The 1983 season was the Chicago Bears ' 64th in the National Football League , and their second under head coach Mike Ditka . The team improved from their 3–6 record from 1982 to finish at 8–8, but to failed to make the playoffs four the fourth consecutive season. Jim McMahon was the quarterback, who completed 175 of 295 pass attempts. The Bears 1983 NFL Draft class was ranked #3 in NFL Top 10 ' s greatest draft classes.[ 3]
1983 NFL Draft
Preseason
The Bears were predicted to finish 7–9 and fourth in the division by Paul Zimmerman . Their prized new weapon would be Willie Gault , Dennis McKinnon (signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bears in 1983) and Jimbo Covert would help open bigger holes for Walter Payton but it was felt they were a few offensive lineman and a tight end away from being effective. The defense would be led by All-Pro Dan Hampton and new defensive backs Mike Richardson and Dave Duerson .[ 4] The Bears started 1983 by losing 7 of their first 10, but won 5 of their last 6 to finish 8–8. The Bears would go 71–18 in regular season games from November 13, 1983, through October 2, 1989.
Regular season
Schedule
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Attendance
1
September 4, 1983
Atlanta Falcons
L 20–17
60,165
2
September 11, 1983
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
W 17–10
58,186
3
September 18, 1983
at New Orleans Saints
L 34–31
64,692
4
September 25, 1983
at Baltimore Colts
L 22–19
34,350
5
October 2, 1983
Denver Broncos
W 31–14
58,210
6
October 9, 1983
Minnesota Vikings
L 23–14
59,632
7
October 16, 1983
at Detroit Lions
L 31–17
66,709
8
October 23, 1983
at Philadelphia Eagles
W 7–6
45,263
9
October 30, 1983
Detroit Lions
L 38–17
58,764
10
November 6, 1983
at Los Angeles Rams
L 21–14
53,010
11
November 13, 1983
Philadelphia Eagles
W 17–14
47,524
12
November 20, 1983
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
W 27–0
36,816
13
November 27, 1983
San Francisco 49ers
W 13–3
40,483
14
December 4, 1983
at Green Bay Packers
L 31–28
51,147
15
December 11, 1983
at Minnesota Vikings
W 19–13
57,880
16
December 18, 1983
Green Bay Packers
W 23–21
35,807
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 2 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Buccaneers
0
3
7 0 10
Bears
0
10
0 7 17
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
CHI: Mike Hartenstine 2.0 sacks, Terry Schmidt INT
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Buccaneers
Bears
2
Buccaneers
20-yard field goal by Bill Capece
3
0
2
Bears
Walter Payton 73-yard touchdown reception from Jim McMahon, Bob Thomas kick good
3
7
2
Bears
50-yard field goal by Bob Thomas
3
10
3
Buccaneers
James Owens 1-yard touchdown run, Bob Capece kick good
10
10
4
Bears
Terry Schmidt 32-yard interception return, Bob Thomas kick good
10
17
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
10
17
Week 3: at New Orleans Saints
Week 4: at Baltimore Colts
Week 5: vs. Denver Broncos
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Broncos
0
0
7 7 14
Bears
14
10
0 7 31
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Lions
14
3
14 7 38
Bears
0
3
0 14 17
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Week 11: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Eagles
7
0
7 0 14
Bears
0
14
0 3 17
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Week 12: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
49ers
3
0
0 0 3
Bears
3
7
3 0 13
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Week 14: at Green Bay Packers
Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings
1
2 3 4 Total
• Bears
10
6 0 3
19
Vikings
6
0 7 0
13
[ 5]
Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
GB
CHI
1
9:24
Bears
Willie Gault 35-yard touchdown reception from Jim McMahon , Bob Thomas kick good
0
7
1
8:10
Packers
Lynn Dickey 1-yard touchdown run, Jan Stenerud kick good
7
7
2
3:05
Packers
James Lofton 31-yard touchdown reception from Lynn Dickey, Jan Stenerud kick good
14
7
3
6:35
Bears
Dennis McKinnon 22-yard touchdown reception from Jim McMahon, Bob Thomas kick good
14
14
4
4:34
Bears
Jim McMahon 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed
14
20
4
3:08
Packers
Paul Coffman 5-yard touchdown reception from Lynn Dickey, Jan Stenerud kick good
21
20
4
0:10
Bears
22-yard field goal by Bob Thomas
21
23
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
21
23
Standings
Roster and staff
Staff
Coaching Staff of 1983 season
Front office
Coaches
Position coaches
Trainers
Scouts
Roster
Complete Roster of 1983 season
Quarterbacks
Offensive backs
Receivers
Tight ends
Kickers
Offensive line
Defensive line
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Defensive backs
Safeties
Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics
References
External links
Franchise Records Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Minor league affiliates Retired numbers Key personnel Division championships (21) Conference championships (4) League championships (9) Media
Broadcasters
Radio:
Personnel:
Television:
WFLD (pre-season and most regular season games through Fox , official pre-game and post-game alternate)
Marquee Sports Network (official post-game and in-season programming)
Personnel:
Lou Canellis (gameday television host, pre-season sideline reporter)
Adam Amin (pre-season play-by-play)
Jim Miller (pre-season analyst)
Current league affiliations
Formerly the Decatur Staleys (1920) and the Chicago Staleys (1921)