By Jim Gehman | Engagement Insider
After three seasons with the New York Giants and one with Denver, how did you land with your hometown Chicago Bears in 1981?
“My college quarterback [and then-Bears running back], Dave Williams, who is most known for running back the overtime kickoff against Detroit on Thanksgiving [in 1980], the shortest overtime in NFL history, told me they were looking for bigger receivers in Chicago. I was playing wide receiver at the time so I got a look from the Bears.
“I got claimed off waivers and actually got cut at the last cut and then brought back seven games into the season. I finished up the year and they fired their coach, Neill Armstrong. (Mike) Ditka came in and I moved to tight end.”
You caught 136 passes and 10 touchdowns during your first four years as a tight end, helping “Da Bears” post a 15-1 record in 1985 and win Super Bowl XX. Why was the team so successful?
“It started the year before when we lost in the NFC Championship Game to the 49ers. Everybody realized how close we were to getting to the Super Bowl and really, really, really wanted to get there. It started off with some close games, but then the momentum started to build. Everybody just started doing their job and playing together. The offense was in the top five or six in the league. Our defense was hands down No. 1. They were just smothering everybody. It was just an unbelievable season.”
You aren’t the only one in the family who played in the NFL and won a Super Bowl. What did it mean to watch your son, Aaron, play wide receiver for Indianapolis [2003 – 07]?
“It was a great experience. The only thing is you can’t do anything. I couldn’t make any catches for him. It’s a lot different being a parent. Of course, he made it to the Super Bowl [XLI] and they beat the Bears. So that was another crazy experience because the Bears were my team. But watching the Colts, I could tell all along that Peyton Manning and the offense was just something that was very difficult to stop.
“Watching him progress as a receiver, and now he’s the receivers coach at Virginia Tech and he’s doing a great job there, just seeing him progress and doing what he loves is all you can ask for in a son.”
As much as you loved playing football, you earned a real estate license in 1986, and were with the Bears for three more seasons. What led to the early plans for a second career in that field?
“I just decided that after my ninth year and winning the Super Bowl that there wasn’t much time left in this game. I needed to find an opportunity to work afterwards.
“I was a major in TV and Radio in college and did some work for CBS in the offseason, but the outlets weren’t there that are today. There weren’t all these local sports talk shows. So I pursued real estate which was something that I felt everybody would want. At the time everything was going up and it was a good deal for everybody all around. I felt that would be a good thing to be in.”
It seems you made the best choice considering that you enjoyed a 28-year career selling real estate in the Chicago area before retiring on April 1. What’s next?
“Well, I bought a house in Colorado. So I’m out here now and then heading back to enjoy some of the summer in Chicago. I’ll figure it out from there.
“It’s going to be great. The purpose of retiring at 60 is to get my health back. Get back in shape and enjoy my life while I’m still physically able. And I’m actually going to Italy to help coach at a football camp at the end of July. It’s good to have my time back to myself again while I’m still young enough to enjoy it.”
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The NFLPE "Where Are They Now?" series honors and celebrates our NFL Legends in their post-football success. Check back every two weeks for a new Q&A and learn more about our players in life after football.