Gary Fencik

Verified Timeline

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.

In Their Own Story

The wind whipped off Lake Michigan during the 1985 season as Fencik anchored a defense that would define an era. As defensive captain, he led the Bears to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history, securing victory in Super Bowl XX. His leadership was absolute; he directed the secondary with the precision of a coach while delivering the hard hits that defined the "46 Defense." Fencik and Doug Plank earned the nickname "The Hit Men," a moniker they embraced so fully it was referenced by Fencik himself during the recording of the "Super Bowl Shuffle."

Fencik's career was marked by resilience and versatility. After his preseason lung injury with Miami, he could have walked away for banking, but chose football instead. His stats reflected his dominance: 38 interceptions returned for 488 yards and a touchdown, four sacks, and 13 fumble recoveries for 65 yards. He set the franchise record for tackles at the time of his retirement in 1988. Even as he planned to run for mayor of Chicago in 1987—described by himself as an "independent Republican"—he remained focused on his role as a player, eventually stepping back from that political pursuit while continuing to serve as a color commentator on WGN radio.

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.