79 Facts About Jim McMahon

1.

Jim McMahon was selected by the Bears fifth overall in the 1982 NFL Draft.

2.

Jim McMahon achieved his greatest professional success with the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX.

3.

However, upon suffering a shoulder injury the following season, Jim McMahon struggled with injuries throughout the rest of his career.

4.

Jim McMahon was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

5.

Jim McMahon moved with his family to San Jose, California, when he was three.

6.

Jim McMahon played his junior and senior years at Roy High School and graduated in 1977.

7.

Jim McMahon enrolled at Brigham Young University and played college football for the Cougars.

8.

Jim McMahon played baseball, but he played enough at quarterback to throw his first-ever collegiate touchdown pass against UTEP.

9.

Jim McMahon continued as the Cougars' punter as the 1978 season began, but when Marc Wilson was injured in the third game of the season, McMahon became the starting quarterback.

10.

Jim McMahon led BYU to victory against Colorado State, accounting for 112 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, and two touchdowns.

11.

Jim McMahon was named Chevrolet Player of the Game and Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week for his performance.

12.

Jim McMahon suffered a knee injury towards the end of the 1978 season and BYU coaches chose to redshirt him in 1979.

13.

Jim McMahon watched from the sidelines as Wilson set nine NCAA records, tied two others, and became the first BYU player to earn consensus first-team All-American honors; he finished third in Heisman Trophy balloting.

14.

Jim McMahon set 32 NCAA records, including single-season records for yards of total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes, and passing efficiency.

15.

Jim McMahon earned numerous awards for his individual accomplishments, being named WAC Player of the Year, unanimous First-team All-WAC, Utah Sportsman of the Year, and Deseret News Athlete of the Year.

16.

Jim McMahon was named to four All-America teams and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

17.

Jim McMahon promptly guided BYU's offense to three quick touchdowns, including a 41-yard Hail Mary pass to Clay Brown to win the game as time expired.

18.

Jim McMahon received the Davey O'Brien Trophy and the Sammy Baugh Award, and he shared the Pigskin Club NCAA Offensive Player of the Year award with USC's Marcus Allen.

19.

Jim McMahon earned Sports Illustrated's Player of the Week award after his performance against Colorado State, in which he tied a school record with seven touchdown passes.

20.

Jim McMahon left college with 70 NCAA records and tied for one other.

21.

Jim McMahon entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

22.

In September 2010, Jim McMahon announced he would complete his coursework at BYU, which would qualify him for induction into the Brigham Young University Athletics Hall of Fame.

23.

On October 2,2014, after completing his degree in communications, Jim McMahon was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2014 class.

24.

BYU honored Jim McMahon by retiring his No 9 jersey during a halftime ceremony at the BYU vs Utah State football game on Friday, October 3,2014.

25.

Jim McMahon, thrilled to be free from what he considered a restrictive culture at BYU, strolled into his first public function with the Bears holding a cold beer in his hand.

26.

Jim McMahon was to find the atmosphere in Chicago almost as challenging as that at Brigham Young, and he would lock horns with Ditka routinely during his seven years with the Bears.

27.

Jim McMahon won the Bears' starting quarterback job as a rookie in 1982, and was named to several All-Rookie teams when he nearly led the team to the playoffs, despite the NFL only playing two games before a players' strike that cancelled nearly half the season.

28.

Jim McMahon quickly displayed a natural ability to read defenses and an athletic versatility that surprised many.

29.

In 1983, Jim McMahon continued to improve as a passer and as a field general.

30.

Jim McMahon made a habit of changing the play both in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage, a practice which frustrated Ditka but usually led to success.

31.

Jim McMahon became a frequent scorer in goal-line situations, after the dying Halas instructed Ditka to make the quarterback sneak a bigger part of the Bears' offense.

32.

Jim McMahon began to catch touchdown passes on option plays, and was the emergency punter.

33.

Jim McMahon started the season strongly, though nursing minor injuries like those that would plague him throughout his career.

34.

Jim McMahon suffered bruised ribs and a lacerated kidney on the play, but limped to the huddle and breathlessly called the next play, despite difficulty breathing and increasing pain.

35.

The players could barely hear him in the huddle, and when Jim McMahon attempted an audible at the line of scrimmage the Bears receivers were unable to hear his call.

36.

Jim McMahon was on the verge of collapsing on the field, clutching his flank and rasping in his attempts to convey his situation.

37.

The offensive linemen helped Jim McMahon stand and leave the field.

38.

Jim McMahon became a media darling, not only for his outstanding play on the field, but for his personality.

39.

Jim McMahon lobbied to get into the game until well into the third quarter.

40.

Jim McMahon followed up with another successful offensive drive, including a crucial third and short sneak to set up another 43-yard touchdown pass to McKinnon.

41.

Jim McMahon played solidly, throwing for career-highs of 15 touchdowns and 2,392 yards in 13 games and running well.

42.

Jim McMahon was notorious for head-first baseball-style slides when running the football, despite being coached to slide feet-first to protect his body.

43.

Thursday morning before the big-game, Jim McMahon made more headlines when a local television station reported that he had called women of New Orleans "sluts," an accusation he denied and which the announcer later admitted was made up.

44.

Jim McMahon claimed in an interview, that he received death threats and wore a different jersey number during practice.

45.

In that game, Jim McMahon became the first quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl to rush for two touchdowns.

46.

In week 12 of the 1986 NFL regular season, Jim McMahon was playing against the Green Bay Packers, while dealing with an existing rotator cuff injury to his right shoulder.

47.

Jim McMahon briefly returned to the game, but it soon became apparent that he couldn't throw effectively, and he left the game in the third quarter, never to play again in 1986.

48.

Jim McMahon battled injuries for the rest of his career, although at one point between the 1984 and 1987 seasons, he won 22 consecutive regular-season starts, the longest "regular season winning streak" by an NFL quarterback at the time, now held by Peyton Manning, who won 23 in 2008 to 2009.

49.

Jim McMahon returned for the 1988 season with a much more serious attitude.

50.

Jim McMahon was unable to get the Bears back to the Super Bowl, as they were routed by the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship which saw Jim McMahon benched in favor of Mike Tomczak in the fourth quarter.

51.

Jim McMahon fell out of favor with head coach Mike Ditka, and after spending his first seven seasons in the league with Chicago, McMahon was traded to the San Diego Chargers.

52.

Jim McMahon had only 4 games over 200 yards, but had 389 yards against the Houston Oilers in a Week 2 loss.

53.

However, Jim McMahon again found himself in trouble when he fell out of favor with his coach, Dan Henning, his teammates, and the team's front office staff.

54.

Jim McMahon was benched for the final four games in favor of Billy Joe Tolliver and finished the year with 2,132 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

55.

Jim McMahon signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were coached by former Bears assistant Buddy Ryan, for the 1990 season.

56.

Jim McMahon stayed with the Eagles for one additional season in the backup role.

57.

Jim McMahon finished the season as the team's third quarterback behind Steve Beuerlein and Jay Schroeder and left the team at its conclusion.

58.

Jim McMahon made the Cleveland Browns in the 1995 preseason but did not play a down with them, Jim McMahon later in the season joined the Green Bay Packers.

59.

Jim McMahon retired following the 1996 season, which finished with a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in New Orleans, eleven years to the day of the Bears' Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in the same venue.

60.

Jim McMahon caused some controversy when he showed up to the Packers' reception at the White House wearing his Bears jersey, due to the rivalry between the two teams.

61.

Jim McMahon later explained that he did so because he was unable to visit the White House when he led the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX; two days after the Bears won the game, the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-51-L were killed in the explosion of their craft, Shuttle Challenger, and the Bears' scheduled visit was cancelled.

62.

Jim McMahon was apprehended in Florida for drunk driving in 2003.

63.

Jim McMahon only approved one loan out of the 17 bad loans for a $28 million Miami beach condo project.

64.

Jim McMahon said in a statement that the FDIC's claims were without merit and he expected to be vindicated.

65.

Jim McMahon was quoted as saying, 'There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget why I walked in there.

66.

On September 27,2012, it was reported that at age 53, Jim McMahon had been diagnosed as being in the early stages of dementia.

67.

Jim McMahon's condition has since improved after receiving chiropractic treatment, citing less frequent headaches and improved short-term memory.

68.

Jim McMahon expressed skepticism toward the effectiveness of NFL-sanctioned treatments for head and neck injuries, believing them to prioritize corporate interests over player well-being.

69.

Jim McMahon uses cannabis to treat the chronic pain and arthritis that he suffers from as a result of his football career.

70.

Jim McMahon calls cannabis a "godsend" that allowed him to eliminate his painkiller habit which he says included 100 Percocet pills a month.

71.

Jim McMahon has been active in speaking about his experience using cannabis, serving as spokesperson for the Cannabis Sports Policy Project and a member of the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition along with several other former NFL players.

72.

Jim McMahon appeared in a TV ad supporting cannabis legalization in the state of Arizona.

73.

In November 2016, Jim McMahon was among the signatories of an open letter addressed to the NFL, urging a change in the league's policy towards cannabis.

74.

Jim McMahon is a member of the Doctors for Cannabis Regulation NFL steering committee.

75.

In December 2006, Jim McMahon went to Iraq with the USO to visit American forces in the field.

76.

In 2010, Jim McMahon became a part owner of the Indoor Football League's Chicago Slaughter.

77.

Jim McMahon is known for his trademark sunglasses, which he wears for medical reasons.

78.

Jim McMahon met Nancy Daines at BYU, and the couple married in 1982 after four years of dating.

79.

Jim McMahon was in a romantic relationship with Laurie Navon, who was cited in the Sports Illustrated article where his health was discussed.