While there have been 59 Super Bowl champions, few have been celebrated more than the 1985 Chicago Bears, a truly larger-than-life team that took the NFL by storm en route to capturing the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the legendary squad, members of the ‘85 Bears were honored during halftime of Monday night’s game between the Vikings and Bears at Soldier Field. Fittingly, a key win for the Bears during the ‘85 season came against the Vikings on a Monday night.
The Bears honored the 1985 Super Bowl Championship team at halftime.
Several players passed the Lombardi Trophy down the line as their names were called. pic.twitter.com/8cHC6wJ2iO — CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) September 9, 2025
The ‘85 Bears left their mark on the league 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oTjQC2hKfQ — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 9, 2025
Led by coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, the ‘85 Bears steamrolled the regular season with a 15-1 record, starting 12-0 before the Dolphins and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino prevented them from joining the 1972 Dolphins as the only perfect teams in NFL history.
One of the unsung heroes of the ‘85 Bears was 32-year-old Walter Payton, who ran for 1,551 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 49 receptions for 483 yards and two more scores. Payton at one point had nine straight 100-yard rushing performances, including a season-high 192 yards during Chicago’s Week 9 win over the Packers.
In the playoffs, Ryan’s ‘46’ defense overwhelmed the competition, shutting out both the Giants and Rams before dominating the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, setting a record for the largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history at that time.
The ‘85 Bears continues to hold a special place in NFL history, voted as the second-best team behind the undefeated 1972 Dolphins in 2019.
