Richard Dent
Encyclopedia
Richard Lamar Dent is a former American football
defensive end
, who played primarily for the Chicago Bears
of the National Football League
. He was the MVP
of Super Bowl XX
. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 2011.
, Dent was drafted in the eighth round by the Bears, with 203rd overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft
. At 6'5, 265 lb (120.2 kg)., Dent was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed. He was part of the core of great players who made the Bears' defenses of the 1980s legendary. Between 1984
and 1985
, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks.
In the 1985 playoffs, Dent was phenomenal, performing in what was quite possibly the most impressive defensive post-season performance in history. In the divisional playoff game in which the Bears hosted the New York Giants, Dent had one of the most dominant playoff performances in history. In the game, he recorded 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. In the NFC Championship Game, Dent, along with teammate Wilber Marshall
, provided one of the most memorable playoff moments in history. It was late in the 4th quarter and it had just started to snow. Quarterback Dieter Brock
dropped back to pass, but Dent got there and sacked him, knocking the ball loose. Marshall picked up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, a moment that was said to be a perfect end to the Bears' season (at home) and others say that the snow was "Papa Bear" George Halas
giving his thumbs-up to the team. When the Bears went on to defeat the New England Patriots
in 46-10 landslide in Super Bowl XX, Dent was selected as the game's MVP. During the game, he shared 2 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, and blocked a pass. Dent made a mere $90,000 in base salary for his efforts in 1985. ($173,000 in 2007 dollars) He was a featured soloist of the "Shuffling Crew" in the video The Super Bowl Shuffle
in 1985:
"The sackman's comin', I'm your man Dent.
If the quarterback's slow,
He's gonna get bent.
We stop the run, we stop the pass,
I like to dump guys on their ass!
We love to play for the world's best fans,
You better start makin' your Super Bowl plans!"
season, after the Bears had won just one playoff game since their loss to the San Francisco 49ers
in the 1988
NFC Championship Game
, and head coach Mike Ditka
had been replaced by Dave Wannstedt
.
Dent won another Super Bowl ring after spending the 1994 season under contract with the 49ers, though he spent almost the whole year injured. Injuries would continue to hamper Dent after his return to Chicago in 1995
. Dent would spend 1996
and 1997
with the Indianapolis Colts
and Philadelphia Eagles
respectively, playing the so-called designated pass rusher for them.
Dent retired after the 1997 season. His lifetime statistics included 137.5 sacks and 8 interceptions; he returned these picks for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 56 yards and one touchdown. 124.5 of his sacks came during his first stint with the Bears, from 1983
to 1993. At the time of his retirement, his 137.5 sacks ranked him third in NFL history behind Reggie White
and Bruce Smith
During Super Bowl XLIV
, Dent joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the Super Bowl Shuffle
in a Boost Mobile
commercial.
Dent has been nominated numerous times for the Pro Football Hall of Fame
. In 2005-2009, he was among the top 15 finalists in the selection process. After several years of unsuccessful nominations, Richard Dent was finally selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Feb. 5, 2011. He was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on February 15, 2008.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, who played primarily for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was the MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in 2011.
Chicago Bears
After playing 4 years at Tennessee State UniversityTennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
, Dent was drafted in the eighth round by the Bears, with 203rd overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft
1983 NFL Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983...
. At 6'5, 265 lb (120.2 kg)., Dent was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed. He was part of the core of great players who made the Bears' defenses of the 1980s legendary. Between 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
and 1985
1985 NFL season
The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...
, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks.
1985 season
In the 1985 season, Dent and the Bears had one of the most spectacular seasons in NFL history, finishing the season with a 15-1 record and shutting out both their opponents in the playoffs. Dent was a major factor in Chicago's success, leading the NFL with 17 sacks, while recovering 2 fumbles and intercepting 2 passes (1 of which was returned for a touchdown).In the 1985 playoffs, Dent was phenomenal, performing in what was quite possibly the most impressive defensive post-season performance in history. In the divisional playoff game in which the Bears hosted the New York Giants, Dent had one of the most dominant playoff performances in history. In the game, he recorded 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. In the NFC Championship Game, Dent, along with teammate Wilber Marshall
Wilber Marshall
Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
, provided one of the most memorable playoff moments in history. It was late in the 4th quarter and it had just started to snow. Quarterback Dieter Brock
Dieter Brock
Ralph "Dieter" Brock , is a former Canadian Football League and National Football League player and now works as a coach...
dropped back to pass, but Dent got there and sacked him, knocking the ball loose. Marshall picked up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, a moment that was said to be a perfect end to the Bears' season (at home) and others say that the snow was "Papa Bear" George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
giving his thumbs-up to the team. When the Bears went on to defeat the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in 46-10 landslide in Super Bowl XX, Dent was selected as the game's MVP. During the game, he shared 2 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, and blocked a pass. Dent made a mere $90,000 in base salary for his efforts in 1985. ($173,000 in 2007 dollars) He was a featured soloist of the "Shuffling Crew" in the video The Super Bowl Shuffle
Super Bowl Shuffle
"The Super Bowl Shuffle" is a rap song performed by players of the Chicago Bears football team during 1985, slightly prior to their win in Super Bowl XX.-Song and video:...
in 1985:
"The sackman's comin', I'm your man Dent.
If the quarterback's slow,
He's gonna get bent.
We stop the run, we stop the pass,
I like to dump guys on their ass!
We love to play for the world's best fans,
You better start makin' your Super Bowl plans!"
After Chicago
Dent would remain with the team until the end of the 19931993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
season, after the Bears had won just one playoff game since their loss to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
, and head coach Mike Ditka
Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
had been replaced by Dave Wannstedt
Dave Wannstedt
Dave Wannstedt is current Assistant Head Coach/Inside Linebackers Coach for the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League. He was most recently head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team, a position he held for six seasons. Wannstedt is also the former head coach of the Miami...
.
Dent won another Super Bowl ring after spending the 1994 season under contract with the 49ers, though he spent almost the whole year injured. Injuries would continue to hamper Dent after his return to Chicago in 1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
. Dent would spend 1996
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
and 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
with the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
respectively, playing the so-called designated pass rusher for them.
Dent retired after the 1997 season. His lifetime statistics included 137.5 sacks and 8 interceptions; he returned these picks for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 56 yards and one touchdown. 124.5 of his sacks came during his first stint with the Bears, from 1983
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
to 1993. At the time of his retirement, his 137.5 sacks ranked him third in NFL history behind Reggie White
Reggie White
Reginald Howard "Reggie" White was a professional American football player. He played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most decorated players in NFL history...
and Bruce Smith
During Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
, Dent joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the Super Bowl Shuffle
Super Bowl Shuffle
"The Super Bowl Shuffle" is a rap song performed by players of the Chicago Bears football team during 1985, slightly prior to their win in Super Bowl XX.-Song and video:...
in a Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is a brand of wireless prepay service run by Sprint Nextel, operating within the Sprint Prepaid Group along with Virgin Mobile USA, Assurance Wireless, and payLo by Virgin Mobile. Boost Mobile uses GSMand iDEN networks...
commercial.
Dent has been nominated numerous times for the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. In 2005-2009, he was among the top 15 finalists in the selection process. After several years of unsuccessful nominations, Richard Dent was finally selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Feb. 5, 2011. He was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on February 15, 2008.