canada and Steve Grogan was there, who was the quarterback, and he said, he said, I'm still ducking from number fifty five over there said every time I see a band, I'm ducking it. Yeah, well, I'll tell you for me personally, I mean, the Super Bowl is probably like a lot of these guys saying, it's still a football game. Yes, it's still football, but yet the hype around it makes it a huge, huge event.

And everybody, when you're playing in an event like that, you want to put your best foot forward. And you know, I was never shoting words. And they asked me, well, what do you think about y'all gonna win the Super Bowl? I said, yeah, we're gonna win the Super Bowl, and we're gonna shut him out if all of us stay healthy and play well together. And obviously we see the outcome of it forty six to ten and you know, friends getting into his thing. It was just a phenomenal

event and I enjoyed it. You know, Richard, he was MVP. And how many sacks as you had, Richard? Because I had like U two sacks that game? I had three or four. Now, No, actually it's not that I didn't know, you know, I thought going into the playoffs, you know, I had got three four sacks in the first game time, having the Super Bowl. Everyone ye yards, it's tonovers every every he had a good catching the Super Bowls. He got a tip. Jim Morrissey had the longest interception returning

the Super Bowl that didn't result in a touchdown. Hey, hey, hey, they were all great play times. Give it up for these guys. They were all, hey, Jay, hey once again, y'all had the ball on the thirty five yard line. That's what I was gonna That's what I was about to say. So they run the ball at me the first time over, and I'm like, Craig, Craig James or whoever. The kids like, we're afraid. I mean, I'm like, when

is this that they're running. I'm like, this is disrespectful you to run this and you know, don't get it wrong. I'm like, it's not often you see a white guy playing tailback, Okay, in the National Football League. You just don't see that that often. And I'm looking at him, he looking at me. I just reasons to give me that ball. Man, you don't know what you're doing. Y'all get the ball on twenty yard line. He scored a touchdown.

Matt Suett all right, you know a lot of times people talk about, you know, Walter, why didn't Walter score in that game? And this game it got out of hands so fast. I mean at halftime, we knew the game was over. With six minutes in the third quarter, all the starters are on offense, are already on the bench. Reggie Phillips intercepts and pass and runs it back. Jim Morrissey runs it back. Heycy picks up a fumble for safety.

They gave that out of control so fast that game, and we were just so ready to play our very best game. And you know, I just you know, Walter should have got a touchdown. But I'm telling you everybody was playing their butt off that day, and sometimes you got to be a decoy, and they wanted to stop Walter. That's their main plan on our offense was to stop Walter. But everybody else stepped up, just like Richard says about the team. Our offense stood up, the special team stood up,

the defense stood up. And that's how we played a great game that day. And we wanted to make the city in Chicago ha and having a lot of fun early. We wanted to get Joe Pottery started at halftime. You don't have to wait maybe it was on. Well think think about it. Think about it. Okay, okay, think about differ one thing for one second. Joe Namath predicted they

were gonna win the super Bowl. At the Super Bowl, we predicted we were gonna win the super Bowl and game number three of that year because we made the super Bowl Shuffle. That gained him a three. Right, So that's the best prediction that came true ever. Game number three, we made the super Bowl Shuffle and we won the Super Bowl. That don't have the Knowlton folks have problems. Yeah, there's there's the offensive line to the Black and bluest

tell us about that we were number one. We started it off the old line, right, Yeah, the Black and Blues brothers looking cool like that. That was fun. We signed a million of those things, haven't we, Tom, I got a few steal in. And you know the other thing in the autograph all the time is the the the with the for the game program, the program, the program of the game you autograph. You know, the Superdome holds eighty thousand something like I know I've signed over

one hundred thousand programs of the super Bowl. I mean, shoot, all right, we have just a couple of minutes to go, so we'll take a couple of fan questions. This is from Chris. Thanks for coming from Oxford, England. All right, England Bears are headed there. There you go properly. We're in thirty four. He want you guys to put into words what it felt like to step out on Soldier Field on Sundays, all these home games in that era of Bears football. What it was like to be playing

in front of those fans at Soldier Field. Well, it's no doubt about it. It's an honor and a pleasure, you know, to play play in Soldiers Field. And because of the history you know of Soldiers Field and just the history of the organization itself, the oldest organization, and the way that that uniform with pride, and you know, having guys like this, it's a lot of pressure because if you don't play, you're gonna pretty much be embarrassed

because somebody else is gonna do something special. Right. Yeah, for me, you know, I would love to play in the stadium today because you know, you can hear the noise, but when we was playing, the noise was just go away so fast. But to watch Walter step out of the huddle and start clapping and the whole stands start clapping. It was just magical. I said, shit, I want that

kind of power, you know. I wanted to be like that, you know, So to have the people to respond like that to him, you know, it just tells It tells the players how much you know, the people appreciate the game itself here in Chicago, and think, I mean, think about it. We're got an opportunity to play for an amazing city like Chicago. We'll get a chance to play for an owner who helped create the league and that

that's rich tradition there. And then to be able to play with guys like this, to run on Soldier Field and to make touchdowns and to win games, and to bring a championship back to Chicago. UM was really especially something that I always care with me, no matter where I go, no matter what I do, for the rest

of my life. So it's great everybody else, it's just you know, coming into Chicago and playing for in front of great fans like Chicago, playing for the Chicago Bears, you know, George Hallis, It's just all that, and and on top of it, to win the Super Bowl and to win the championship and the interaction we had with the crowds. I mean, it's it's a special time in our life. It's it's the biggest moment in all of

our lives. Yeah, you know, when I came, I came from Everson, so I was used to I grew up watching gayl Sayers and Dick Buckets, So I when I got a chance to play for the Bears, I knew

the history. I knew a little bit of history. But one of the great things that they did in the early eighties, it's George Hallis put the book Hollis by Alice in every player's hands when they came to the Chicago Bears, so you could read about the history of the Bears, the history of the league, how it struggled early. And I think that's something that missing today. People don't know the history. The players don't know the history of their teams, of the leagues. And I thought that was

just a phenomenal thing. Even though I thought I knew the Bears, I didn't know the Bears until I read the book. And I think every player that plays for the Bears should learn the history of the Chicago Bears. Oh this before you go. If I could say before you go, I can say that, you know, one moment that was really especially in my heart, that sold you feel is when we won it. When we won the

championship game. Or actually Wilbell Marsh was running a touchdown and I'm looking at Freds swinging his arm up and down. I'm looking at that dark gap in between his mouth. You probably don't remember that, Fridge, I don't know, but but yet seeing him looking at you. Oh, this the celebration, how the fans. The championship game to me was more important than the super Bowl. It was it's something that's The Championship Game is something that I would always remember

more so than the Super Bowl in Chicago. All right, Willie, Yes, Yes, NFC Championship Game. Yes, here are some of the highlights. We're gonna be wrapping up here any second. But it was a total demolition, total demolition in every way shaping for him. Huh, Emory running downfield had legs back then. It was so amazing because this is a touchdown, which was a great throw by jam and I was just in the background of the end zone got started and after the last player started to snow ye right, poetic

I was really impressed. When we got back the day after the Super Bowl. I think there was twenty five or thirty five thousand fans and below zero weather to greet us well parade, which was amazing. So where else can you go to find that type of support then Chicago. Here's the play. Here's the play, Fridge, your pitchers coming up and oldest urans coming up here too. Yes, this is this is uh with the snow coming down, putting

the iceing on the cake, Chicago, making it happy. Hey, I just wanted you guys to score because I didn't want to go out and run more. I told you, we told you just just hold him. We'll come back to score. You remember that. No, all right, before we wrap it up, since it's a top forty hit, no super Bowl shuffle, Willie, what are you saying? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, we get that line, will And then we're wrapping up. Send us off, Willie, and I'm were class. I like running, but I love to catch a pass.

I practice all day and dance all night. I gotta get ready for the Sunday fight. Now. I'm a smooth at the Chocolate Squirreld, I dance a little fucking sold was girl. There's no one here that doesn't like me. My super Bowl shuffle, shall say you a Mamma's well old run crowd love me from my bottet. In my mind, I'm slick on the flick on mesch sweetness. They run. We had the ball since planing camp to give Chicago a Super Bowl champ. Now we're not doing this because

for greedy. The Bears are doing it. Defeat the needy. I didn't come here. Look at my trouble ball. I just came here to do the Super Bowl shop. You're looking at the trainer. I'm the rookie. I may be launched, but I'm no dumb cooking. You see me, you see run, I got the bad. I'm the rookie. Maybe loud, but I'm no nothing. You see me hit. You see me run when I kicking bad. I am who fun I can. As you will see, they all learned from me. I

didn't come here looking for trouble. I just came within the shower bow.