The 1980s was known as a decade of excess: big hair, big spending, big technology advancements.–you name it, Americans wanted it bigger. A buzzword that encapsulated those years, which came from the movie Wall Street, was “Greed is good.”
The Chicago Bears followed suit in 1985 by going as large as they could in their offensive backfield, a tactic they waited to introduce to the entire nation in a Monday Night Football game versus the Green Bay Packers on October 21, 1985. In doing so, head coach Mike Ditka created a cultural phenomenon almost 40 years ago that has no evidence of being forgotten anytime soon.
This game in the well-established rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers is chronologically the third-most influential/memorable moment in the NFL’s longest-standing series. Past stories in this series chronicled the 1963 Western Division-clinching game as well as the most lopsided contest in the century-old feud from 1980. Those games were vital in telling the history of the Chicago Bears, but to fans of the Monsters of the Midway, anything related to 1985 trumps all and just hits a bit differently.
Chicago Bears Learned Valuable Lesson From Devastating Loss
The Chicago Bears had steadily risen the ranks of the NFL in the early 1980s. Their ascension saw them reach the 1984 NFC Championship game, only to fall to the eventual-Super Bowl champions San Francisco 49ers, 23-0.
Despite the bitter defeat, Ditka and the rest of the Bears’ coaching staff found solace in gleaning a piece of legendary 49ers’ coach Bill Walsh‘s genius.
Late in the game with the outcome well in hand, the 49ers chose to add salt into the Chicago’s wounds by inserting offensive guard Guy McIntyre into the backfield, thereby making a mockery of the Bears’ defense. Although they did not score with the “jumbo” package, Ditka took the insult and squirreled it away to devise a similar scheme for his own squad to implement at just the right time.
As it would happen, the right time was less than a year later against none other than the 49ers.
In a week 6 rematch with San Francisco at Candlestick Park, Ditka turned the tables on Walsh and unveiled William Perry into his offensive backfield. Perry, known as “The Refrigerator” because of his 335 pound frame and a striking resemblance to the kitchen appliance.
Leading 26-10 late in the fourth quarter and, as was the case in the previous meeting, the game’s drama no longer in doubt, Perry rushed twice for four yards in direct retaliation for what transpired the previous January. While Perry did not score, the seed was planted to use the newly-minted weapon on an even higher stage.
October 21, 1985: Chicago Bears 23, Green Bay Packers 7
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel File
Eight days after the 49ers game, the Green Bay Packers traveled south to take on the undefeated Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for a nationally televised Monday Night Football match-up. As it turned out, it became the coronation of the biggest running back ever known.
Remarkably, the Packers were the ones who drew first blood, thanks to a Lynn Dickey to James Lofton touchdown pass that covered 27 yards, and Green Bay led 7-0 after one quarter.
Then, history was made at the Packers’ expense.
With the Bears sitting at the Green Bay two-yard line, Ditka sent Perry in to be the personal protector for Walter Payton. Perry obliterated Packers’ linebacker George Cumby with his lead block, plowing the way for an easy touchdown for Payton.
Also See: Video of William Perry vs. Green Bay Packers
ABC’s announcers Frank Gifford and Joe Namath gushed over Perry’s exploits.
“It took him right out of the stadium,” Gifford said. Namath later added, “Perry knocked him into next week is what he did. (Cumby) was outweighed by 101 pounds at least.”
Cumby later admitted that Perry’s athleticism surprised him.
“Everyone on defense said to get low and stay in your gap – we knew what was coming,” Cumby said. “I was about 220 pounds soaking wet, and The Fridge is coming straight at me. I tried to throw a move on him, but he caught me in my move and put me on my back in the end zone. I couldn’t believe how quick he was for a big man.
“They scored and we went back to the sideline and guys are cussing and upset that everybody (national television audience) saw that play.”
Later in the second quarter, Perry was awarded the football from the one-yard line and scored, setting off a new American sensation.
Unfortunately for Cumby, his footnote to this story was not over. Before the half was over, a repeat of the first encounter occurred as Perry again paved the way for Payton on a short run to give Chicago a 21-7 lead before intermission.
“Here he was again, coming at me,” Cumby said of the third encounter. “I thought, I’ll take him on, man against man. I had great form, got underneath him, and two seconds later, I’m on my back in the end zone again.”
The Bears tacked on a safety to win 23-7, but the final score from that autumn night was secondary to the emergence of William “The Refrigerator” Perry.
What Did This Mean To The Bears/Packers Feud?
The Bears’ train was rolling fast with momentum in 1985, and it ultimately led them to New Orleans for Super Bowl XX. In one of the most remarkable and dominant seasons in NFL history, the Chicago Bears lost just once and culminated their dream year with a 46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots for the league title.
What did October 21, 1985, mean to the border squabble? Well, to say the least, no love was lost between the two sides, not that there was any question of their mutual hostilities before the game.
Afterwards, Ditka mused that revenge was a dish best served cold. “Part of it was that (Packers’ head coach) Forrest (Gregg) and I didn’t get along,” Ditka said. “The Packers went after a couple of our players the year before, threw down Jim McMahon. What comes around, goes around, you know.”
Little did he know that just one year later, a little-known Packers’ defensive lineman from Western Carolina would add more fuel to Ditka’s words of vengeance.
