Jim McMahon

At 65 years old, Jim McMahon has this physical status:

College career

McMahon attended Brigham Young University (BYU) and played college football for the BYU Cougars. During his freshman year, he was their punter. He also played football, but he didn't play enough at quarterback to pass his first-ever college touchdown against UTEP. He continued as the Cougars' punter as the 1978 season began, but McMahon became the starting quarterback after Marc Wilson was out for three games of the season (against Colorado State). BYU beat Colorado State 128 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, and two touchdowns, with McMahon leading the BYU to victory. He was named as the Game and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Week for his appearance. McMahon and Wilson shared quarterback duties for the remainder of the season; McMahon was able to earn All-WAC awards and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America. He passed for 317 yards and rushed for 49 more yards, earning another WAC Player of the Week award.

McMahon sustained a knee injury during the 1978 season but BYU coaches decided to redshirt him in 1979. Wilson set nine NCAA records, tied two others, and became the first BYU player to earn consensus first-team All-American honors, according to McMahon, who came third in Heisman Trophy voting.

McMahon beat Royce Bybee to win the starting quarterback position in 1980, with Wilson completing and in the NFL with the Oakland Browners. BYU lost the opener 25–21 against New Mexico but then won eleven straight to claim the WAC championship. McMahon held 32 NCAA records, including single-season records for total offense (4,627), passing yards (4,71), touchdown passes (47), and passing efficiency (176.9). His best game was against Utah State; he passed for 485 yards and six touchdowns, as well as two rushing touchdowns. He was named National Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated for his outstanding debut. McMahon's season results may have been even better, but he spent a lot of time on the sidelines because the Cougars won multiple games by wide margins. Despite beginning all 12 regular-season games, he only made it to three of them.

During the regular season, BYU led the nation in passing offense, total offense, and scoring. McMahon has been recognized as the WAC Player of the Year, unanimous First-Team All-WAC, Utah Sportsman of the Year, and Deseret News Athlete of the Year have been nominated for several awards for his lifetime, as well as the Year's Athlete of the Year. He was selected to four All-America teams and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Cougars faced a SMU squad coached by Craig James and Eric Dickerson, a 45-25 lead over BYU with just four minutes remaining in the game. McMahon yelled at Cougar fans that the game wasn't over yet. He led BYU's offense to three touchdowns, including a 41-yard Hail Mary pass to Clay Brown to win the game as time expired. It is regarded as one of college football's greatest comebacks; BYU supporters refer to it as the "Miracle Bowl."

Despite missing two games due to injury, McMahon's senior season in 1981 led BYU to the WAC championship, where he passed for 3,555 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was named WAC Player of the Year and unanimous First-team All-WAC for his efforts. He was named first-team All-American by five separate organizations and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. He received the Davey O'Brien Trophy and the Sammy Baugh Award, as well as the Pigskin Club NCAA Offensive Player of the Year award with Marcus Allen of the United States. After his success against Colorado State, in which he tied a school record of seven touchdown passes, he was named Sports Illustrated's Player of the Week.

McMahon played for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns in BYU's victory over Washington State in the 1981 Holiday Bowl in his last game as a Cougar. He had a career with 9,536 passing yards and 84 touchdown passes (not counting bowl games). McMahon left college with 70 NCAA records and tied for one other. In 1999, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

McMahon said in September 2010 that he would complete his studies at BYU, securing him for admission to the Brigham Young University Athletics Hall of Fame. McMahon was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame on October 2, 2014, after completing his degree in communications. By resigning his No. YU, McMahon was honoured. During a halftime celebration at the BYU vs. Utah State football game on Friday, October 3, 2014.

Professional career

In the first round (fifth overall) of the 1982 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected McMahon. McMahon, who was delighted to be free from what he regarded as a draconian culture at BYU, strolled into his first public function with the Bears holding a cold beer in his hand. Mike Ditka, the Bears' owner and founder George Halas, was not impressed, nor was Bears owner and founder George Halas. McMahon was going to find the city nearly as hostile as that at Brigham Young, and he'd lock horns with Ditka regularly throughout his seven years with the Bears.

McMahon played for the Bears as a rookie in 1982 and was awarded multiple All-Rookie teams as a rookie, despite the NFL only playing two games before a players' strike that ended almost half the season. McMahon showed a natural ability to read defenses as well as an athletic versatility that stunned many.

McMahon, a non-passing passer, explained that his youth had taught him to square his shoulders to the direction he wanted to throw the football and that he was able to execute passes with tight spirals and a high degree of accuracy when running to either his left or right. McMahon was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Bears in December after a short season.

McMahon continued to develop as a passer and as a field general in 1983. He used to changing the game both in the huddle and at the point of scrimmage, a tactic that enraged Ditka but rarely resulted in triumph. His game knowledge and an instinctive, intuitive understanding of in-game situations were both important. Since Ditka's death, he became a regular scorer in goal-line situations. He started to catch touchdowns on option plays and was the emergency punter. Chicago finished the season 8-8, losing the division title and a playoff berth by a single victory.

The Bears survived in 1984, winning the conference championship game before losing to the San Francisco 49ers. McMahon started the season off well, but he'd have minor injuries that would follow him throughout his career. McMahon sustained a season-long injury while being brutally tackled by two Los Angeles defenders in a tense match against the Los Angeles Raiders at Soldier Field. He had bruised ribs and a laced kidney on the play, but he staggered to the huddle and called the next play with increasing pain and difficulty breathing. In the huddle, the players could barely understand him, and the Bears receivers were unable to hear him call when McMahon attempted an audible in the line of scrimmage. McMahon was on the verge of collapsing on the field, clutching his flank and yelling in his efforts to announce his position. McMahon was aided by the offensive linemen in getting McMahon to stand and leave the field. McMahon went to the locker room and found urine that "looked like grape juice."

The Bears had a stellar season in 1985, when they were named as the best of all time by Sports Illustrated magazine, winning their first 12 games and ending at 15–1. McMahon came out a media darling, not just for his outstanding play on the track but also for his persona. He appeared in "The Super Bowl Shuffle," the team's rap record, in which he declared "I'm the punk known as McMahon." McMahon was supposed to back up Steve Fuller in a Thursday night game against Minnesota as a result of a neck injury that necessitated an overnight hospital stay. The Vikings led by 17-199 midway into the third quarter. McMahon lobbied to get to the game until the third quarter, just shy of getting into the third quarter. Willie Gault's first play was an opportunistic 70-yard touchdown pass. McMahon's next offensive play was a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dennis McKinnon, who was 2–2 for 95 yards and two touchdowns after an interceptions by Wilber Marshall on the Vikings' ensuing possession. He continued his offensive efforts with another fruitful outing to McKinnon, who had a crucial third and short sneak to set up another 43-yard touchdown pass. The Bears led 30-17 but went on to win the game 33-24.

McMahon played well, throwing for career-highs of 15 touchdowns and 2,392 yards in 13 games and running well (5.4 yards per carry, three rushing touchdowns).

McMahon was known for head-first baseball-style slides while playing football, despite being told not to slide first to shield his body. McMahon heeded this coaching advice and was led by a defender's helmet squarely in his buttocks, resulting in a painful deep bruise in which McMahon sought acupuncture therapy. This culminated in a moment of controversies before the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where McMahon "mooned" journalists who were investigating the injury were inquiring as to the presence of the disease. McMahon made more headlines when a local television station revealed that he had called women of New Orleans "sluts," an accusation he denied but the announcer later admitted was made up. In an interview, McMahon said he had received death threats and wore a different jersey number during practice.

He finished the season with a strong showing in Super Bowl XX, which the Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46-10. McMahon became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl to rush for two touchdowns in that game. McMahon also earned a spot in his first Pro Bowl appearance.

McMahon was playing against the Green Bay Packers in week 12 of the 1986 NFL regular season, but he was dealing with an ongoing rotator cuff injury to his right shoulder. After throwing a third down interception and at least two seconds after his pass was called, Green Bay nose tackle Charles Martin grabbed McMahon from behind and body slammed him to the ground, exacerbating his existing rotator cuff injury. McMahon briefly returned to the game, but it soon became apparent that he couldn't throw effectively, and he had to abandon the game in the third quarter, never to play again in 1986. Martin was immediately dismissed from the game and later suspended for two more games, the first multi-game suspension for an on-field foul in modern NFL history. Without McMahon, and despite finishing tied for the league's best record at 14–2, the Bears were unable to defend their Super Bowl crown and lost in the Divisional Playoff round to the Washington Redskins.

McMahon suffered with injuries for the remainder of his career, but he did win 22 consecutive regular-season (25 including playoffs and the Super Bowl) starts in 1988, the longest "regular season winning streak" by an NFL quarterback at the time, which was ended by Peyton Manning, who played in 1988 to 2009 (but lost a wildcard playoff game to the Chargers during his "winning streak").

McMahon came right back from a head injury and brought the Chicago back to life in the first game following the NFL players' strike to defeat the Buccaneers, 27-26. The Bears ran to an 11–4 record, with many expecting McMahon to start and lead the Bears back to the Super Bowl. Nonetheless, 1987 ended exactly the same way 1986 did, with the Bears being knocked out by the eventual Super Bowl champion Redskins.

McMahon was back in 1988 with a more mature attitude. Walter Payton's main offensive weapon had been retired, and McMahon had announced his desire to win a Super Bowl for the second time. The Bears were strong all season and went 12–4, again winning the NFC Central and finishing with the NFC's top seed, ensuring they would host the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field if they advanced that far. McMahon was unable to return to the Super Bowl after being defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, which featured McMahon benched in favour of Mike Tomczak in the fourth quarter.

McMahon and Bears president Michael McCaskey had a major falling out with each other during the offseason. He also fell out of favour with head coach Mike Ditka, and after seven seasons with Chicago, McMahon was traded to the San Diego Chargers.

Jim McMahon also held at least 15 Bears franchise records as of 2017, including:: :

In 1989, McMahon played 11 games for the 6–10 Chargers team. He went 4–7 in the first seven games he started, but the team lost four of those games by a combined 11 points. He had only 4 games over 200 yards against the Houston Oilers in a Week 2 loss, but he had 389 yards against the Houston Oilers.

McMahon also found himself in danger after he fell out of favour with his mentor, Dan Henning, his colleagues, and the team's front office workers. Billy Joe Tolliver was suspended for the final four games in favour of Billy Joe Tolliver, and the year ended with 2,132 yards, ten touchdowns, and ten interceptions. McMahon was deactivated after the season.

McMahon was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, who were coached by former Bears assistant Buddy Ryan for the 1990 season. For the first time in his career, he served as a full backup, as Randall Cunningham was entrenched as the starter. Rich Kotite called McMahon starter after Cunningham tore his ACL in the first game of the following season. He aided the Eagles to a 10-6 record and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. McMahon played for the Eagles for one season as a back-up.

In 1993, McMahon's last chance to be a full-time starter with the Minnesota Vikings came as a rookie. Sean Salisbury, the team's starter, won eight out of 12 starts and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1988. However, the Vikings lost to the New York Giants.

McMahon played for the Arizona Cardinals, now coached by Ryan for the 1994 season, where he made his final appearance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. He spent the season as the team's third quarterback behind Steve Beuerlein and Jay Schroeder, and the team's third quarterback when it came to an end. McMahon joined the Cleveland Browns in the 1995 season but did not play a single downe. He retired after the 1996 season, when the New England Patriots defeated the New England Patriots in New Orleans, eleven years to the day of the Bears' Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in the same stadium.

Due to the rivalry between the two teams, McMahon caused some controversies when he attended the Packers' reception at the White House wearing his Bears jersey. McMahon later explained that he did not go to the White House after leading the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX two days after the Bears won the game; two days after the Bears beat the Bears, the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-51-L was killed in the explosion of their craft, Shuttle Challenger, and the Bears' scheduled visit was postponed; President Barack Obama, himself a Bears fan, ordered McMahon and his surviving teammates and mentors in 2011.

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