The legendary Chicago Bears Quarterback, Jim McMahon, saw a lot of success over his 15-year career in the NFL. This success has continued on through the rest of his life, and for the sake of reminiscing on the good ‘ole days of 1980s-1990s American Football, McMahon spoke to the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday, Oct. 2.
McMahon, who became infamous for his otherworldly grit and toughness, is often recalled for playing through various injuries during his stint in the NFL, and prior to his professional career, in college at Brigham Young University. McMahon showed much of his tenacity at the meeting, as well, as he is recovering from a foot surgery he had last week. In being celebrated for his strength and strong-willed attitude, McMahon credited his mom for instilling these values, among others, in him.
As the fifth-overall pick in the 1982 NFL draft, McMahon is known, more than anything, for being himself. Expected to be the fourth-overall pick, McMahon lacked the desire to play for the Baltimore Colts and found his footing in the Chicago Bears organization.
“My phone rang right away (after the fourth pick) and it was my agent. He said, ‘What do you think?’ and I said ‘What Happened? Who’d I p*ss off in Baltimore?’ and he said he told them not to draft me,” McMahon said, recounting the Colts decision to go with Art Schlicter from Ohio State instead.
McMahon quickly visited Chicago, and after a three-hour flight and a somewhat iconic limousine exit, he met with George Halas, founder and owner of the Bears.
“The first thing Halas said to me was, ‘You’re too short. You got a bad eye, you got a bad knee, maybe you should go to Canada.’ He slid the contract over to me and all I saw was one number and I rolled it up and tossed it to him, didn’t sign it and walked out,” McMahon said.
McMahon met with George Allen within the coming days, but with a looming deadline for rookie players, McMahon found himself sitting before Halas once more, signing a very wrinkled, freshly-unfolded contract to the Bears organization.
During his time with the Bears, McMahon played on the infamous 1985 team. He recalled playing in incredibly intense practices.
“It felt like we played four games a week because our practices felt like games,” McMahon said. “I remember plates would be yelling, ‘Hey Buddy (Buddy Ryan), they’re cutting us in practice,’ and Buddy would say, ‘Well, do they cut you in the game? Yeah? Deal with it.’”
Through many years of historic moments in Chicago, McMahon also played for several other organizations during his time in the league, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers – where he famously wore his Chicago Bears jersey instead of his Packers jersey when meeting President Bill Clinton.
After winning the ‘85 Super Bowl, McMahon and his teammates were unable to attend the White House celebration, as in the following days, the trip was canceled due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. As a way to represent his former team and teammates, McMahon wore his Bears jersey instead of his Packers jersey, but cleared it with his current teammates first.
“I explained to all my teammates what I was doing and I was doing it, and like I said, we didn’t get to go that year, and I just wanted to represent my guys,” McMahon said.
McMahon had the chance to play with and against many football greats, including University of Arkansas’ Dan Hampton.
“The ‘85 team was great, and Dan, like a lot of our guys, liked his beers,” McMahon said. “That’s one of the things that made us great. We worked hard and we played hard.”
Known for headbands, an ever-living Super Bowl shuffle video, lots of wins and a whole lot of record-breaking football, especially at BYU, McMahon’s career continues to be a highlight in professional sports.
Photo Credit: Little Rock Touchdown Club Facebook
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