Windy City Gridiron
Hello, Chicago Bears fans! Dan Hampton. Richard Dent. Steve “Mongo” McMichael. Julius Peppers. Tommie Harris. Akiem Hicks. George Connor. Ed Sprinkle. The Chicago Bears have more than their fair share of great defensive linemen throughout the years. But today we aren’t talking about who was the best Bears defensive lineman in franchise history, nor are we talking about the most productive defensive lineman in recent memory or since the turn of the century.
No, today I am talking about my all-time favorite defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. And it isn’t any of the defensive linemen I just mentioned. It’s hard to define exactly what makes a player a “favorite” of a given fan. Sometimes it is because we followed them in college or they played for our favorite college team, sometimes it is because they featured in an important game or did something amazing that brought us joy, and after which watching that player play for the Bears and rooting them on became part of our fan experience. And sometimes it is about where we were in life, or something that was going on in our lives, and that player featured during a special time of our fandom. Maybe they remind us of ourselves when we played ball, and we live our dream of playing for the Chicago Bears vicariously through them.
Ultimately, it is difficult to quantify what inspires us to “favorite” a particular player. A certain level of production on the field is a prerequisite. A certain length of time with the team also would seem to be a necessary component. But if you asked me why this player is my favorite defensive lineman of all time, the real answer is: because he is.
That said, we can certainly talk about the player’s qualities, production, and career with the Bears. So let’s talk about the career of my all-time favorite Chicago Bear defensive lineman: Jim Flanigan.
Jim Flanigan was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 1994 NFL draft. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. As a fan of the Irish, undoubtedly the fact that he played for Notre Dame is one reason I was excited about the Bears picking Flanigan (I also rooted for Chris Zorich as a Chicago Bear Golden Domer). And it didn’t hurt that Jim Flanigan was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and his father, Jim Flanigan, Sr., played for the Green Bay Packers. There was certainly an element of liking Flanigan because we had stolen him from the Cheeseheads.
But it wasn’t all about his lineage or college team – Jim Flanigan was extremely productive for the Chicago Bears. In 1995, Jim Flanigan, from the defensive tackle position, posted 11 sacks and 39 solo tackles. That 1995 season Flanigan was a dominant presence on the Bears’ defensive interior. While he never reached that height again (his next highest sack total is 8.5 sacks in 1998), Flanigan posted a steady 5-6 sack season in most...
