Bears, teammates stunned by Duerson’s death
Former Bears safety Dave Duerson, 50, was found dead in his Miami home Thursday night. The Dade County coroner has not released a cause of death.
A two-time All-American at Notre Dame, Duerson was drafted by the Bears in the third round in 1983 and was a starter on the 1985 Super Bowl XX championship team when he replaced holdout Todd Bell. In his first year as a full-time starter, Duerson led all NFC strong safeties with 5 interceptions.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pounder made the Pro Bowl four straight seasons from 1985-88. In 1987, when he led the Bears in tackles with 116, Duerson also won the NFL Man of the Year Award winner, the only league honor that recognizes a player’s off-the-field contributions to the community as well as his performance on the field.
“We are stunned and saddened to hear the tragic news regarding Dave Duerson,” the Bears said in a statement released Friday. “He was a great contributor to our team and the Chicago community. Today is a difficult day for all of us who loved Dave. We’ll miss him. Our prayers are with his family.”
In his seven seasons with the Bears, Duerson played in 102 games with 76 starts and had 566 tackles, 18 interceptions, 15 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 46 pass breakups. In 1986, he set an NFL single-season record for defensive backs with 7 sacks, which stood until it was eclipsed by the Cardinals’ Adrian Wilson in 2005. Duerson also had a career-best 6 interceptions that season.
For five years in Chicago and for four years before that at Notre Dame, former Bears guard Tom Thayer was teammates with Duerson, and they roomed together as sophomores with the Fighting Irish.
“Dave was always a man among boys,” Thayer told ChicagoBears.com Friday. “When he came in as a true freshman, there wasn’t a transition. He went from his senior year of high school to being a freshman starter at Notre Dame. He didn’t remind me of a normal incoming freshman. Dave was always a top-flight athlete and top-notch pro.”
After being released by the Bears following the 1989 season, Duerson won a second Super Bowl ring in his only season with the New York Giants in 1990, and he played his final three years with the Phoenix Cardinals from 1991-93. In his 11-year NFL career, he had 20 interceptions and 16 sacks. In each of his final four seasons with the Bears, Duerson he had more than 90 tackles.
After retiring, the Muncie, Ind., native owned three McDonald’s restaurants in the Louisville, Ky. area, and then became owner of a sausage-making company that sold to Burger King, Olive Garden and other chain restaurants. He sold that company in 2002 and started his own company, Duerson Foods, which failed four years later.
About the same time, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor public battery after an argument with his wife, Alicia, in a South Bend, Ind., motel room. Duerson was forced to resign his position as a trustee at Notre Dame, and the next year he and Alicia divorced, ending 24 years of marriage.
“Our family asks that you please remember Dave as a good, kind, and caring man,” Alicia Duerson told NBCChicago.com. “He loved and cherished his family and friends and was extremely proud of his beloved Notre Dame and ... Chicago Bears. Please keep Dave and our family in your prayers.”
Most recently, Duerson hosted an Internet radio show called “Double Time with Double D,” on Voice of America. He broadcast his final show on the day of his death.
He is also survived by four children.