My fandom for the Chicago Bears started to take hold in the early 80s, thanks to the great Walter Payton, who is, in my opinion, the greatest football player of all time. Payton’s running style and all around play, drew me to the team, but I quickly noticed their hard hitting defensive style as well. Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Richard Dent, and my favorite defender back then, the underrated Wilber Marshall, were a joy to watch.
But as a young offensive lineman, I started to pay attention to the big fellas up front, and Jay Hilgenberg, Jimbo Covert and Keith Van Horne really stood out to me.