Legacy Panel - Hall of Fame Linebackers

Tom Thayre's gonna lead us off. But before you do, I got a little prepared statement about what the middle linebacker meant and Bears football. So, first of all, all three of these guys that we were going to interview the Hall of Fame middle linebackers defined by intelligence, toughness, instincts, and dedication, all with iconic hits, interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble returns, carrying on the legacy of the cornerstone position and Bears

football lore. It started here, it continues here. Bill George advised by George Connor to back up after quarterbacks kept throwing the ball over? Is that and he didn't like it? That became the position that is uniquely Bears, uniquely monsters of the midway. I think everyone who would agree. Yes, there's been a lot of great positions, but middle linebacker defines the toughness of this football team big time. Mister Buckas, I've always wanted to ask you this question. I have

a dog as names Ernie. I go to the dog park, and every time I go to the dog park, I hear someone yelling bcas. Did you ever meet Sylvester Salone before they made the movie Rocky when he came out with the dog named Bucas. Yes. I met um Sly over there at Universal one day and he was walking through it and then I says, Hey, what's with the dog man? You know? And I says, uh. He says, well, he's he's gonna be in the other one too, so he's gonna put him in two movies. I said, where

is the residuals at man? You know? And he's a slap so he's not the only one I've had. You know, a number of people come up and do that. That's a unique thing about the Bears is that we have so many great players in the history of the Bears. You can tell people you can just say one name. You can say single Tarry, you can say Bucks, you can say Erlak or Plank Fencic, and everybody knows who

you're talking about. So it's always something that you kind of wonder in the in the history of you know, here this this great movie, and it's kind of an honor, I would say, it's it's a huge honor to be to have such a well known name that they can name a dog after you, and you know, you go on and win Picture of the Year. Well, um, you know the guy who was before before us, Bill George. Back in those days, the exposure that those players were getting it was cannot even match you know what what

goes on today. So you know, there's so many avenues now there's even more a lot more exposure than when I was even playing. Uh, you know, with the stealth homes and everything else. So you know, when you when you win nowadays, it's I mean, everybody in the world knows about it, and you know, and if if you know, just like when you guys want to won, you know, the Super Bowl, uh, you know, Saturday Night Live it

did go and everybody, all these other opportunities come. It's just it just shows you what the fan base the NFL has. It's just really enormous and as I look out, you know, you look at the jerseys and everything else. Even in my era, that really wasn't a big deal. So it's doing a hell of job of marketing, I guess because it's uh. And so if you're a current player and you know you're good, you're all pro or whatever, sky's the limit. Everybody in the world knows about you,

you know. Sometimes that's you know, you'd like to have your own privacy too. So I'm glad I didn't have cell phones when I was playing. I tell you that or anything else that's out there. Mike, I'm sure you would agree, because you you had your fun. Obviously you love playing it, but you were a serious football player. It was it was a job that you attached yourself too, professionally from the moment you got here, isn't it? Well? I think, um, football is for a lot of people.

People when you ask them, you know what do you guys? Do you know? Well we entertained well for me. For the fan, it's entertainment, but for me it's it's serious business. Because every game that you played, it's no guarantee that you're going to come off the same way you went on and the offseason work, all of the amount of time that goes into the commitment to film study, all of those things make a tremendous difference, and you have to do your work and earn the right to to win.

You know, Mike, one thing I always when people ask me about you, I say, Mike Singletary was the most well prepared professional athlete I ever played with. And it was your diligency and always being in shape in your commitment to film study and to being educated about the next opponent. And you know, you capitalized on the newness of the technology and how much of that help help you.

And then, mister Buckets, the technology that we had in our in our time, would you would have liked to use that throughout your career or was it more of seeing attack? Oh? I would have liked to have that technology because as it was, you know, we would certain there's certain players and I don't care who they are.

I mean, like Johnny Unitis. We had we had a definite tip on him when he dropped back the pass, he'd always looked to the left, to the right and work and go back to the left wherever he looked first. And then he'd look away, he'd always go back, and the son of a gun still beat I mean, we intercepted three passes in the first half and he still beat us by a touchdown at the end of the game.

So we would watch films and I was like one of the first and I think I still have the old sixteen MILLI contraption, and I used to pick up a lot of things because back then, everybody, you know, I don't care what who it is, You'll always fall back to what your feel normal. I mean, what's normal for you. And there was simple things like centers. You know, if it was a pass, they'd use one hand on the ball, and if it's a run they use two hands.

Well you're watching the film and you see this happen, and you see a couple of games, and you see how, well, hey, this is holding true as simple as that as a center having one hand or two hands on the ball, and on the pro level, yet they still do it. And we were able, you know, I'd say, hey, look at the guy's got one hand. It's a pass, and then he'd run the film and sure enough it was a pass. So and I imagine today, with the technology they have today, you can find out what hand they

scratched their ass with. You know what I mean really, because like I say, I don't care who it is, that you have natural traits and it's hard to get away from them. So if you can catch that and figure it out, it gives you a tremendous advantage. Mike, with the technology, did it did it increase your traits or did it make you a more intelligent football player according to the offenses that you faced in the coaching

that you were getting. I think, you know, one of the things about technology is as the player, you always have to come back to football. I think a lot of times coordinators get themselves in trouble because they rely too heavily on the tendencies and just go, oh, okay, well they do this all the time when they line up in this formation, they're gonna run this play. And what happens is if the team goes off that track, then you feel like, oh my goodness, what do I

do now? And so I think it you really have to do your homework and kind of backtrack and be prepared and watching a certain amount of games that you can cover your your tail when when things don't work out the way you think they do. Did it ever, did you ever overthink it because you studied so much and you put so much time with the coaches and stuff. Did you always almost have to control yourself? There's a

saying of linebackers don't go until you know. Did you ever almost have to hold back because you have the speed to get where you needed to get. I think at the beginning of the game, I went on what I knew, I went on what I saw in film, and I just believe that they can't deviate too much from what they've been doing in that path three or four games and in the game if it didn't follow suit for whatever reason, then it was like, Wow, now I got to really settle down and play football and

find new tendency because they're breaking them this week. They're changing it. Explain how you hit? Explain how I hit? Yep, because there is a quote I found about you, and you explained how you uncoiled like a snake and delivered it. Hit because of your size and how you utilize your size and leverage, and we're we're watching you on these

highlights right now. I think, for me, you know everything I learned about tackling I learned in the seventh grade and the coach, and really it was from playing guard and not little linebacker as an offensive lineman. Can you repeat that. I know, I hate to say it. I don't say it, I'll go loud, but it was from playing offensive guard. The coach told me to make sure that I had my neck in, my shoulders, my back flat, and my eyes always have to see what I was hitting.

And so as long as I did that and you know, bring my arms through. My hips had to come through the whole nine yards every time you hit, then the chances are you're gonna come out healthy, You're gonna come out good, and the guy that you're hitting is gonna feel the blow a lot more than you. And so that's something that I worked on. I think today what happens a lot is guys don't work on it. They

don't develop muscle memory. You know, it takes time to develop that muscle memory to tackle the same way every time. And when you don't do that, then sometimes your head's gonna be down, your head's gonna be to the side, and that's where a lot of the concussions and things like that come in. But if your faith he's up, your eyes hope and you see what you're hitting. Your neck is in your shoulders. Chances are you're gonna come out okay. It seems it seems like every there's two

positions to every great player, mister buckets. So I heard Jeff was telling me that you said you were going to play middle linebacker for ten years and then you were going to play offensive center for another five. Did did know in the center position help you be a better middle linebacker? Oh? I don't know if it was that big of a big of an advantage. Uh. You know, at Illinois we played both ways, and you know that was really a cult by a Gibbern who was our

line coach, that I could have played center also. Um, but I don't think it was all that big of a deal. Um. I just you know, I just remember about the tackling deal. I just remember my day's back at CBS and I was a fullback and what really bothered me as a running back and getting tackled was when someone would almost like bear hug you, and they'd you wrap your arms up so that when you're starting a fall, you could not use your hand to break the fall, or if you did, there's a fifty fifty

chance the ball would pop out. So I always remembered that, and that's how I used to tackle in college, was that i'd put my head to their chest and alleviate the air if they were quick enough to make a move right or left, So I always aimed for the center, and if it was completed that way, then I could really bury them and put them on their back. If they made a quick cut and i'd hit him on the side, i'd get them down. But I always felt, if you can intimidate the runner, I don't care who

he is or what level. Nobody likes to get hit that often. Somewhere along the line, I always thought that, you know those back those days, back in high school, you keep hitting somebody hard enough, the ultimate goal is to get the turnover. And you know, for well, I don't know how many years I had the record for recovering fumbles that I had caused, and except going uh the damn Minnesota and there played for fifty years, broke

my record. But that was that was the deal. It was to punish somebody because you know, you could see it in the back size and I'm sure my kids in his career backs are looking at you and like, ohh and that was it. You know, everybody said I was like an intimidator or whatever. I was just going going by what bothered me as a running back in high school. I did not want to be hit and put on my back, and that's what I tried to do all the time. And well a lot of circumstances

that doesn't happen. I know, we all agree, you can never get tired of watching Dick Buckets highlights, even you, Mike, right. I mean, honestly, Tom and I the other day we put it on. I put it out when he was up at Hollis Hall, and I'm like, will you get just look at how damaging of a tackler he is. You just blew through people. I mean, it's it makes you stand up and go wow. And you had a lot of nicknames. Oh, you had a lot of nicknames.

I don't know which one you like the best, but you go through time and everybody had a comment or a depiction of dick Buckets. So the enforcer, the animal, the maestro of mayhem, the robot of destruction. How about just flat out good old Dick Buckets, because that to me sounds the best. But you were the you. I mean you had to know because you were the most feared tackler in football. Well, the only reason I was the most feared tackler in football was because evidently no

one got the message. Nobody else tackled that way. I mean this one. What do you what do you think when you see that? You know? When I first saw that? Uh, I ask everybody when they come up and have me signed that picture, I said, you can have the autograph free if you can name the ball carrier. Wow, let's test you. Who do you think the ball carrier is? I'm going, uh, and I'm going I'm going to a guy on the right. This this picture is really I mean clear. I mean the other one is the actually

eight by tens it's it's I you know. Let me just tell you. I've asked about a good two people say to be conservative, and maybe three. Guess the guy in the back. You can see the ball, so we know who it is here? Right? Huh? Right here? Right? Well? Yeah, but who is he? Oh? Who is he? Who is who is he? I don't know who is it? What the hell am I? No? Not Taylor? I see that's the obvious. It's not Paul Horning. Is that a question or are you asking? That's that would be one of

my answers in a high school task. Just I write something down and hope I got it right. No, any Grubowski, Anderson? Who Anderson? Grbowski? Grbowski, that's Jim Grbowski. Well what do you think when you see that? Mike Oh? To answer the question? Three seconds after that shot, I was like this, Yeah, but you got five guys pushing on you. That's a wine Mike Singleton. That's some serious wingspan right there. A middle linebacker. Yeah it is. It's that's an armful. So interesting.

What did you have against the Lions in one game? He knocked out the center, the fullback, the quarterback, and the half back in the same game. Yeah. Well, you know, and I was the first couple of years I was a snapper for extra points and the punts and all that stuff. So you'd come out early for pregame warm ups were at Wrigley Field and play in Detroit, and so I'm snapping warming up and the old man comes walking by and he says, hey, did you well? He

called me kid. He says, hey, kid, do you do you know what that Flandagan said about you, and I'm like what, he just turned and walked away, as what do you say? He just skept on walking. So I'd always, you know, go after Flant again. The set of the sets, the center. And there was one game one year where they were, you know, we were they were beating us by a couple of touchdowns and they're on our like two yard line and they're trying to run the clock outs.

So I just would call time out, you know, Bradovitch and a buffoon, and what the hell, come on, let's get out of here, you know, as now I want gonna crack at that Flan again, you know, and I just wanted to take another side. Poor guy. He was a good guy, but he never knew what the hell

is what it was all about. Because you know, back then, after I was taken off to being a snapper, I figured out that on fourth down, of course, we're always playing, so on fourth down, I'd be moved over and when that center snapped for the punt, I just Barry is ask, you know, because I knew it that was your vulnerable everything.

So then they started devising plays, and see what happens when they've got to start messing around on how to how to keep me from hitting the center it throws everything else off also, So there was always, ah, there was a rhyme of a reason that I did a lot of things, and a lot of it came naturally, and a lot of it I made up. You're very quotable because you're very You're a very good interview. Uh. You've got you know, your acting background, You're you're an

entertainer at the same time as a football player. But everybody had a quote about Dick Butkus and one of your teammates, Duck Buffone, the late Duck Buffone, who, uh try, one of the most underrated Chicago Bears around, A rugged player that says a lot right there, Thank you lord, he's on my side. Uh. When you used to hear these quote or these things said about you, what do you think of it? And what do you think of

it now all these years later? Well at the beginning, um, you know, being called an animal and everything else, I always thought they were questioning your intelligence. And I really didn't care for that, you know, because that's the way it was back then. You played you know, if you played football, you were dumb and all that business. And for nothing's further than the truth. I mean, so, I don't know, it's just it's kind of a compliment or whatever.

It just tells me that it's kind of it's a reassurance that people are understanding what I'm doing on the field. Like I always said, the fans in Chicago, they're smart fans. They know what the hell is going on, rather than like you go to La to Kyle Sam and it's you know, who's who's to be seen and all that stuff. But um no, I guess it's a you know, it's a tribute to be an animal. Sure, I guess. I don't know. I give it a nice I'm over past that stuff now. Mike, your introduction to the Bears, Um,

I remember reading the paper. I was a younger, and they just drafted this Mike Singletary middle linebacker. And when you look at the size, you know, sixty three two forty five, and then you see six five two fifty eight, and then you see the size of Mike Singletary. What was your introduction to George Hallis and then what was your your introduction to Buddy Ryan in terms of the eye test? And then what you were able to accomplish

Was it the same as your first meeting with those guys? Well, I think when I when I first got to the Bears. You know, of course, my introduction to Buddy Ryan was a little short, fat guy, you know, being five eleven and I came in, I was like thirty five, and you know, after begging Buddy to allow me to play on the Nickel defense, yeah, I had to get down to twenty five and that's what I finished my career playing. But you know, it was I had in my mind

what I wanted to accomplish when I came here. I had a vision of what I felt I could do, and the great tradition being in a defensive city with the exception of Walter Payton being the great running back. But it was I just, um, I always felt that Chicago was the place for me, the perfect place for me because of all of the traditions that came before me, the guys like Dick and Edol, Brad evinch and Bill George, some of those other guys that it really made me

feel at home when I got here. You didn't start your first game. How impatient were you before the first start? And I ask everybody I was asking the quarterbacks that question also because you're not a I as, I don't see you as being a patient guy. How was that when you're sitting on the sidelines, knowing what you had

within your ability? It was very frustrating. Lee Coons was the starter my rookie year, and um, you know, I would go up to Buddy and it was maybe seventh game before I started, and so I'd go up to Buddy and the first game, all the way through that seventh game is Buddy, Buddy, you gotta let me play. I know I can go out there and play. You just say, Son, go sit down. We're trying to win the game. Go sit down. And so that was very frustrating.

And by time I had a chance to get out there was it was a good feeling, a chance to express myself. You're what, what what about your first start? How? How was that? Was it? Air free? Was it at film session the next day? Because I talked to everybody? How you know, in our offensive meetings, Coach Diffic would run the projector and your meetings, Buddy Ryan run the projector, and they weren't always really complimentary. How was that first

film session with your peers? The first film session after my first game, we were playing against Kansas City, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Kansas City Chiefs had a running back named Joe Delaney and Joe Delaney was tearing up the league. He was gaining like one hundred and fifty to two hundred yard the game, and Buddy would just run the film back and forth and say, what do you think you're getting your first start this week? Can you stop this guy? And so he's running the

film back and forth. When we finally got to play the game, Kansas City loved this trap play they had and on trap play, Dick, you know, you gotta hit it when it's there, and they ran it one too many times and I caught him just right and I hit him, and you know, he was out of the game. He came back in a couple of series later and he ran the same play, and that time I knocked him out of the game for you know, the rest of the games. And when I got on the bus.

When I got on the bus, but he didn't say anything. When I passed by him, he just touched me on the leg and said, you showed me something today. That was it. That's all he ever said. That's a great compliment. What, Dick, what do you remember your first start? And then who ran the projector when you guys were doing evaluations of your performance. George Ellen was our defensive coach at that time. And can you believe we played for the same coach

that was my first head coach in the USFL, George Allen. Well, George was here my rookie year and then that was it. He went on the Los Angeles Rams. I had lunch with George every Friday my rookie year. And this so other guy, Verne Buell, who was, you know, back doing the draft in those years, we had babysitters. When you'd go to the All American weekends the league both leagues started, you know, bidding for players. So Verne was hired by George Allen to keep an eye on me and keep

the American League guys away. So we would. When I got with the Bears, wad to have lunch every Friday at the Golden Ox on Clydeborne there and really kind of took me under my wing, and I really learned a lot from him, and his whole thing was his practices. I don't know when it was with you when you were with him, but he would have a list to go over the defensive team, and it could be in three questions, three questions and answers, or it could be

twenty five. He always believed that, you know, and I think it really helped me because the whole thing was avoiding making mistakes two times in a row. Okay, you're a rookie, you're starting, You're gonna make some mistakes, but don't make them again. And that's why I really loved the guy. And when he went to the Rams, he actually was going to trade all his draft choices for me to the Bears to get me to go to the Rams, and Callie would never do it. And then when I was, I was down, and I mean I

was finished. When Georgia was with the Redskins, he flew me into Washington. And this is how George Allen thought. This was like around January in nineteen seventy four, my knee was totally gone. I had gone to about six other doctors and they all said it's over for you. So George Allen calls, and he snakes and in the DC and he gets his doctor and he said, now, this is January of seventy four, he said. The doctor, he says, do you think that can be ready next January?

In the filatoffs, he was thinking a year ahead already. I mean, that's the kind of confidence and whatever. So then he had me go with a one other doctor, and of course that doctor just said after they looked at the x ray, he said, look, you go ahead and play. You're gonna have a chance of fusing your legs stiff because it's over for you. And then I told him, I said, George, I don't want to you know, I want to stay here. I'm hoping that maybe start

coaching here with the Bears, get a job. And he just told me to be careful, and he was right, because there was no job, and then I'll leave here with a bad, bad taste on my moss, our taste because but then I realized that that's just the business. Football is the business. You hear current players, you know, talking about it today. It's business. Well, thirty million dollars versus a twenty five thousand, I guess it is a big business. So what were your interactions and first impressions

of George Hollis both of you. Well, my first impression with George Hollis was for me. It was I've reached the ultimate. I mean, I always wanted to play football, and as I got closer to beingcoming a pro football player, Um, you know, I was drafted by Denver and the Bears, and then Denver was going to trade the choice to New England to the Jets. But so I but I stayed with the Bears, And I mean I thought, how could how could anybody who's playing football not want to

play for this guy. Here's the guy sitting here that started it all. So I was I was blessed. I don't care how much money I would have made somewhere else. It was for me to play for this guy who started the league was something else because that was my life at the time. Mike, I think for me, my first my first opportunity to meet George Hollis was when we wrote him the letter after my rookie year to

keep Buddy. And so George Hollis came to the room and the meeting room and looked at all of us and said, you know, this is the first time I'd ever had a team of guys write me a letter about keeping a defensive coach. And he went on to talk a bit about football and his philosophy and what

he felt, and it was very interesting. I probably had a chance to see him maybe two or three other times after that, but it was very obvious when you saw George Hallis that you were looking at You're looking at history, you were looking at someone prominence, You're looking at the guy that that basically started the whole lead. So, m it's pretty pretty amazing. Hey, Mike, did Ditka reminds you of Hallis at all in any way? Or were

they separated by so much time? But you know, in preparation for this event, I tell everybody the one common thing about the Bears from the forties, fifties, sixties to the twenties is toughness. And when I went in the meeting room the first time with Dica, I was intimidated. When I used to see mister Buckus walk around in preparation for the broadcast of the game, I was intimidated, but I wanted to impress. I mean, so, what was your first inter reaction or interaction with Ditka? I was?

I was so excited the first time he walked in the room. I mean, I had no idea who coach Dicker was. I just heard our guys talking about him. I heard our players talking about him, and the first thing I heard was kind of alarming. Said, who did they hire? They hired coach Dick. Oh my goodness, we don't want that guy. This guy's crazy. And I thought, oh my goodness. But when I first heard him, when he walked in the room, it was to me Coach

Sticker had the opportunity. He had the opportunity to be the greatest coach of all times because he had the fire. Now I don't I don't know how George Hollis coach, but I can imagine that the fire and intensity and passion that Coach Dicka zooted that first day set the tone for exactly what he said, three years from now, we're gonna be in the super Bowl. And that was nineteen eighty two, eighty five. We were there, and it was because of that vision. Didn't he didn't he say,

I got some good news and some bad news. We're gonna go to the super Bowl, but a lot of you guys aren't going to be here. Yes he did, Yes, he did. He said it. And the very next day he saw the door revolving of guys that sat in that room after Coach Dicka had talked and they were like, Ah, this guy's crazy. Oh that guy, he didn't know what he's doing. You know what, you didn't see him very long.

That door was revolving so fast. We were getting players that were buying into his vision, buying into the bare mentality of toughness and intimidation and just share a will to win. That's what he talked about, talked about the Super Bowl and we had a chance to live it, which led to that NFC Championship game to get there. And let's roll some highlights of that because Eric Dickerson was a thorn in the bear side for a bit and Buddy Ryan said, hey, listen, fifty yards, three fumbles

and your big stop here. Talk about that game and about this play. Well, the interesting thing about that game is the Rams and Eric Dickerson were just coming off a great week that past week against the Cowboys, and Eric Dickerson I think had maybe two hundred yards against

the Cowboys, over two hundred yards. And so I'm sitting in the room that night and one of our players come in from talking to one of the Rams players, uh, the offensive lineman, saying, hey, your defense ready because Dickerson is ready to run. You got two hundred yards last week, You're gonna get two under them all. And when we heard that, and we just kind of looked around the room and it got real quiet, and it got real hot. So the next day we went out, we were ready

to go, and it was a great day. And it was a wonderful day because towards the end of that game, it started to snow. And to me, that was a sign from from God saying way to go. That seems to happen for Bears championship games, right, Don Pearson and I invite everybody to go get the Bears Centennial scrapbook. Don Pearson and Dan Pompey both Dick McCann Hall of Fame Award winning writers. They covered the football their entire careers.

But after that game, Don Pearson wrote, the snow that started to swirl around Soldier Field late in the game was only confetti sprinkled by George hallis so very addly put.

You know, when I watched highlights of both you guys throughout your career, you know, the defensive tackle position is huge to the flow of the middle linebacker position and the success I was teasing ming McMichael last night when we used to walk out the locker room doors before kickoff and he'd say, Okay, let's go out there and

get singletary another Pro Bowl. And can you guys talk about the defensive tackles, mister Buckus and Mike, just the defensive tackles that you guys played to get played with that we're kind of instrumental and you're in the success of that position. Well, when I was playing, you know, we had the old real four, three and sometimes and over and under. And that's not only the tackles, but the defensive ends can help you out because usually if it's an even man set or a four or three.

Green Bay used to run the sweeps all the time, and what would happen the forrest Greg would come out, slide out and seal try to seal you off. So if your defensive end could just hold him for a second, I can get by him. But I remember and in a film session, Abe Gibern was running this the projector and it was a it was an end sweep and I made the tackle, but then you know, he ran

the play back. Gibbern runs the play back and then he starts to run and ford, he says, Obradovitch, look at yourself, and ed Ed gets he beats a crack down from the tight end. Then the guard is pulling and hits him, and his helmet starts going sideways, and then the back comes and hits them, and then the lead back and there's nobody there. So I made the tackle, you know, like right, play Brams, look at yourself. He'll you tell him, he'll tell that story. He tells it

all the time. But that's you know, that's the way the defenses were geared and is to try to keep you clear. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's important to have some guys up there that um, you know, and it's kind of sacrifice. And you've got you know, we used to have a call tight and the wide and you know they're giving themselves up to cover one hole, but we want you also to carry your defensive guard with you either way, tie them up so they're not

slipping out going after your linebackers. So they were, you know, I didn't have any that many pro bowlers in front of me. Had Old Radovitch and Doug Atkins there for a while, but the other guys, you know, surprisingly enough, they did a pretty good job. Doug Atkins was a big bad man. Doug Atkins was probably the closest man the superman that I would say played with him my rookie year. He'd never worked out. If that guy would have trained properly, they would have had to ban him

from the league. I firmly would. I firmly believed that he was unbelievable. And you know the funny thing he used to He used to tip that Tennessee whiskey a little bit, and then he knew that Pallas was in Phoenix at the Wrigley Building. There every February, Coach Allis would go there for his vacation, and Doug used to a couple of drinks. He would call there and just the old man about salaries and everything else. And so

you o man, you know, never said much. So now the expansion comes and Doug ends up in New Orleans. So Doug quits drinking, he starts working out. He's having a Pro Bowl year and here it comes, but he's gonna play against the Bears. He said, I'm gonna play until I get a crack at the Bears. And Randy Jackson was the tackle over it would have been over him. And he was shifting a gold brick all week long.

God damn it. I got and Doug pulls a hamstring or something the game before, so here he is on the We're in New Orleans and here's Doug on our sideline, half in a bag, you know, And he dismissed his opportunity, and that was the end of his career. But he was, without a doubt, closest. Got the Superman stronger, and then I'll get out. Never did anything, they claimed one night before a game he had thirty six martinis and two

cases of beer. I believe you've got some defensive tackles in our kind of uh you know, got their own personalities too well, Steve McMichael and Dan Hampton. I just remember those guys getting on a plane and I normally they sat behind they sat in front of me. I sat behind them, and I had to listen to them all the way where we were going, whether it's Detroit or Tampa. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We got to lose you a fat guy. We got to protect him all

the time. Dan, how do your knees feel? You know, Hey Bunny, he's always talking about Hey, Samurai great play. You know, it's like, I'm tired of this guy. So I had to sit there and listen to those guys. And to be honest, it really wasn't until towards the end of my career that I really began to appreciate them for who they were. Dan and Steve. You know, they were very unselfish. They did exactly what they were supposed to do, and I thought I was pretty good.

In the middle, I thought, hey, you know what, I'm pretty good. Dan got hurt one time and we missed him the rest of the year. Steve kind of was banged up, and all of a sudden, I'm thinking, wow, after the games, I'm a lot sore. After the games. I mean, I'm having to make a lot more tackles, I'm getting hit a lot more, and I'm thinking, maybe I'm not. I thought I was. But having those guys

made all the difference in the world. And once again with Dick was saying with Hartenstein and Richard Dent on the end when the balls outside, I mean, I had the privilege of playing against great guys in front of me and really really appreciated them. Defensive Player of the Year in eleven consecutive years leading tackler. We can go down all the all the great accolades. I think everyone here last night was moved to see GAYL. Sayers. Let's talk GAYL. Sayers. And first of all, being in the

same draft. It'll ever happen again this way, it never happened before, since they have two Hall of Famers picked on the same team that in the top five. But what did he mean to you? What's he mean to you now? And I know, Mike, you're you're close to Gail as well. Well, you know back then in college, you you know, I never saw the guy play, you know, like now, there's so much, like I said before, so

much exposure and with all these games. First time I saw Gale was in New York at the local American team and there was there were showing films and I'm looking at this guy with the high tops and he's running back kickoffs and everything else. I don't know who the heck he was, but he was just amazing on that game tape. So we came together and of course we were playing. We both were at the All Star Game together and got to know he was a very

quiet guy. And our wives got along and so when we went down to the Bears camp, and you know, it was kind of tough, and you still had some leftover guys from the sixty three championship team, and you know, of course we were both number one, so they're gonna make it hard on us and show us the ropes and everything else. But Gail just ran circles around everybody and then that quickly adopted him, real quick. He was amazing.

I still attribute a lot of my h some success from trying to tackle him, because there was there was I never came up against the running back like him in my whole career as far as a half back, I mean, you know, and that was counting like OJ and a couple other guys that no one could touch this guy. And so you know, it was really devastating when he got hit by Kerman Alexander, and you know, at that time we didn't have the best of doctors, and I think that was the beginning of the down

of you know, his downfall. But he was very quiet but really a good guy. And it's a shame nowhere you know his condition and now it's just terrible, terrible thing he's going through, and his wife and wish them some some God's speed because he's a great guy, A great guy. Hell ever, running Mike your thoughts. You're a very introspective individual, so I know you're thinking about it right now. Yeah, I Um, I just remember meeting m Gail and we met, you know, several times, and just

having the opportunity to talk with him. Obviously his career he's already passed, um, but I know that from talking to him that he was a very deep thinker. And to see what I see now it um, it's amazing someone that is so beautiful and gifted and talented as as a player, and you know later in life to have that happened to him is really I know. It's

tough on everybody. It's tough on his teammates, former teammates, he's tough on the league and as a player, you know, it just makes you makes you take a step back and thank God every day for your own health and bless him, you know, Dick, you talk about watching Gayale Sayers in practice in his role as a partick returner and punt returner. But Ray Mansfield from the Pittsburgh Steeler says he remembers Dick buckets destroying the entire special teams

of the Steelers. Everybody knows you as a great middle linebacker. What was your what was your role on special teams? Well, back then, you know we played them all. Uh played everything except after my rookie year they took me off the kickoff team, but all the other ones. It was great being on the kickoff return team and and the punt team because he had a guy like gayl Stairs

back there. It was you know, if we could just get one or two blocks, that meant there would be one less guy to go after Gail and he could take care of, you know, anybody that's left with his moves and speed. It was fun and it was another way for us. You know, we didn't have the strongest offense and no hurl other than him, so anytime we could get an advantage by the kicking game, you know, he ran back punts and kickoffs for scores. And I'll

tell you what. He was something else. Now everybody is you know, we specialties at everything, but Gail did it at all through the ball, ran the ball, block all the special teams. He was something else. When is there is there any reminder when you see the history of the Bears, is there any reminder of the returning ability of Gail and the returning ability of a guy like Devin Hester. Yeah, I think it was. I think you can. You can say that very very much, alike. Um, I

don't know how how fast Gail would be. You know, they never timed us in a hundred one hundred yard dash or whatever. But he could run and I mean flat out, open up, or run right at you and then the next second he was going that way. He had a tremendous ability to change in Hester, I think I don't know if he must have been fast, right,

I mean I used fast. Did you you never timed at the forty coming in at that In those days forty yard dash, you guys didn't get timed, and Mike, you did right coming out of county unless they did a training camp when we were at the All Star camp. But I but my sophomore year, they never timed us. Well, I know a guy did run fast. You know what they used to say, you know about the speed, Oh, he's real fast, and he said, yeah, he's fast, and they can get out of the way quicker instead of

making a play. So well, one guy that we all love, I wish you were here was Brian or Lacker, who ran a heck of a forty at a two hundred and fifty six pound body at six y four. Let's sew some highlights of Brian or Lacker, because inevitably everybody's compared. You guys are all Hall of Fame linebackers. You no doubt heard it about Bill George, You heard it about

Dick Brian, heard it about both of you. Do you enjoy watching how this man played in a very unique way and a unique defense for him revolutionized the middle landbacker position and Lovey Smith's cover two defense. Do you enjoy watching Brian in his career? Oh? Yeah, yeah, you know what and and uh you know I just laughed when he when he started having contest to who's the best, who's the best? That's really who's the best at that year that he's playing right now, and in that league

he was, he was the best. Now, you know, how how could you measure him against Bill George or me against Mike or Mike against Earlocker. You know, it's it's all bowl. I mean during that time, you know, during that time that you're playing, he was the best. That's and that's what I would say about all of us same thing during that time, so many variables try to say, well, wait a minute, maybe maybe you could play. You could say you play in each era. You're good enough to

play in each era. But to say, you know, to claim that you're the best, it's, well, you're talking a lot of football to trying to say you're the best. So it's only when you were playing, and well, I always said the longer you played, of course, the better you should have gotten. Well, you each had twenty five tackle games in your career. This is the one in Arizona, widely regarded as a signature game in his career, Dick had twenty five tackles against the Steelers in nineteen seventy.

You love that game. I know that you had a twenty plus tackle game. You each had twenty two interceptions or lacker and byas that's great symmetry. You didn't have that many opportunities to make plays on the ball like that given your position. But Hall of Fame careers across the board, so I agree you can't compare eras you guys were all great players. Was that your signature game?

That was our only win nineteen Yeah, it's it's kind of unique, Mike, when you think about that win and the Steelers game when we played the year you were retiring and Steelers came in here, We're supposed to beat us, and I think, out of respect for you and trying to have the proper send off, we went out and beat the Steelers. Also, when you think about in the history a great linebackers, how much that team we that

you meant to us and we meant to you. Tell you what out bad our luck was in sixty nine we beat the Steelers. So we were one in thirteen and they were one in thirteen and we lost the damn coin toss for first pick. They picked up Bradshaw. All right, we got about five minutes in our session. I know we got some questions from fans. If I get those real quick. While we wait for those, I want to put up a graphic of each of a portion of your Hall of Fame speeches, and we're gonna

start with Dix. Thank you so much. I consider being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the top of my dream, for only on the top can I see the whole view, and I can see what I have done and what I can do from now on. So that's in the seventies. Did it did it resonate through the rest of your life after being on top and seeing what you can do from now on? Did you feel you feel like you've squeezed a lot out

of this life post football? Well? I think so since then I always felt and when I got involved with the Buckas Award thirty five years ago, we have had something put on the name, you know, under the winner's name, is that receiving the Buckas Award means two things. One you're the best of the best linebackers in the country.

And two and more importantly, is that you now have a responsibility to serve others and get back because when you reach you a pinnacle like the Hall of Fame or whatever like that, whether you like it or not, I know people don't like it, but you know, kids look up to you, everything else, and you got to give back. I think nobody reaches that level various success

without some help along the way. And what you do is when you when you get to that point and achieve something like that, you don't hoard it and pound your chests or whatever. You go and you help somebody else attain that level or that level of competence and whatever they do. So uh, really that's you know, and I think that has happened with a lot of the players that have had wonder Buccas Award, a lot of

good guys that are giving back. And you gotta understand, whether you like it or not, people look up to you and and you got to represent yourself well. All right, Mike Singletary. I was at your induction. It was one of the most inspirational speeches forget Hall of Famer otherwise that I've ever witnessed. It gave me goose bumps. But Harry broke it down a little bit about the men who impacted you, if you could talk about this a

little bit. I just feel, you know, very fortunate, first of all, coming to Chicago, obviously with the part of my destiny to come to a city that, first of all a defensive city, as I said before it the black and Blue Monster of the Midway, a lot of things I didn't even know when I got here. And then to have the opportunity to be coached by a buddy Ryan who's the defensive minded guy and at the same time was very tough on me for all the right reasons when I first got here that helped develop

me in a whole new way. And then of course coach Ditka with the leadership and the vision that he had, and then UM after Buddy Ryan leaving UM, Vince Tobin and Dave McGinnis. Dave McGinnis really became a friend of mine that helped me and at a different part of my career. So I am I just feel very fortunate that it just seems that though the Lord just kind of continued to put great men in my life to help either show me the light or light of fire in me to help me go to the next level.

All Right, we have the only time I'm gonna use one of these questions from a fan from Oak Park. Jamie wants to know the best prank you or a group of teammates ever played on another teammate or a coach. Best pranks? These aren't pranksters. They got a prank pulled

on him. Oh, I guess us prank that I pulled on Doug Buffonos down a training camp and Rensselaer, Indiana when I set his door on fire after a team party and I claimed that I didn't do it and it was him and Ross Bruebacher were rooming together and they said, you know, nobody saw me do it, So I said, whatever, and uh so, yes, we know it was you because we went in the in the bathroom there and in the garbage there was some tobacco in there, chewing tobacco. So but they they never they never could

prove it. And and Ross Bruebacher ended up being an attorney, you know, and he's given me that I'm saying the statue limitations, buddy. So that was the perfect thing. It was funnier in hell. How about you, Mike? All Right, I'm gonna be boring on this one. I never pulled a prank on anybody because I didn't like pranks. And I didn't like pranks because you know, I didn't want to be surprised. I didn't you know, guys pulled pranks on me from time to time, but I just I

just never pulled a plank on anybody else. I just didn't. All good, All right, one last thing before we go, and thank you so much everybody, Thank you to these guys. Let's throw up Brian or Lackers Hall of Fame speech as well. A portion of that if we can the graphic because I think it says a lot. The most covetive position of pro football for defensive player is to play middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Just think about it. The history of this position unmatched by any other team.

Would you guys agree, absolutely well, I guess I would say so. People would probably argue with you about the Steelers linebackers, but I don't think so. You got that right, Mike Singletary, Dick Butkus, thank you so much. Everybody give him a hand