Richard Dent

Lore & Background

Dent was selected in the eighth round by the Bears, with the 203rd overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft. He was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed and thrived in defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan's aggressive 46 defense. Between 1984 and 1985, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks while recording a then team-record 17.5 sacks in the former season. In Super Bowl XX, he had 1.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, and blocked a pass. He was a featured soloist of the 'Shuffling Crew' in the video, the 'Super Bowl Shuffle' in 1985. Dent would remain with the team until the end of the 1993 season. He won another Super Bowl ring after spending the 1994 season under contract with the 49ers, though he spent almost the whole year injured. He would spend 1996 and 1997 with the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. Dent retired after the 1997 season. His lifetime statistics included 137.5 sacks and eight interceptions; he returned these picks for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 56 yards and one touchdown. He had 124.5 sacks during his first stint with the Bears, from 1983 to 1993. At the time of his retirement, his 137.5 sacks ranked him third in NFL history behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. He was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

In Their Own Story

The wind whipped off Lake Michigan, biting at the exposed skin of the players huddled on the sideline. Inside the tunnel, Richard Dent adjusted his helmet, the leather straps creaking under his grip. He didn't need to shout; an eighth-round pick with a reputation for outworking giants had nothing to prove but results. As he stepped onto the field, the roar of the crowd faded into a singular focus on the man holding the ball. Dent remembered the feeling of that Super Bowl day—the silence before the snap broken only by the rhythmic thud of cleats. He took a deep breath, smelling the winter air and turf. It was time to hunt.

Reader's Guide

Richard Dent is best known as the MVP of Super Bowl XX, where he recorded 1.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, and blocked a pass. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1983 to 1993, then briefly for the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Did You Know?

• Dent recorded 17.5 sacks in the 1984 season, a then team-record.
• He made a mere $90,000 in base salary for the 1985 season.
• Dent's 137.5 career sacks ranked him third in NFL history at the time of his retirement.
• According to a DNA analysis, he descended mainly from Mende people of Sierra Leone and Balanta people of Guinea Bissau.