The 1985 Bears - A Cast of Characters - Jay Hilgenberg, Ron Rivera, the Panthers Coach - Jim Harbaugh the 49ers Coach, Former Bear Quarterback #harbaugh

Jim McMahon in his black high top shoes and one of his ubiquitous head bans. We all remember the feud he had with Pete Rozelle over wearing head bands that had something written on them. He was fined, but he still wore them. I think the one he wore in the Super Bowl said something about Juvenile Diabetes. Jim played quarterback like a linebacker and he was the person who started the headbutts.

Coach Ditka is leaving the cafeteria which is across the street from the dorms. Mike kept in shape by running as much as the players. He has had hip replacements.

Dan Hampton was a fan favorite. "Danimal" was a number one draft pick out of Arkansas. Bill Tobin drafted him. Mike Ditka remembers scouting him when Mike was on the Dallas Cowboys and Tom Landry predicted he would become a great player. Dan went to the Pro Bowl from two positions: defensive end and defensive tackle. My son Tommy and I met Dan the year he was drafted.

Jay Hilgenberg was a center for the Bears. He was drafted out of Iowa and he played in seven Pro Bowls. He is currently an analyst for a Chicago radio station.

Jim Harbaugh signing autographs. He was drafted by the Bears in 1987 out of Michigan. Jim's father is a football coach and his brother is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Jim was the head coach at Stanford and came close to winning the national championship.

Jim Harbaugh was friendly and an excellent quarterback. On this particular day we talked about the weather. It got over 100 degrees in Platteville that day and with the humidity the players were going to need a lot of Gatorade. Ron and I tried to stay in the shade and keep hydrated.

Ron Rivera was a linebacker who played mostly under Vince Tobin. He was on the 1985 Super Bowl team and he did do some local radio talk show work in Chicago. He is now the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Brad Muster was a fullback for the Bears. Brad was a number one draft pick out of Stanford University. He looked slow, but he wasn't. He was elusive and caught a lot of passes from his fullback position. His career was shortened by nagging injuries. He played from 1988 to 1992. He never was on the team with Walter Payton.