Gary Fencik
| No. 45 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Strong Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | June 11, 1954 Chicago, Illinois | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Barrington | ||||||||
| College: | Yale | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1976 / Round: 10 / Pick: 281 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
John Gary Fencik (born June 11, 1954) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Yale and joined Chicago for the 1976 season after being selected by the Miami Dolphins in the tenth round of that year's draft. A four-time first-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection, Fencik is the Bears all-time leader in interceptions[1] and total tackles. He was also part of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX.
Playing career[]
He played college football at Yale University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1976. In 1985, he received an MBA from Northwestern University. John Madden once said in a broadcast that "Gary Fencik played football at Yale; that is like saying clean dirt".
Fencik was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the tenth round of the 1976 NFL Draft, with the 281st overall selection. After rupturing his left lung in a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints, he was released in September and picked up by the Bears.[2]
In Chicago, he was the team's defensive captain through the 1980s including the 1985 Super Bowl championship season. He made two Pro Bowl appearances (1980, 1981). He was also awarded a gold record and a platinum video award for the 1985 Super Bowl Shuffle. Fencik and Doug Plank were dubbed "The Hit Men", a fact referenced by Fencik in The Super Bowl Shuffle.[3]
In September 1986 he was featured on the cover of GQ magazine. His picture also 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.[4]
Fencik finished his career with 38 interceptions, which he returned for 488 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded 2 sacks and recovered 14 fumbles, returning them for 65 yards.
Retirement[]
Following his football career, Fencik has worked in the finance industry. Fencik worked with Wells Fargo and UBS before joining Adams Street Partners in 1995.[5] He has also worked as a sports commentator, mainly on WGN radio where he was a color commentator on Bears radio broadcasts from 1990–1993. During the 1988 NFL season he paired with James Brown as an NFL television commentator on CBS.
He has two children, Garrison and Evan.
References[]
- ^ Mayer, Larry. "Tillman repeats stellar performance". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ Rosaforte, Tim (December 2, 1985). "Once a Dolphin, Fencik succeeds as Bears safety". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Stiernberg, Bonnie; Ryan, Shane (January 30, 2015). "The Super Bowl Shuffle: A GIF-Heavy Ranking of Every Verse". Paste. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Telander, Rick (September 30, 1985). "Pride of the Yuppies". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "Executive Committee". ADAMS STREET PARTNERS. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- 1954 births
- Living people
- American football safeties
- Kellogg School of Management alumni
- American sports announcers
- Chicago Bears announcers
- Chicago Bears players
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- National Football League announcers
- Sportspeople from Chicago
- Players of American football from Chicago
- Yale Bulldogs football players