Former Arkansas Razorbacks All-American Dan Hampton is slated to become the 21st Hog to be inducted the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.
It’s been 45 years since Dan Hampton departed Arkansas for an NFL Hall of Fame career, but the accolades keep coming in for the Jacksonville product.
Hampton spent four years as a defensive tackle for the Razorbacks, from 1975-78, playing for a pair of legendary coaches. He played the final two season’s of Coach Frank Broyles’ career, then wrapped up his final two seasons under Coach Lou Holtz. Arkansas went 35-10-2 record during Hampton’s career, including a mark of 22-8-1 in the Southwest Conference.
Hampton amassed 239 tackles – 126 unassisted – as a Razorback, including 32 from behind the line of scrimmage and six fumble recoveries. As a senior in 1978, he totaled 98 tackles, including 18 behind the line of scrimmage, while being named SWC Defensive Player of the Year and earning first-team All-SWC honors.
He was also named an AFCA First-Team All-American that season, leading Arkansas to a No. 3 finish in the national polls, following the 31-6 rout of heavily favored No. 2 Oklahoma.
In 1991, Hampton was elected to the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor and a year later, was voted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. He was selected to the Razorbacks’ All-Century team in 1994 and was later named one of the state’s Top 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century.
After being the No. 4 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft by Chicago, Hampton spent 12 seasons with the Bears, and is one of only two players to play for the franchise in three different decades. He was also one of the cornerstones of the famous 1985 Bears defense that cruised to a 46-10 victory over New England in Super Bowl XX. That vaunted “46 Defense” allowed just 198 points all season, and recorded shutouts in both NFC playoff games.
Razorbacks in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame:
2024 – Dan Hampton (DL)
2019 – Darren McFadden (RB)
2017 – Danny Ford (HC)
2012 – Jimmy Johnson (DL/AC)
2010 – Ronnie Caveness (LB)
2008 – Lou Holtz (HC)
2004 – Wayne Harris (LB)
2004 – Tracy Rocker (AC)
2003 – Doug Dickey (AC)
2003 – Hayden Fry (AC)
2001 – Barry Switzer (AC)
2000 – Billy Ray Smith Jr. (LB)
1999 – Chuck Dicus (WR)
1997 – Bowden Wyatt (HC)
1992 – Loyd Phillips (DL)
1987 – Johnny Majors (AC)
1984 – Lance Alworth (WR)
1983 – Frank Broyles (HC)
1971 – Clyde Scott (RB/DB)
1967 – Wear Schoonover (WR)
1954 – Hugo Bezdek (HC)
Dan Hampton makes a tackle during the 1978 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
Jan 26, 1986; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bears defensive tackle (99) Dan Hampton pressures New England Patriots quarterback (11) Tony Eason during Super Bowl XX at the Superdome. The Bears dominated the Patriots 46-10 giving the Bears their first ever Super Bowl victory. The Chicago defense had 7 sacks and limited the Patriots to a record-low seven rushing yards. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK
Here’s a look at the 10 best first-round picks by the Bears in franchise history, a list that includes all Hall of Famers.
The Chicago Bears have had some memorable — and Hall of Fame — first-round picks during their storied 102-year history, with linebacker Brian Urlacher being the most recent.
Chicago hasn’t had much success in the first round in recent history — whether it was during the Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery or Ryan Pace eras. The hope is that changes with quarterback Justin Fields, who was the team’s last first-round pick in 2021.
After not having a first-round selection in three of the last four years, the Bears will pick in the top 10 in the 2023 NFL draft. They traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for two first-round picks, two second-round selections and wide receiver DJ Moore.
But Chicago does have the No. 9 pick — which will be Ryan Poles’ first-ever first-round selection — something that worked out well for the franchise back in 2000.
Here’s a look at the 10 best first-round picks by the Bears in team history, a list that includes all Hall of Famers:
See which legends of defense made the cut in our all-time Arkansas Razorbacks football roster.
The list of all-time greats at the University of Arkansas is hardly a short one.
So when it came time to select the Razorbacks’ All-Time Roster, the task took months. Even now, about 16 weeks after considering the undertaking, we could hear arguments for moving some our listed back-ups to starters, adding a player for another here and there. We aren’t perfect.
But it isn’t about being perfect. It’s about re-living the greatness. It’s about talking again about the careers of Hogs from the recent past and, in some cases, the not-so-recent past.
Take a look.
We started Monday with the offense. Now, it’s the defense. Let us know who should have been represented that wasn’t and how we got it all wrong.
Just if you do, make sure to create your own list and share it with us, too. Hopefully you’ll have just as much fun as we did.
Without further ado, this is Razorbacks Wire‘s All-Time Arkansas Football Roster: The Defense.
In “Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story,” dive into the former Bear’s career and the years following as he dealt with injuries and CTE.
Former Chicago Bears quarterback and Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon has always been known to bend the rules and march to the beat of his own drum. Whether it was ignoring play calls from head coach Mike Ditka or plastering the name of former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle’s name on a headband, McMahon was one of the most unique individuals in football.
Now, a new documentary focused on the “punky QB” dives into those moments during McMahon’s career and the subsequent years following as he dealt with injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
“Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story” details the former quarterback’s rise to prominence with the Bears with engaging interviews and never-before-seen footage. Directed by C.J. Wallis, the documentary features interviews such as sportscaster Dan Patrick, head coach Andy Reid, former Super Bowl champion Joe Namath, teammate Steve McMichael and many more. The film is scheduled to debut in late 2021 or early 2022.
A special private screening was held in mid-August at the new Hard Rock Northern Indiana, showing an extended 30-minute clip of the documentary. The clip centered around McMahon’s season in 1985 and all of the trials and tribulations of navigating the road to Super Bowl XX while in the limelight.
A Q&A session was held with fans as well and the event featured a special performance by the Chicago 6 band, headlined by 1985 Bears legends Dan Hampton and Otis Wilson.
Jim McMahon (center) on stage with Dan Hampton (left) and Otis Wilson (right) at the Hard Rock Northern Indiana.
When asked about the documentary and what stands out in comparison to other pieces surrounding the 1985 Bears, McMahon stressed fans will hear from new people and gain different perspectives.
“When C.J. called, I asked him, ‘What’s going to be different that hasn’t been done?'” McMahon told Bears Wire. “He said he wanted to come at it from a different angle, talk with different people. He’s talked to a ton of them, not just football players. Actors, baseball guys, just people I’ve run into over the years. I haven’t seen the full thing yet so I’m looking forward to it.”
Wallis, who has directed other documentaries such as “Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much” and “Stu’s Show,” has been working on the film for nearly a year and wants to showcase how vital McMahon was to the Bears, even though he might not have gotten the recognition some of his teammates did.
“I feel like he was under-appreciated from watching the footage,” Wallis told Bears Wire. “A lot of people don’t give him the credit that he deserved.”
During the sneak peek of the film, McMahon and Wallis detailed some of the off-field storylines, from the lightheartedness of the Super Bowl shuffle leadup to the frightening death threats he received leading up to Super Bowl XX in New Orleans. McMahon wasn’t fazed by any of it though.
“I just blew it off. I knew all I had to do was play and win,” he said. “We did that, everything would go away. It didn’t go away, but I didn’t really give a [expletive] what was going on. All that stuff you do off the field didn’t really matter to me. It’s what you do when you’re on the field and on the field we did alright.”
While the off-field antics certainly get plenty of attention, McMahon’s play on the field deserves just as much. The documentary highlights plenty of on-field moments, notably the comeback victory against the Minnesota Vikings in 1985.
“The Minnesota game was obviously a highlight, the way things turned out,” McMahon said. “I don’t remember a lot of games, but that’s one I remember because I see it all the time anyone shows something about me, they show that game. But every game was special to me. Just being able to play. When I couldn’t play, that sucked and I hated it.”
Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
McMahon didn’t get to play in the Minnesota game to start as he was dealing with injuries, but wanted to get the game. Trailing 17-9 in midway through the third quarter, he got his wish. McMahon found his way into the huddle and managed to throw three touchdowns on seven attempts to lead the Bears to a win. It was one of the catalysts early in the season that led them to their historic record and Super Bowl victory.
The documentary doesn’t end with McMahon partying in New Orleans, though. It dives deeper into his later years and how injuries affected him throughout the rest of his career and beyond, beginning the very next season.
In 1986, McMahon and the Bears were rolling through the NFC yet again, though the quarterback had been dealing with injuries to his rotator cuff.
“I played six games with no labrum in my shoulder,” McMahon said. “Every time I moved my arm, it would pop out of its socket. Then finally we play Green Bay, I get dunked on my head. We get a bye week so I go out to Los Angeles and see Frank Jobe and he tells me my arm is coming out of my socket. All [the Bears doctors] did was keep shooting me so I could play. I was amazed I was able to play after that. The damage I did to my shoulder playing like that was beyond repair.”
McMahon getting “dunked” in Green Bay was the infamous hit by nose tackle Charles Martin, a hit that impacted McMahon for the rest of his playing career which is also a major moment in the documentary. From that point on until Martin’s death in 2005, McMahon never reconciled with the former defender.
“I never talked to him,” McMahon said. “Never wanted to.”
Though McMahon never reached again the heights of quarterbacking the Bears to a Super Bowl, he stuck around the league for 15 years jumping on with various teams. Only seven of those years were with the Bears, though, and McMahon pinpointed the moment when he realized he didn’t want to be in Chicago anymore.
When asked about the possibility of the McCaskey family selling the team, McMahon says it’s past due.
“I said it 35 years ago that they should sell the team,” McMahon said. “There’s so many great fans of the game in Chicago that want to buy the team and make them competitive every year.”
The former Bears quarterback then detailed a meeting he had with then-president Michael McCaskey about his motives for the team.
“I had one meeting with Mike McCaskey when he was president. He told me ‘we don’t really care if we’re in the playoffs every year as long as our stadium’s full,'” McMahon said. “That’s when I knew I didn’t want to play there anymore. I’m a player. We only have so many years to play. We want to win. We don’t give a [expletive] about your stadium being full.”
While he doesn’t necessarily care about the stadium being full, McMahon does believes the Bears’ rumored move to Arlington Heights would be a great decision.
“That would be a great move for the fans,” he said. “They’ve been renting that stadium forever, they don’t even own it. Seems like every other team has their own stadium, but the Bears rent theirs.”
If McMahon had his way, the ownership group would change and the Bears would own their new, state-of-the-art stadium.
“Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story” will give fans a deeper insight into the quarterback they loved and appreciated throughout the 1980s. From the highs to the lows, it’s sure to teach everyone something new about McMahon and the tumultuous life he lived both during and after his playing days.
While Chicago’s win over Detroit was far from a pretty win, it was a win for a team that desperately needed one in a 4-game losing streak.
When you’re describing wins, the word “despicable” doesn’t usually come to mind.
Well, it does if you’re Hall of Famer and former Bear Dan Hampton, who wasn’t impressed by Chicago’s 20-13 victory over the Lions.
While it was far from a pretty win, it was a win for a team that desperately needed one as they rode a four-game losing streak.
Sure, the Bears were facing the league’s 31st-ranked defense and only managed to put up 20 points.
Sure, the Bears were facing backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, who at times drove the Lions right down the field.
But for Hampton, winning isn’t enough. You have to be able to put away those “miserable” football teams.
“Yeah, we won,” Hampton said, via the Chicago Tribune. “We won the game. We won a game. Finally. … We finally find a way to win after four straight losses. But this was despicable. … How do you not put away one of the most miserable football teams on the planet Earth with a backup nobody quarterback and let them go down the field time and time and time again and have a chance to beat you? … I’m telling you, folks, there’s something really sad, sick about this team.”
While the Bears did nothing to sway their critics with a seven-point victory over a bad Lions team missing starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, perhaps it was just the thing the Bears needed heading into the final seven games of the season.
We’ll see when the Bears head to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Dan Hampton makes a tackle during the 1978 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
