On September 19, 1985, the Chicago Bears played at the Minnesota Vikings in a Thursday night football game.

The Bears offense was struggling until half-time when Coach Mike Ditka changed quarterbacks and brought in Jim McMahon in the second half. In his first series of plays, he called for a play-action pass.

He faked a hand-off to Walter Payton (“Sweetness”) and dropped back to pass. As he was searching for a receiver, a Minnesota linebacker came charging through a gap in the pocket, intent on sacking McMahon.

“Sweetness” promptly moved into position and stuck the linebacker with a bone-jarring block… Continue reading →