"Danimal", Backbone of the 80's Bears "D"....

To me Dan Hampton was the original 3T disruptive DT of the Bear. His first step was so quick that combined with his size and natural strength he was nearly unblockable as a DT.

He joined the Bears as DE and spent his first couple of years at LDE where he became an immediate starter and posted 16 sacks during his first two years. He was moved to DT and dominated there as well winning post season honors at both spots. He was the NFL Defensive MVP in 1982.

I'll never forget the time I was having drinks with some Packer players one Monday night in GB at the Carlton West a week before the Bear/Packer game. Greg Koch the Packers ORT had been a teamate of Hampton's at Arkansas and told me that he thought Hampton was a big pussy, LOL. The next Sunday "Danimal" just totally destroyed Koch in the Bears/Packer game scoring two sacks and another two tackles for loss against him.

Funny, Koch never showed up that next Monday but I asked Paul Coffman, who was then the Packers TE, to ask Koch from me........"who's the pussy now, Greg"? :lol-032:



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ChicagoBears.com > Tradition > 99 - Dan Hampton



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A disruptive force from the inside or outside, Dan Hampton anchored one of the most dominant defensive lines in NFL history. Hampton was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2002 and is the 26th Bear to earn the honor.

He was inducted with Redskins head coach George Allen, Raiders tight end Dave Casper, Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and Steelers wide receiver John Stallworth.

Hampton played in 157 regular season games, starting 152, during 12 NFL seasons, all with the Bears. He began his NFL career in 1979 and is one of only two Bears players to ever play in three decades (Sid Luckman, 1939-51). He finished his career ranked third on the Bears' all-time sack list with 82.0, trailing just Richard Dent (124.5 from 1983-93; 95) and Steve McMichael (92.5 from 1981-93). Hampton was named to the NFL Team of the ’80’s by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors and was a Pro Bowl performer four times during that decade (1980, 1982, 1984 and 1985), twice as a defensive end and two times as a defensive tackle. Hampton was named Defensive MVP by Pro Football Weekly in 1982 and started the first 48 games of his career where he established himself as a dominant pass rusher, recording 25 sacks during his first three seasons in the league.

Hampton was drafted in the first round (fourth overall) by the Bears in the 1979 draft. The Bears obtained his pick (plus TE Bobby Moore) from Tampa Bay for DE Wally Chambers. “Danimal,” as he was affectionately known by teammates and fans, earned all-America honors and was named Southwestern Conference Defensive Player of the Year following an 18-sack season as a senior. He was a three-year starter and two-time all-SWC performer for the Razorbacks.


Hampton’s Pro StatsYear/TeamInt-YdsTkls-SoloFRFFPDBLK KICKSACK-YDSG-GS1990 Bears0-034-1402300.0-014-101989 Bears0-014-800412.0-214-41988 Bears0-088-5000319.5-8116-161987 Bears0-030-1610223.5-188-81986 Bears0-072-30212110.0-8316-161985 Bears0-032-2632406.5-4316-151984 Bears0-054-40312011.5-9515-151983 Bears0-047-4000415.0-2711-111982 Bears0-071-6200019.0-579-91981 Bears0-068-5601409.0-7716-161980 Bears0-073-58021011.5-10916-161979 Bears0-070-4821304.5-2816-16Career0-0653-448111032782.0-639157-152

Dan Hampton has always been one of my favorite Bears. Guys like him, Doug Atkins, OB, Butkus and the like personify what a Chicago Bears defensive star should be. He wasn't fast or fancy but he sure could buckle up his helmet and play come Sunday. I love that era when he and Mongo were the Bears DT's. That was the best inside pass rushing duo we ever had. They had 177 sacks between them.