1989 Chicago Bears season

The 1989 Chicago Bears season was their 70th regular season completed in the National Football League. The Bears were looking to win the NFC Central for a sixth consecutive season, but instead finished with a 6–10 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1983. The Bears’ offseason moves prior to this season had consequences for years afterward as the pieces from Super Bowl XX’s team slowly began to leave or retire.

1989 Chicago Bears season
Owner	Virginia Halas McCaskey
Head coach	Mike Ditka
Home field	Soldier Field
Results
Record	6–10
Division place	4th NFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify

Winds of Change

In the winter of 1989 after Super Bowl XXIII, NFL owners and players ratified a new free agency plan. The plan would force teams to designate 37 players as "protected", with the rest becoming free agents able to sign with any team during the months of March and April. The first 1989 winds of change began to blow when the team left long-time veteran Super Bowl champion players Otis Wilson and Mike C. Richardson unprotected. Al Davis' Los Angeles Raiders signed both players, but neither would make the club that year and would be forced to retire. Another veteran of note unprotected was linebacker/defensive end Al Harris, who signed with Buddy Ryan's Philadelphia Eagles.

Changes to the organization and team continued throughout the spring. Longtime offensive coordinator Ed Hughes was "promoted" to the title of assistant Head Coach, which simply meant that assistant Greg Landry took over as offensive coordinator while Hughes was relegated to coaching receivers. Head coach Mike Ditka announced at this time that that starting quarterback position was up for grabs, meaning incumbents Jim McMahon, Mike Tomczak and 1987 first-round draft pick Jim Harbaugh would battle for the starting role. McMahon had started the previous NFC Championship Game but couldn't muster the team to more than three points, so his long-standing starting job was by no means safe.

Offseason

The 1989 NFL draft

Main article: 1989 NFL Draft

What was good news for the Bears was that for the second straight season, they owned multiple picks in the first round of the draft. 1988 had brought young offensive talent in receiver Wendell Davis and running back Brad Muster, and in 1989 it was thought that urgent help would be needed on defense, with the loss of Wilson, Richardson, and Harris. Additional depth on the defensive line was needed as well, given that William Perry and Richard Dent had missed significant time in 1988 due to injury.

Not only did the Bears have two first-rounders in 1989, they actually had three. They owned their own pick, number 25, and also had the 11th pick from the Raiders as part of the 1988 Willie Gault trade, and the 12th from the Washington Redskins for Wilber Marshall following the 1987 NFL season. On draft day, the Bears selected cornerback Donnell Woolford 11th overall, then spent the 12th pick on Florida defensive end Trace Armstrong. Feeling good about the first two picks, and needing additional depth, the Bears traded the 25th pick to the Miami Dolphins for their high second and third-round picks. Additional wheeling and dealing gave the Bears a whopping 20 selections over the Draft's 12 rounds. Eight of those players made the team and contributed. One that did not was ninth-round pick Byron Sanders from Northwestern. Byron's brother Barry had been selected by the Detroit Lions with the third overall selection. In Armstrong, Woolford, and John Roper, a linebacker selected with the second-round pick obtained from Miami, the Bears had their replacements for Wilson, Richardson and Harris. Chicago used the other pick obtained from Miami on offensive lineman Jerry Fontenot. Were it not for the two picks obtained from the Dolphins, and the two first-rounders the Bears would have had virtually nothing long-term from this 20-player draft.

However, it was not the 1989 Draft that would harm the 1989 Bears – although the '89 draft would have a lot to do with the demise of the team leading up to Ditka's dismissal three years later. One of the nails in the '89 coffin were failures high in the 1985–1988 drafts. A second-rounder was blown in 1985 on cornerback Reggie Phillips, released in 1988. 1989's second 2nd round pick was tackle Dave Zawatson, who did not make the 1990 roster. Third-round busts were James Maness in '85, David Williams in '86, the pick traded for Doug Flutie in 1987, and Ralph Jarvis in 1988. Fourth-round picks such as Paul Blair ('86) and Sean Smith ('87) weren't much better. The San Francisco 49ers built their late-decade dynasty around middle-round picks like Tom Rathman, Charles Haley and John Taylor during those years, while the Bears failed to restock as the Super Bowl Team of 1985 aged. This, along with letting Pro Bowlers like Marshall and Gault leave, would contribute to their downfall for more than a decade.

1989 Chicago Bears draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	11	Donnell Woolford *	Safety	Clemson	from L. A. Raiders
1	12	Trace Armstrong *	Defensive end	Florida	from Washington
2	36	John Roper	Linebacker	Texas A&M
2	54	Dave Zawatson	Guard	California
3	65	Jerry Fontenot	Center	Texas A&M
4	95	Markus Paul	Defensive back	Syracuse
5	130	Mark Green	Running back	Notre Dame
5	136	Greg Gilbert	Linebacker	Alabama
7	189	Richard Brothers	Defensive back	Arkansas
7	192	Brent Snyder	Quarterback	Utah State
8	216	Tony Woods	Defensive tackle	Oklahoma
8	221	Chris Dyko	Tackle	Washington State
9	243	LaSalle Harper	Linebacker	Arkansas
9	248	Byron Sanders	Running back	Northwestern
10	270	Todd Millikan	Tight end	Nebraska
10	277	John Simpson	Wide receiver	Baylor
11	297	Joe Nelms	Defensive tackle	California
11	304	George Streeter	Defensive back	Notre Dame
12	330	Freddy Weygand	Wide receiver	Auburn
12	333	Anthony Phillips	Guard	Oklahoma
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1989 Undrafted Free Agents of note

Player	Position	College
Sammie Archer	Wide receiver	Oregon
Alex Armenteros	Defensive back	Bethune–Cookman
Bryan Bero	Fullback	Utah
Tony Buford	Wide receiver	Indiana
John Budde	Defensive end	Michigan State
James Coley	Tight end	Clemson
Matt Gurley	Fullback	Texas A&M
Eric Hoffman	Linebacker	Western Michigan
Mike Husar	Guard	Michigan
Steve Hyche	Linebacker	West Alabama
Garrett Limbrick	Fullback	Oklahoma State
Randy Marriott	Wide receiver	North Carolina
Mike McCabe	Punter	Illinois State
Pat Ray	Defensive back	Missouri
Mike Sellar	Wide receiver	UC Davis
Don Shrader	Guard	Indiana
Kent Sullivan	Punter	California Lutheran
Chad Sydnor	Defensive back	Maryland
Brian Taylor	Fullback	Oregon State
Tom Waddle	Wide receiver	Boston College

Training Camp drama

Training camp 1989 opened with the usual holdouts that were common in the 1980s, even though without free agency players had no real leverage. Steve McMichael held out briefly in hopes of renegotiating the contract he had signed the previous season, and William Perry, Dave Duerson and Shaun Gayle missed several days before signing. The Most notable holdouts were the first round picks, Armstrong and Woolford. The former missed the first three weeks of camp, while the latter didn't sign until after the first preseason game. These holdouts would trigger a unique change in Bears draft philosophy the following season.

The Bears quarterback problems

When Ditka was asked about Jim McMahon's status, prior to the season, he declared he had no intention of a trade but would listen to any offers that came this way. McMahon was traded to the San Diego Chargers days before the Chargers traveled to Soldier Field for a preseason meeting with the Bears. Hughes retired from the team shortly after the McMahon trade, stating he lost interest in coaching and that losing McMahon had no influence with his final decision to retire.

Prior to traveling to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Vikings in December, the Bears stayed for three days at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to practice in their indoor facilities. There were protests by Madison residents over the university allowing the Chicago Bears to train in Wisconsin.

With McMahon gone, Tomczak started the season at quarterback, with Harbaugh backing him up. Ditka felt good enough about the duo that he did not keep a third quarterback on the active roster.

Staff

1989 Chicago Bears staff

Front office Chairman of the board – Ed McCaskey President and chief executive officer – Michael McCaskey Vice president of player personnel – Bill Tobin Assistant director of player personnel – Rod Graves Research and quality control – Jim Dooley Head coaches Head coach – Mike Ditka Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Greg Landry Running backs – Johnny Roland Wide receivers – Vic Rapp Offensive line – Dick Stanfel

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Vince Tobin Defensive line – John Levra Linebackers – Dave McGinnis Defensive backs – Jim LaRue Special teams coaches Special teams/tight ends – Steve Kazor

Roster

1989 Chicago Bears roster
	Quarterbacks  4 Jim Harbaugh 18 Mike Tomczak Running backs 35 Neal Anderson 31 Mark Green 25 Brad Muster FB 20 Thomas Sanders KR 26 Matt Suhey FB 27 Brian Taylor Wide receivers 82 Wendell Davis 29 Dennis Gentry KR 88 Glen Kozlowski 85 Dennis McKinnon PR 84 Ron Morris 87 Tom Waddle Tight ends 86 Cap Boso 80 James Thornton		Offensive linemen 62 Mark Bortz G 74 Jim Covert T 68 Chris Dyko T 67 Jerry Fontenot C 63 Jay Hilgenberg C 57 Tom Thayer G 78 Keith Van Horne T 73 John Wojciechowski T 64 Dave Zawatson G Defensive linemen 93 Trace Armstrong DE 94 Dick Chapura DT 95 Richard Dent DE 76 Steve McMichael DT 75 John Shannon DE 65 Tony Woods DE		Linebackers 92 Troy Johnson OLB 53 Dante Jones MLB 52 Mickey Pruitt OLB 59 Ron Rivera OLB 55 John Roper OLB 50 Mike Singletary MLB Defensive backs 22 Dave Duerson SS 23 Shaun Gayle FS 24 Vestee Jackson CB 43 Lorenzo Lynch CB 36 Markus Paul FS 30 George Streeter SS 49 David Tate SS 21 Donnell Woolford CB Special teams  8 Maury Buford P  6 Kevin Butler K		Reserve lists 37 Maurice Douglass CB (IR) 99 Dan Hampton DT (IR) 58 Steve Hyche LB (IR) 51 Jim Morrissey LB (IR) 60 Steve O'Malley DT (IR) 72 William Perry DT (IR) 32 Lemuel Stinson CB (IR) Practice squad 33 Bryan Bero FB 89 James Coley TE 12 Brent Snyder QB 47 active, 7 inactive, 3 practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

First up for the Bears and starting quarterback Tomczak in 1989 were the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. It was the defending AFC Champs versus the NFC runners-up, and the Bears endured 17-14, despite Tomczak throwing an interception on his first pass attempt of the season. Defensive lineman Dan Hampton, playing in his 11th season, sacked Bengal quarterback Boomer Esiason twice and blocked a field goal attempt. He also displayed refreshing candor in his postgame interview. Asked to comment on fullback Brad Muster's fumble with 1:29 left in the game, Hampton said:

If I had a knife, I would have stabbed him.

The following week Chicago hosted the Minnesota Vikings, who had swept the Bears the previous season. The Bears and Vikings stayed close the first three quarters, with Chicago holding a 10–7 fourth-quarter lead. In the final period, the Bears busted out for four touchdowns, ultimately beating the visitors 38–7.

The Bears moved to 3–0 with a win in the season's third week at Detroit, when the offense racked up 542 net yards and 47 points. The Bears' expected strong start set up a miracle match-up for ABC's Monday Night Football, as the 2–1 Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Soldier Field to face the undefeated Bears. The week preceding the game was filled with the drama of the Ditka-Buddy Ryan rivalry. Despite brash talk from Ryan, the Bears prevailed 27–13 and embarrassed the visitors on many fronts. Ditka used his usual sarcasm following the game, stating:

I'm not surprised [about the 4–0 start], but I think a lot of people must be surprised, that we beat Cincinnati, Minnesota, Detroit and Philadelphia. We must be awfully lucky.

Then they lost 10 of the last 12 games, for the worst record after a 4–0 start until the 2012 Arizona Cardinals lost 11 of their last 12 after winning four. One of the 10 losses came at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and became known as the Instant Replay Game. The Bears led late in the game, but the Packer quarterback Don Majkowski threw a controversial game-winning touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe to give the Packers a 14–13 win. The loss was so hard for Bears head coach Mike Ditka that in the 1990 Bears Media Guide, he put the game in the 1989 game-by-game results as the instant replay game.

As a result of this season, the Chicago Bears were shown as being sued by a disgruntled fan in the L.A. Law episode "The Last Gasp."

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 10	Cincinnati Bengals	W 17–14	1–0	Soldier Field	64,730
2	September 17	Minnesota Vikings	W 38–7	2–0	Soldier Field	66,475
3	September 24	at Detroit Lions	W 47–27	3–0	Pontiac Silverdome	71,418
4	October 2	Philadelphia Eagles	W 27–13	4–0	Soldier Field	66,625
5	October 8	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 35–42	4–1	Tampa Stadium	72,077
6	October 15	Houston Oilers	L 33–28	4–2	Soldier Field	64,383
7	October 23, 1989	at Cleveland Browns	L 7–27	4–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	78,722
8	October 29	Los Angeles Rams	W 20–10	5–3	Soldier Field	65,506
9	November 5	at Green Bay Packers	L 13–14	5–4	Lambeau Field	56,556
10	November 12	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 20–0	6–4	Three Rivers Stadium	56,505
11	November 19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 31–32	6–5	Soldier Field	63,826
12	November 26	at Washington Redskins	L 14–38	6–6	RFK Stadium	50,044
13	December 3	at Minnesota Vikings	L 16–27	6–7	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	60,664
14	December 10	Detroit Lions	L 17–27	6–8	Soldier Field	52,650
15	December 17	Green Bay Packers	L 28–40	6–9	Soldier Field	44,781
16	December 24	at San Francisco 49ers	L 0–26	6–10	Candlestick Park	60,207

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1 vs Bengals

Week One: Cincinnati Bengals (0–0) at Chicago Bears (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	0	7	0	14
Bears	0	7	3	7	17

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: September 10
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
• Game attendance: 64,730
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter CIN – James Brooks 4-yard pass from Boomer Esiason (Jim Breech kick), 9:52. Bengals 7–0. Second quarter CHI – Mike Tomczak 11-yard run (Kevin Butler kick), 0:10. Tie 7–7. Third quarter CIN – Ickey Woods 5-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 8:28. Bengals 14–7. CHI – Kevin Butler 29-yard field goal, 11:40. Bengals 14–10. Fourth quarter CHI – James Thornton 20-yard pass from Mike Tomczak (Kevin Butler kick), 10:06. Bears 17–14. Top passers CIN – Boomer Esiason – 18/36, 184 yards, TD CHI – Mike Tomczak – 10/24, 159 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers CIN – James Brooks – 13 rushes, 88 yards CHI – Neal Anderson – 21 rushes, 146 yards Top receivers CIN – James Brooks – 5 receptions, 46 yards, TD CHI – James Thornton – 4 receptions, 86 yards, TD

Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total • Bears 10 10 13 14 47 Lions 0 13 7 7 27 Date: September 24 Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Game weather: indoors (dome) Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant and Dan Jiggetts Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 CHI Butler 21-yard field goal Bears 3–0 1 CHI Muster 6-yard run (Butler kick) Bears 10–0 2 DET Sanders 3-yard run (Murray kick) Bears 10–7 2 CHI McKinnon 40-yard pass from Tomczak (Butler kick) Bears 17–7 2 DET Murray 40-yard field goal Bears 17–10 2 CHI Butler 22-yard field goal Bears 20–10 2 DET Murray 48-yard field goal Bears 20–13 3 CHI Anderson 53-yard run (Butler kick) Bears 27–13 3 DET Gagliano 1-yard run (Murray kick) Bears 27–20 3 CHI Butler 25-yard field goal Bears 30–20 3 CHI Butler 32-yard field goal Bears 33–20 4 CHI Muster 3-yard pass from Tomczak (Butler kick) Bears 40–20 4 CHI Harbaugh 1-yard run (Butler kick) Bears 47–20 4 DET Gagliano 1-yard run (Murray kick) Bears 47–27

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Minnesota Vikings(3)	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	362	356	W1
Green Bay Packers	10	6	0	.625	5–3	10–4	362	275	W2
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–6	312	364	W5
Chicago Bears	6	10	0	.375	2–6	4–8	358	377	L6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	.313	3–5	5–7	320	419	L4

External links

• 1989 Chicago Bears at Pro Football Reference