Gary Fencik

Bears franchise leader in interceptions and defensive captain of the 1985 Super Bowl champions.

John Gary Fencik (born June 11, 1954) is an American former professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Yale Bulldogs, earning first-team All-East honors in 1975. Fencik was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 10th round of the 1976 NFL draft, but was released from the team before the start of the season and joined the Bears.

Quick Facts

Position: Safety
Born: 11 June 1954
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
High school: Barrington (Barrington, Illinois)
College: Yale (1972–1975)
Draft year: 1976
Draft round: 10
Draft pick: 281

Lore & Background

With the Bears, Fencik received two Pro Bowl selections and one first-team All-Pro selection. He was also a member of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. Fencik is the Bears franchise leader in interceptions and also set the franchise record for tackles at the time of his retirement. He was named among the 100 greatest Bears of all-time in 2019. Fencik and Doug Plank were dubbed 'The Hit Men', a fact referenced by Fencik in The Super Bowl Shuffle. He was the team's defensive captain through the 1980s including the 1985 Super Bowl championship season.

Reader's Guide

Fencik finished his career with 38 interceptions, which he returned for 488 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded 4 sacks and recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 65 yards. During his playing career, he became the part-owner of the Hunt Club, a popular bar on Chicago's North Side. Following his football career, Fencik has worked in the finance industry, including with Wells Fargo and UBS before joining Adams Street Partners in 1995. He has also worked as a sports commentator, mainly on WGN radio where he was a color commentator on Bears radio broadcasts from 1990 to 1993. During the 1988 NFL season he paired with James Brown as an NFL television commentator on CBS.

Did You Know?

John Madden once said in a broadcast that 'Gary Fencik played football at Yale; that is like saying clean dirt'.
In September 1986 he was featured on the cover of GQ magazine.
His picture appeared on the reverse side of a Playboy centerfold, showing him and the December 1982 Playmate Charlotte Kemp shopping at the Old Town Art Fair.
He was awarded a gold record and a platinum video award for the 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle.
In October 2012, the Illinois Lottery Board unanimously voted to name Fencik as its chairman.