1983 Chicago Bears season

NFL team season

1983 Chicago Bears season
Owner	George Halas (until October 31) The McCaskey Family (Family control since 1921; Virginia McCaskey since 1983)
General manager	Jim Finks
Head coach	Mike Ditka (2nd season)
Home field	Soldier Field
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd NFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	2^[1] RB Walter Payton MLB Mike Singletary
AP All-Pros	2^[2] RB Walter Payton MLB Mike Singletary
← 1982 Bears seasons 1984 →

The 1983 season was the Chicago Bears' 64th in the National Football League, and their second under head coach Mike Ditka. The team improved from their 3–6 record from 1982 to finish at 8–8, but to failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Jim McMahon was the quarterback, who completed 175 of 295 pass attempts. The Bears 1983 NFL Draft class was ranked #3 in NFL Top 10's greatest draft classes.^[3]

1983 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1983 Chicago Bears draft
1	6	Jim Covert * ^†	Offensive tackle	Pittsburgh
1	18	Willie Gault	Wide receiver	Tennessee
2	33	Mike Richardson	Cornerback	Arizona State
3	64	Dave Duerson *	Safety	Notre Dame
4	91	Tom Thayer	Center	Notre Dame
4	107	Pat Dunsmore	Tight end	Drake
8	203	Richard Dent ^†	Defensive end	Tennessee State
8	219	Mark Bortz *	Guard	Iowa
9	230	Rob Fada	Guard	Pittsburgh
9	235	Mark Zavagnin	Linebacker	Notre Dame
10	256	Anthony Hutchison	Running back	Texas Tech
11	286	Gary Worthy	Running back	Wilmington (OH)
12	313	Oliver Williams	Wide receiver	Illinois
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Preseason

The Bears were predicted to finish 7–9 and fourth in the division by Paul Zimmerman. Their prized new weapon would be Willie Gault. Dennis McKinnon (signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bears in 1983) would also play a key role in the receiving corps and Jimbo Covert would help open bigger holes for Walter Payton but it was felt they were a few offensive lineman and a tight end away from being effective. The defense would be led by All-Pro Dan Hampton and new defensive backs Mike Richardson and Dave Duerson.^[4] The Bears started 1983 by losing 7 of their first 10, but won 5 of their last 6 to finish 8–8. The Bears would go 71–18 in regular season games from November 13, 1983, through October 2, 1989.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	August 6	Buffalo Bills	W 27–17	1–0	Soldier Field
2	August 13	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 24–27	1–1	Busch Stadium
3	August 20	at Los Angeles Raiders	W 27–21	2–1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
4	August 27	Kansas City Chiefs	W 20–17	3–1	Soldier Field

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	Atlanta Falcons	L 17–20	0–1	Soldier Field	60,165
2	September 11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 17–10	1–1	Soldier Field	58,186
3	September 18	at New Orleans Saints	L 31–34	1–2	Louisiana Superdome	64,692
4	September 25	at Baltimore Colts	L 19–22	1–3	Memorial Stadium	34,350
5	October 2	Denver Broncos	W 31–14	2–3	Soldier Field	58,210
6	October 9	Minnesota Vikings	L 14–23	2–4	Soldier Field	59,632
7	October 16	at Detroit Lions	L 17–31	2–5	Pontiac Silverdome	66,709
8	October 23	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 7–6	3–5	Veterans Stadium	45,263
9	October 30	Detroit Lions	L 17–38	3–6	Soldier Field	58,764
10	November 6	at Los Angeles Rams	L 14–21	3–7	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	53,010
11	November 13	Philadelphia Eagles	W 17–14	4–7	Soldier Field	47,524
12	November 20	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 27–0	5–7	Tampa Stadium	36,816
13	November 27	San Francisco 49ers	W 13–3	6–7	Soldier Field	40,483
14	December 4	at Green Bay Packers	L 28–31	6–8	Lambeau Field	51,147
15	December 11	at Minnesota Vikings	W 19–13	7–8	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	57,880
16	December 18	Green Bay Packers	W 23–21	8–8	Soldier Field	35,807
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	6	0	7	7	20
Bears	0	10	7	0	17

at Soldier Field, Chicago

Date: Sunday, September 4
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Chuck Heberling
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan, Johnny Morris
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 2 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	3	7	0	10
Bears	0	10	0	7	17

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: September 11
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), wind 11 mph (18 km/h)
Referee: Ben Dreith
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan, Johnny Morris
Box Score

CHI: Mike Hartenstine 2.0 sacks, Terry Schmidt INT

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	Buccaneers	Bears
2					Buccaneers	20-yard field goal by Bill Capece	3	0
2					Bears	Walter Payton 73-yard touchdown reception from Jim McMahon, Bob Thomas kick good	3	7
2					Bears	50-yard field goal by Bob Thomas	3	10
3					Buccaneers	James Owens 1-yard touchdown run, Bob Capece kick good	10	10
4					Bears	Terry Schmidt 32-yard interception return, Bob Thomas kick good	10	17
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							10	17

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bears	7	3	7	14	0	31
Saints	7	3	14	7	3	34

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: Sunday, September 18
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Indoors, dome
Referee: Fred Wyant
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan, Johnny Morris
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 4: at Baltimore Colts

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bears	0	3	3	13	0	19
Colts	0	13	0	6	3	22

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Date: Sunday, September 25
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
Referee: Jerry Seeman
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 5: vs. Denver Broncos

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	7	7	14
Bears	14	10	0	7	31

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: Sunday, October 2
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
Referee: Fred Silva
TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Griese
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	0	0	0	7
Eagles	0	0	3	3	6

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Date: Sunday, October 23
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	14	3	14	7	38
Bears	0	3	0	14	17

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: Sunday, October 30
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
Referee: Tom Dooley
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 11: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	7	0	7	0	14
Bears	0	14	0	3	17

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: Sunday, November 13
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 12: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	14	6	7	27
Buccaneers	0	0	0	0	0

at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Date: Sunday, November 20
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), wind 12 mph (19 km/h)
Referee: Red Cashion
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	3	0	0	0	3
Bears	3	7	3	0	13

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: Sunday, November 27
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), wind 18 mph (29 km/h)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 14: at Green Bay Packers

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	7	0	14	28
Packers	14	7	0	10	31

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Date: Sunday, December 4
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
Referee: Ben Dreith
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bears	10	6	0	3	19
Vikings	6	0	7	0	13

Date: December 11
Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game start: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Referee: Tom Dooley
TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris

Scoring summary

Q1	MIN	Benny Ricardo 30-yard field goal	MIN 3–0

Q1	MIN	Benny Ricardo 29-yard field goal	MIN 6–0

Q1	CHI	Walter Payton 74-yard pass from Matt Suhey (Bob Thomas kick)	CHI 7–6

Q1	CHI	Bob Thomas 42-yard field goal	CHI 10–6

Q2	CHI	Emery Moorehead 2-yard pass from Jim McMahon (kick failed)	CHI 17–6

Q3	MIN	Ted Brown 1 yard run (Benny Ricardo kick)	CHI 19–13

Q4	CHI	Bob Thomas 22-yard field goal	CHI 19–13

^[5]

Week 16 vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 16: Green Bay Packers (8–7) at Chicago Bears (7–8)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	7	7	0	7	21
Bears	7	0	7	9	23

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Date: December 18
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 1 °F (−17 °C)
Game attendance: 35,807
Referee: Red Cashion
Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information

First quarter

CHI – Willie Gault 35-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Bob Thomas kick), 9:24. Bears 7–0.
GB – Lynn Dickey 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 8:10. Tie 7–7.

Second quarter

GB – James Lofton 31-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:05. Packers 14–7.

Third quarter

CHI – Dennis McKinnon 22-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Bob Thomas kick), 6:35. Tie 14–14.

Fourth quarter

CHI – Jim McMahon 6-yard run (kick failed), 4:34. Bears 20–14.
GB – Paul Coffman 5-yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:08. Packers 21–20.
CHI – Bob Thomas 22-yard field goal, 0:10. Bears 23–21.

Top passers

GB – Lynn Dickey – 10/30, 262 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT
CHI – Jim McMahon – 14/25, 162 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

GB – Jessie Clark – 7 rushes, 61 yards
CHI – Walter Payton – 30 rushes, 148 yards

Top receivers

GB – Paul Coffman – 4 receptions, 122 yards, TD
CHI – Willie Gault – 2 receptions, 50 yards, TD

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Detroit Lions⁽³⁾	9	7	0	.563	7–1	8–4	347	286	W1
Green Bay Packers	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	429	439	L1
Chicago Bears	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–7	311	301	W2
Minnesota Vikings	8	8	0	.500	4–4	4–8	316	348	W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2	14	0	.125	1–7	1–11	241	380	L3

Roster and staff

Staff

Coaching Staff of 1983 season

Front office

Virginia Halas McCaskey – Owner
Michael McCaskey – Team president
Jerry Vainisi – General manager
Ray Earley – Equipment manager

Coaches

Mike Ditka – Head coach
Steve Kazor – Assistant head coach
Ed Hughes – Offensive coordinator
Buddy Ryan – Defensive coordinator

Position coaches

Ted Plumb – Offensive specialist
Johnny Roland – Running backs
Dick Stanfel – Offensive line
Dale Haupt – Defensive line
Jim LaRue – Secondary

Trainers

Brian McCaskey – Assistant trainer
Clyde Emrich – Weightlifting/Strength

Scouts

Jim Dooley
Pete McGrane – Video team

Roster

Complete Roster of 1983 season

Quarterbacks

Offensive backs

34 Walter Payton RB
26 Matt Suhey FB
29 Dennis Gentry RB
33 Calvin Thomas RB
32 Anthony Hutchison RB

Receivers

Tight ends

Kickers

16 Bob Thomas K
86 Bob Parsons P
19 Ray Stachowicz P

Offensive line

74 Jim Covert T
79 Kurt Becker G
52 Dan Neal C
65 Noah Jackson G
78 Keith Van Horne T
63 Jay Hilgenberg C
62 Mark Bortz G
71 Andy Frederick OL
67 Tim Norman T
67 Perry Hartnett G
69 Revie Sorey G
72 John Janata T
64 Rob Fada G

Defensive line

99 Dan Hampton DE
73 Mike Hartenstine DE
68 Jim Osborne DT
76 Steve McMichael DT
95 Richard Dent DE
98 Tyrone Keys DE

Linebackers

50 Mike Singletary MLB
55 Otis Wilson SLB
90 Al Harris WLB
53 Dan Rains LB
54 Brian Cabral LB
51 Kelvin Atkins LB
57 Dave Simmons LB
58 Jerry Muckensturm LB
59 Gary Campbell LB

Cornerbacks

21 Leslie Frazier
27 Mike Richardson

Defensive backs

44 Terry Schmidt
24 Jeff Fisher
20 Kevin Potter
43 Walt Williams

Safeties

25 Todd Bell SS
45 Gary Fencik FS
22 Dave Duerson FS

Reserve Lists

Rookies in italics

References

^ "1983 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ "1983 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^ "NFLs top 10 draft classes in league history". National Football League. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
^ Sports Illustrated. 1 Sept 1983
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Mar-02.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to 1983 Chicago Bears season.

1983 Chicago Bears Season at www.bearshistory.com

v t e Chicago Bears
Founded in 1919 Formerly the Decatur Staleys (1919–1920) and the Chicago Staleys (1921) Based in Chicago, Illinois Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois
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Retired numbers	3 5 7 28 34 40 41 42 51 56 61 66 77 89
Key personnel	Principal owner: Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman: George McCaskey President/CEO: Kevin Warren General manager: Ryan Poles Head coach: Matt Eberflus
Division championships (21)	1933 1934 1937 1940 1941 1942 1943 1946 1956 1963 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 2001 2005 2006 2010 2018
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Media	Broadcasters Radio: WMVP Personnel: Jeff Joniak (play-by-play) Tom Thayer (analyst) Jason McKie (sideline reporter) Television: WFLD (pre-season and most regular season games through Fox, official pre-game and post-game alternate) Marquee Sports Network (official post-game and in-season programming) Personnel: Lou Canellis (gameday television host, pre-season sideline reporter) Adam Amin (pre-season play-by-play) Jim Miller (pre-season analyst)
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v t e Chicago Bears seasons
Formerly the Decatur Staleys (1920) and the Chicago Staleys (1921)
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Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance

1983 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Baltimore	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Buffalo	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	LA Rams
Miami	Houston	LA Raiders	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay