November 6, 2007
Bears hope to repeat what '77 team accomplished
By Larry Mayer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – They remain the hardest hitting safety tandem in Bears history. But Gary Fencik and Doug Plank both get a little queasy when discussing an embarrassing 1977 loss in Houston.
The Oilers cruised to a 47-0 victory, scoring touchdowns on passes of 85 and 43 yards, runs of 61 and 1 yards, a 75-yard punt return and a 34-yard fumble return. Houston put an exclamation point on the rout by sacking Bears quarterback Mike Phipps in the end zone for a safety.
“It was a very painful game,” Fencik said. “They scored every which way you can in a football game and we knew the Houston Oilers’ fight song as well as the crowd by the end of the game.”
“How do you remember something like that that long ago?” Plank said. “Because it’s scarred into your memory banks. That was one of the most demoralizing games I ever played in.”
The ’77 Bears were down but evidently not out after what remains the third most lopsided loss in franchise history dropped their record to 3-5. In what was one of the greatest turnarounds in team annals, Chicago proceeded to win its final six games to earn a wildcard berth with a 9-5 record.
Thirty years later, the 2007 Bears hope that history repeats itself. They’ll begin the second half of the season Sunday in Oakland, looking to begin stacking wins after a disappointing 3-5 start.
Plank’s advice is simple: “Take it one play at a time,” he said. “You win by making stops on defense, getting turnovers and picking up first downs on offense. Celebrate small victories during the course of a game and start playing with some enthusiasm.
“I’m a firm believer that there has never been a football game won without passion, energy and emotion. Somebody needs to get this thing started and get excited. I don’t even care if it’s false enthusiasm. Who cares? Just as long as you see something; just as long as you see a heartbeat.”
The turning point of the 1977 season came one week after the blowout loss in Houston when Bob Avellini’s 37-yard TD pass to tight end Greg Latta with :03 remaining in the game gave the Bears a miraculous 28-27 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field.
“That win gave us back our confidence,” Plank said. “I remember the incredible high that we had after that game, the emotional high of winning. There’s no question in my mind that that win sparked our camaraderie and our chemistry and all those sorts of things.”
The Bears rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to stun the Chiefs, who had taken a seemingly safe 27-21 lead on Ed Podolak’s 14-yard TD run with just :24 remaining in the game.
But Brian Baschnagel returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Chicago 43, and Avellini’s 20-yard completion to Robin Earl resulted in a first down at the Kansas City 37 with :10 to play. After a timeout, Latta streaked down the right sideline and hauled in the decisive TD.
“I do think that emotional win on a last-second pass really carried us into the next few games,” Fencik said. “Then it was just a matter of looking at the schedule and saying we can win these games and having everybody believe it.”
There was more magic the next week as Walter Payton fought off the flu to set the NFL’s single-game rushing record with 275 yards in a 10-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.
“I remember never sitting down during that game,” Plank said. “I remember coming to the sidelines every time our defense was done and just standing and watching that incredible effort.
“That held me accountable because I’m watching Walter Payton give this incredible effort, thinking that’s where we need to be, every one of us, effort-wise and [in terms of] execution, discipline and an attitude of never giving up.”
After running their winning streak to five with wins over Detroit, Tampa Bay and Green Bay, the Bears went into their final game needing a victory over the Giants to qualify for the postseason.
Playing on an ice-covered field at Giants Stadium, Bob Thomas booted a 28-yard field goal with :07 left in overtime to give the Bears a pulsating 12-9 victory, putting them into the playoffs for the first time since they won the NFL Championship in 1963.
“The Giants were going nowhere that year, but they came out with that spoiler attitude and played like a playoff team,” Plank said. “What we learned that year was that the game was never over until the final play. That enabled us to not only make that run but also win that final game.
“That was also the time that I really realized that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The beginning of the season does make a difference. It does matter because it makes it easier obviously if you’ve piled up wins. But the bottom line is that a season is just like a game—you’ve got to make sure that [you play your best in] the fourth quarter.”
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Bears hope to repeat what '77 team accomplished - Chicago Bears
Bears hope to repeat what '77 team accomplished
Bears hope to repeat what '77 team accomplished
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