Da Bears
The most exciting moment of my life as a Chicago Bears fan came on a cold January day in 1986, when the Bears didn’t just beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl—they clobbered them. That game felt like destiny finally keeping a promise.
As the score kept climbing—46 to 10—I remember sitting there almost stunned, like I was watching something I’d waited my whole life to see and hadn’t fully believed would ever happen. The Bears weren’t just winning. They were unstoppable. Every hit, every swaggering walk back to the huddle, every grin under Jim McMahon’s headband said the same thing: this team is different.
What made that moment hit deeper for me went back years earlier, to Brian’s Song and the book I Am Third. Long before the Super Bowl Shuffle or the Monsters of the Midway, I learned what being a Bears fan really meant through the story of Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. That story wasn’t about championships. It was about loyalty, sacrifice, and putting something bigger than yourself first. “I am third”—God first, others second, myself third—wasn’t just a line. It was a way of seeing the world.
So when I watched that 1986 Bears team—full of stars, attitude, and raw power—I didn’t just see football dominance. I saw echoes of that same brotherhood. A team that trusted each other completely. A team that played for more than stats or fame. Even with all the flash of the Super Bowl Shuffle, there was a sense that they were carrying the weight of Bears history with them.
As the final seconds ticked away and the realization set in that the Bears were Super Bowl champions, I felt something settle inside me. Pride, sure—but also gratitude. For the years of heartbreak, for the stories like Brian’s Song that taught me what fandom could mean, and for that perfect moment when everything came together.
That Super Bowl didn’t just make me happy. It sealed something in me. It confirmed that being a Bears fan wasn’t just about winning—it was about heart, resilience, and believing, year after year, that greatness was always possible.
And on that day in 1986, belief finally paid off. 🐻💙🧡