1983 Chicago Bears season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Chicago Bears 1983 8–8 3rd NFC Central Mike Ditka Jim Finks George Halas (until October 31)The McCaskey Family(Family control since 1921; Virginia McCaskey since 1983) Soldier Field 2https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1983/probowl.htm 1983 NFL Pro Bowlers Pro-Football-Reference.com RB Walter Payton MLB Mike Singletary 2https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1983/allpro.htm 1983 NFL All-Pros Pro-Football-Reference.com RB Walter Payton MLB Mike Singletary Did not qualify Bears seasons 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 10s greatest draft classes.http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80798fca&template=with-video&confirm=true NFLs top 10 draft classes in league history National Football League 2012-07-09 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20121102144536/http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80798fca&template=with-video&confirm=true 2012-11-02 Offseason 1983 NFL draft 1983 NFL draft Chicago Bears 1983 1 6 Jim Covert Offensive tackle Pittsburgh yes yes yes 1 18 Willie Gault Wide receiver Tennessee yes 2 33 Mike Richardson Cornerback Arizona State yes 3 64 Dave Duerson Safety Notre Dame yes yes 4 91 Tom Thayer Center Notre Dame yes 4 107 Pat Dunsmore Tight end Drake yes 8 203 Richard Dent Defensive end Tennessee State yes yes 8 219 Mark Bortz Guard Iowa yes yes 9 230 Rob Fada Guard Pittsburgh yes 9 235 Mark Zavagnin Linebacker Notre Dame no 10 256 Anthony Hutchison Running back Texas Tech yes 11 286 Gary Worthy Running back Wilmington (OH) 12 313 Oliver Williams Wide receiver Illinois Undrafted free agents + 1983 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeDave McCarrellQuarterbackWheatonDan RuzichLinebackerKansas StateDennis McKinnonWide ReceiverFlorida State 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 1983 Chicago Bears  7 Bob Avellini  8 Vince Evans  9 Jim McMahon 29 Dennis Gentry 32 Anthony Hutchison y 34 Walter Payton 26 Matt Suhey 33 Calvin Thomas American football 84 Brian Baschnagel 83 Willie Gault y 82 Ken Margerum 85 Dennis McKinnon y 88 Pat Dunsmore y 87 Emery Moorehead 81 Jay Saldi 79 Kurt Becker G 62 Mark Bortz y G 74 Jim Covert y T 64 Rob Fada y G 71 Andy Frederick T 63 Jay Hilgenberg C 65 Noah Jackson G 72 John Janata y T 67 Tim Norman y no G 78 Keith Van Horne T 95 Richard Dent y DE 99 Dan Hampton DT 90 Al Harris defensive lineman DE 73 Mike Hartenstine DE 98 Tyrone Keys y DE 76 Steve McMichael DT 68 Jim Osborne defensive tackle DT 51 Kelvin Atkins MLB 59 Gary Campbell linebacker OLB 54 Brian Cabral OLB 53 Dan Rains OLB 57 Dave Simmons linebacker, born 1957 OLB 50 Mike Singletary MLB 55 Otis Wilson OLB 25 Todd Bell SS 22 Dave Duerson y FS 45 Gary Fencik FS 21 Leslie Frazier CB 27 Mike Richardson American football, born 1961 y CB 44 Terry Schmidt CB 20 Kevin Potter American football y SS 43 Walt Williams cornerback CB 19 Ray Stachowicz P 16 Bob Thomas K 24 Jeff Fisher S IR 35 Roland Harper RB IR 58 Jerry Muckensturm LB IR 52 Dan Neal C IR 19 Dan Plater no WR IR 69 Revie Sorey G IR 80 Rickey Watts WR IR 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.Sports Illustrated. 1 Sept 1983 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 Anaheim Stadium 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 autocollapse Sunday, September 4 12:00 p.m. Falcons 6 0 7 7 Bears 0 10 7 0 Soldier Field, Chicago 80 F, wind 12 mph on Chuck Heberling CBS Tim Ryan, Johnny Morris Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 2 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers #fff #eee background-color:#000; color:#fff collapsed September 11 12:00 p.m. Buccaneers 0 3 7 0 Bears 0 10 0 7 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 68 F, wind 11 mph on Ben Dreith CBS Tim Ryan, Johnny Morris Box Score Passing TB: Jerry Golsteyn 22/42, 277 yards, INT CHI: Jim McMahon 16/24, 286 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing TB: James Wilder 11–40, James Owens 12–25, TD, Mel Carver 2–12, Michael Morton 1–5, Jerry Golsteyn 3–3 CHI: Walter Payton 17–45, Matt Suhey 11–31, Jim McMahon 2–15, Willie Gault 1–4 Receiving TB: Gerald Carter 6–98, Jimmie Giles 7–80, Theo Bell 1–52, James Owens 2–14, Kevin House 3–11, Michael Morton 1–9, Andre Tyler 1–9, Mel Carver 1–4 CHI: Walter Payton 6–115, TD, Willie Gault 3–75, Matt Suhey 4–57, Ken Margerum 2–26, Emery Moorehead 1–13 CHI: Mike Hartenstine 2.0 sacks, Terry Schmidt INT Buccaneers Bears collapsed 2 Buccaneers FG 20 Bill Capece 3 0 2 Bears RecTD Walter Payton Jim McMahon 73 good Bob Thomas run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 7 2 Bears FG 50 Bob Thomas 3 10 3 Buccaneers RushTD James Owens 1 good Bob Capece run/pass good/failed/incomplete 10 10 4 Bears Other Terry Schmidt 32-yard interception return, Bob Thomas kick good 10 17 10 17 Week 3: at New Orleans Saints autocollapse Sunday, September 18 12:00 p.m. Bears 7 3 7 14 0 Saints 7 3 14 7 3 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Indoors, dome Fred Wyant CBS Tim Ryan, Johnny Morris Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 4: at Baltimore Colts autocollapse Sunday, September 25 2:00 p.m. Bears 0 3 3 13 0 Colts 0 13 0 6 3 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 54 F, wind 7 mph on Jerry Seeman CBS Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 5: vs. Denver Broncos autocollapse Sunday, October 2 12:00 p.m. Broncos 0 0 7 7 Bears 14 10 0 7 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 68 F, wind 13 mph on Fred Silva NBC Charlie Jones and Bob Griese Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles autocollapse Sunday, October 23 1:00 p.m. Bears 7 0 0 0 Eagles 0 0 3 3 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia 50 F, wind 9 mph on Dick Jorgensen CBS Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions autocollapse Sunday, October 30 12:00 p.m. Lions 14 3 14 7 Bears 0 3 0 14 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 43 F, wind 10 mph on Tom Dooley Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 11: vs. Philadelphia Eagles autocollapse Sunday, November 13 1:00 p.m. Eagles 7 0 7 0 Bears 0 14 0 3 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 33 F, wind 8 mph on Bob McElwee CBS Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 12: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers autocollapse Sunday, November 20 1:00 p.m. Bears 0 14 6 7 Buccaneers 0 0 0 0 Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida 69 F, wind 12 mph on Red Cashion Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers autocollapse Sunday, November 27 12:00 p.m. 49ers 3 0 0 0 Bears 3 7 3 0 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 39 F, wind 18 mph on Pat Haggerty Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 14: at Green Bay Packers autocollapse Sunday, December 4 1:00 p.m. Bears 7 7 0 14 Packers 14 7 0 10 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin 25 F, wind 6 mph on Ben Dreith Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings Bears 10 6 0 3 Vikings 6 0 7 0 December 11 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota 12:00 p.m. Indoors (dome) Tom Dooley Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris CBS yes 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 16–6 Q3 MIN Ted Brown 1 yard run (Benny Ricardo kick) CHI 16–13 Q4 CHI Bob Thomas 22-yard field goal CHI 19–13 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Mar-02. Week 16 vs. Green Bay Packers Chicago Bears 1983 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 16: Green Bay Packers (8–7) at Chicago Bears (7–8) December 18 1:00 p.m. Packers 7 7 0 7 Bears 7 0 7 9 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 35,807 1 F C Red Cashion Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database 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 References External links 1983 Chicago Bears Season at www.bearshistory.com Chicago Bears Category:Chicago Bears seasons Chicago