By Jim Gehman | Engagement Insider
After receiving word that you were drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1976, you were told to contact their GM Jim Finks. That call turned out was easier said than done and, well, sort of surprising.
“Obviously, I was very excited. Back then they only had rotary phones and I couldn’t even get my finger into the hole for the numbers. I was shaking that much. I ended up calling and he said, ‘Welcome aboard, Brian.’ And the next words out of his mouth were, ‘What position do you want to play?’ [Laughs]
“I said, ‘I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking. I’ve been an offensive player.’ He said, ‘We drafted you as an athlete and thought that you could play defensive back, running back, possibly, or wide receiver.’ I said, ‘Well, wherever you want me to try to make the football team, I’ll be happy to do so. Just thanks for the opportunity.’”
As a wide receiver, you helped the Bears reach the playoffs in 1979, and discovered the significance of an understanding teammate. How?
“We were playing Philadelphia and winning the game in the second quarter. I crack-backed on a linebacker as Walter Payton took a pitch and went outside my block and ran for basically 80 yards and got tackled on the half-yard line. The play was called back because they said I was illegally in motion at the snap, which the league admitted was a bad call the following summer. Anyways, that probably would have put us up 17-0, and I don’t think Philadelphia would have been able to come back and beaten us. [The Eagles won, 27-17]
“After the game it was pretty emotional. The wide receiver coach [Doug Gerhart] that I had and really, really liked, he came up to me and said he wanted me to hear it from him first. He was going to be leaving the coaching industry. That and the fact that we lost and I felt a little responsible for us losing, I’m not proud to say, but I started to cry.
“Walter came up to me and put his arm over my shoulder and said, ‘Brian, you know what? If he had 45 players that had your heart and your dedication we would be winning the Super Bowl every year.’ That made me feel really good. That was a proud moment. The relationships that I had with the guys and is something that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”
In 1985, you suffered a knee injury during the preseason and were put on Injured Reserve. That, however, doesn’t mean you didn’t contribute to the Bears winning Super Bowl XX that year. What was your role with the team?
“I was participating on the scout team, emulating the opposing team’s receivers. But I also had a working relationship for games where I was upstairs in the coaches’ box with a direct line of communication with one of the coaches on the sideline. I’d look for tendencies. I’d look to see if I could see some vulnerability in the defense.
“I found out later that (head coach) Mike Ditka had me do that because he ultimately was going to offer me a coaching position with the Bears after he ended up cutting me. Just giving me some experience with that type of thing. I decided not to go into the coaching industry because I didn’t want my family to have to move around.”
Following your playing days, you worked for North American Corp. for many years, and retired as the vice president of corporate sales in 2012. But while working for them and even now you’re at Soldier Field for every Bears game as the NFL’s uniform inspector. Enjoy being a part of game day?
“I do. I enjoy it immensely. It keeps my foot in the door. I don’t like snitching on the players. I feel really uncomfortable doing that, but to me it’s not snitching, snitching. I’m a liaison between the league and the players. I’m there to identify the potential violations and I communicate those to the respective teams, and then they have the opportunity to make corrections. And if they don’t, well, obviously, that’s their doing.”
What other things are keeping you busy in retirement?
“Well, I’m a grandfather for the first time. It’s amazing how busy I do keep. However, I do have a whole lot more time to have a cup of coffee with my wife [Mindy] in the morning. Where before I retired, I was out the door before she even woke up.
“I’ve got two daughters [Mallory and Allie] that live out in Denver, so we go out and visit with them. My son [Luke] lives in Chicago. And I’ve got a mom who lives in Columbus, Ohio. I go visit with her more than I was able to when I was working. I do some charitable work; I play a little golf but not a lot. Golf takes way too much time to play.”