Jim McMahon

By E. Spencer Kyte
Love of Sports Correspondent

Twenty men have stuck their hands under center for the Chicago Bears since Jim McMahon was shipped to San Diego.

Among them, there is a former Major League Baseball player (Chad Hutchinson), a CFL All-Star (Henry Burris), a couple solid journeymen (Jim Harbaugh, Brian Griese), a handful of washouts (Cade McNown, Rick Mirer, Rex Grossman) and the greatest neckbeard ever to start a game in the NFL (Kyle Orton).

Quite the list, wouldn’t you say?

It’s not that McMahon was ever the epitome of what you’re looking for in a quarterback – he didn’t have Peyton Manning’s arm or Randall Cunningham’s legs or Tom Brady’s dashing good looks – but in Bear Country, he’s the last guy to lead them to The Promised Land.

And that still counts for something.

The fact that McMahon attended Brigham Young University still seems like a complete oxymoron to me. Here’s one of the most flamboyant, brash and extroverted guys to ever put on a pair of shoulder pads, and he went to school in Mormon country! Amazing.

As a kid growing up, I was a Bears fan and a lot of that had to do with Jim McMahon.

He wore sunglasses all the time and a visor on the sidelines.

He wore gloves when he was playing, and not just on his non-throwing hand like some other guys.

He wore headbands with sayings on them that I had no idea what they meant, but that didn’t stop me from ruining the ones my mom wore to aerobics by scrawling “Pluto” or “Rozelle” across the fuzzy white fabric.

Ironically enough, the other reason I liked the Bears was Mike Ditka, the man responsible for McMahon’s departure from Chicago. Seems the fiery, blue collar coach wasn’t all that fond of the aloof goof who chucked the ball around the field.

But as the Bears engage in another round of the Quarterback Shuffle this season, why not throw a little love in the direction of the quarterback from the Super Bowl Shuffle, one Jim McMahon?!