Fans relive the glory of the '85 Bears at Mongo Bowl fundraiser
Yes, believe it or not, there was a time when not only did the Bears win a Super Bowl, but the Patriots lost one.
Ron Onesti, president of Onesti Entertainment Corp., opened the doors of the Des Plaines Theater and the Arcada Theater in St. Charles so Bears fans could relive the glory of the 1985 Bears.
Bears die-hards wearing jerseys with the numbers of their favorites showed up for the Mongo Bowl and watched Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, William "Refrigerator" Perry, Dan Hampton and Steve "Mongo" McMichael destroy the Patriots once again. During the rebroadcast, they fed their appetite for nostalgia with vintage commercials for Sears and Minolta.
But for Onesti, the event was also an opportunity to raise funds to help with the cost of nursing care for McMichael, who is battling ALS.
Silent auctions, live auctions and raffles were held for memorabilia spread on tables in the lobby, including an autographed McMichael jersey.
On another table, guests wrote messages to the legendary lineman.
McMichael's wife, Misty, was on hand at the Des Plaines Theater, where the 1986 Super Bowl also was shown on the small screen in the bar.
Her husband, who is struggling for his life, was unable to attend.
"He's hanging in there," she said. "He's the toughest man I've ever known, and he continues to show me that every day."
Carrying a purse in the shape of a football, she said she was a 15-year-old high school girl in Victoria, Texas, when the Bears won their last Super Bowl.
"I love it," McMichael, who married her husband in 2001, said of watching him in action again. "It makes me feel good. You can't help but be mesmerized by his playing."
She called the '85 Bears "the best team that ever played the game," noting "the NFL finally admitted that."
Over the years, Onesti and McMichael developed a friendship because of Hampton and McMichael's band, the Chicago Six, which opened up for Eddie Money at the Arcada.
He said he was talking to Hampton about three weeks ago, and Hampton suggested "we should do something for Steve. He said, 'Why don't you give Misty a call?' That's when I found out that he was running short on his funds for his 24-hour nurses care."
Bears fans watching the game turned back time, reliving their emotions. Many gasped when McMahon flipped head over heels after taking a hit. The announcers worried he had aggravated an injury.
Among those watching were Des Plaines resident Bruce Dobrowski and his wife, Fran.
Bruce said he actually missed watching the 1986 Super Bowl, because it was played the day he was sent overseas for his Air Force service.
Henry Michna of Mount Prospect, wearing a Doug Plank jersey, said he remembers where he was when the 1986 Super Bowl was played: at a house with his brothers and about 30 friends.
"We tore the house apart, going wild," he said. "VHS recorders had just come out a couple years earlier. We used to do chicken wings at my house with all my friends. We'd have 15 guys every Bears game, and we'd record."
He said he still has a VHS recording of every game that season.
His friend Joan Williams of Des Plaines said she watched it at a friend's house in Glenview.
"It's a day that just stays with you your entire life. It's one of the greatest days of history of your life," she said.