Tag Archives: chicago bears

NFL

Waddle, Tom

Cards: Pro Set Power 1992, Pro Set 1991
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012

Tom Waddle is a player of football lore,  who proves that if you have the tools and can stick with it, you can make it in the NFL. Waddle was an acclaimed receiver for the Golden Eagles of Boston College. With great hands and excellent ability to cut on the fly running routes, it was thought that with his stellar numbers, at BC (finishing 3rd All-Time receiving) he’d sneak into the 1989 draft. As we all know, the 1989 NFL draft was an incredible draft from top to bottom, and despite it still being a 12 round draft, Tom did not hear his name called. Undeterred, Waddle signed a free agent contract with Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears.

The Bears were pretty set at receiver with Wendell Davis, Ron Morris, Dennis Gentry, and Dennis McKinnon all in front of Waddle. He got in some garbage time as a punt returner and receiver over the next two years, and managed to hang on until he really got his break in 1991.  By the 1991 season we were looking at a vastly different Bears team. The offense was going through major growing pangs converting to a more pass friendly environment with Jim Harbaugh at quarterback. Runningback Neal Anderson and a good portion of wide receiver corps were decimated by injuries, so Tom got his shot on a Monday night game- and didn’t look back….

He’d end up starting 13 games in 1991, and make 55 grabs for 599 yards and 3 touchdowns in 1991. Teams saw that he was fearless trying to make the catch, and made sure to put a licking on Waddle, but he always managed to get his smelling salts, and return right back into the game. Tom recorded career highs in receiving yards in 1992 (with 674 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns on 46 receptions),  and followed that up in 1993 with 44 receptions for  552 yards and a touchdown despite a changeover with Dave Wannastedt becoming head coach. In 1994, Tom was demoted to 3rd string and injuries (concussion, leg) began to take their toll on him. He finished the season starting only 1 contest, but came off the bench still to post 25 receptions for 244 yards and a touchdown. Waddle signed with the Bengals after the season but retired soon there after.

Always a Chicago fan favorite, even after retirement, Tom works radio in Chicago both for ESPN and Fox, and has also done some time as a color and in studio broadcaster for both college and professional football.

G/Gs 60/41   Rec 173    Yds 2109    Avg 12.2    Td 9    Lg  68

NFL

Mirer, Rick

Card: Pinnacle 1995
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012

Rick Mirer was a record setting quarterback for Notre Dame who virtually rewrote all the record books during his time there. The much ballyhooed quarterback was selected second in the 1993 draft behind equally touted quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Bill Walsh before the draft even called Rick, “The next Joe Montana”. While it became obvious early that Bledsoe would play in an almost workmanlike fashion for the Patriots, Mirer set the world on fire his rookie season starting all 16 games and setting rookie passer records for attempts (486), completions (274) and  yards (2833). He also demonstrated a knack for finding the endzone with his legs, scoring 3 touchdowns on 343 yards rushing.  

The first sign of trouble was that Mirer was coached only on a handful of plays each game. If he couldn’t find an open receiver, he was instructed to do what he saw was best or tuck it in and run, and at first it appeared that the horserace between Bledsoe and Mirer was too close to call. Over the next three seasons, the Seahawks struggled mightily on offense, so in 1997 they opted to trade Mirer and a 4th rounder to Chicago for the Bears first round draft choice.

The Bears anointed Mirer the starter immediately in Chicago, but Mirer had a fatal flaw that teams had now caught onto. Mirer favored throwing to the right side of the field. Teams regularly stacked defenses to the right against him.  He threw 6 picks to zero touchdowns in his only season in the windy city. He requested to be cut by the team after the season, and found himself on the offseason roster of the Packers behind Brett Favre. The Packers then traded him to the Jets who were thin at quarterback after an injury to Vinny Testaverde. Rick got his first sustainable time under center really since he played for Seattle putting up a bit over 1000 yards and 5 touchdowns, posting a 2-4 record.

Steve Mariucci brought Mirer then to San Fransisco in 2000. He played respectably in mop up time behind Jeff Garcia throwing for a touchdown and 126 yards.  Again Rick moved, this time across the bay to Oakland in 2002. He’d see his last time under center in 2003 for the Raiders throwing for 1,263 yards and 3 touchdowns, before signing with the Lions in 2004 and retiring soon thereafter. 

Rick has spent his time after football coaching Pop Warner and owns a winery (Mirror Wine Company) in Napa, Florida.

G/Gs  80/68     Att  2043    Comp 1088    Yds  11969    Pct   53.3    Td 50     Int  76   Rat 63.5 |
Rush  242   Yds   1130     Avg  4.7    Td  9   Lg 33

College Football HoF, IFL, NFL, University of Texas

McMichael, Steve “Mongo” (2)

Card: UT UD 2011
Acquired: C/o Home, 2012
Sent:       Received: 7/14  (days)
See also: Steve McMichael “Mongo” 

Steve McMichael and Ray Childress were my favorite defensive linemen when I was a kid, so to meet both of them during my younger years was quite a treat to me. I had already gotten back around to Ray, and had been looking for a good excuse to write Steve again, so when the University of Texas Upper Deck 2011 set came out, I thought I had the best justification to do so, and put 3 cards in the mail. Well, I’m guessing Steve didn’t have his UT Upper Deck All American card or his All Time Alumni card as he kept those. Still the fact that he signed his base set card, was what I really wanted most, so to just get only one back from him was fine by me.

McMichael gained notoriety while playing with the Bears for having a penchant to come up with big plays when they mattered. He also started 101 straight games at defensive tackle. Mike Ditka called McMichael the toughest player he ever coached.  Now let me stress that again… Mike Ditka called him that.  He’d later go on to enjoy a strong wrestling career in the WWF and WCW as Mongo. I even saw him live at the Erwin Center in Austin where fans who remembered were happy to see him. Steve was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.  He currently does radio for the pregame show of the Bears outside of Chicago and is head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.