1985 American Football Season

The 1985 American football season remains one of the most culturally significant and historically dominant years in the sport’s history. From a legendary NFL defense that captured the nation’s imagination to a historically close Heisman Trophy race, it was a season packed with iconic moments and legendary figures.

The NFL: The Era of the ’85 Bears

In the professional ranks, the 1985 season is almost entirely defined by the Chicago Bears. Led by head coach Mike Ditka and fiery defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, the Bears put together what is widely considered one of the greatest single seasons in NFL history.

• The 46 Defense: Buddy Ryan’s revolutionary “46 defense” overwhelmed opponents. Featuring Hall of Famers like Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, and Richard Dent, the defense recorded 72 sacks and allowed just 198 points all season.
• The Record: The Bears steamrolled through the regular season with a 15–1 record. Their only blemish came on a Monday night in December when the Miami Dolphins, desperate to protect the legacy of their undefeated 1972 season, defeated Chicago 38–24.
• Super Bowl XX: The Bears’ playoff run was historically dominant. After shutting out both the Giants and the Rams in the NFC playoffs, they crushed the New England Patriots 46–10 in Super Bowl XX.
• Pop Culture Kings: Before the playoffs even began, the confident Bears recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” a rap video that became a mainstream Billboard hit and cemented the team as global pop-culture icons.

Beyond the Bears and Bo Jackson, 1985 featured several notable storylines and milestones that shaped the future of the game:

• Jerry Rice Arrives: The San Francisco 49ers drafted a wide receiver out of Mississippi Valley State named Jerry Rice. Though he struggled with drops early in his rookie year, he eventually caught his stride, marking the beginning of the most prolific receiving career in NFL history.
• The Patriots’ Road Warrior Run: Before getting blown out in the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots made history as the first team to win three consecutive road playoff games (beating the Jets, Raiders, and Dolphins) to reach the championship game.
• Major Rule Changes: The NFL implemented several significant rule changes in 1985, including the clarification of “uncatchable” passes for pass interference and modifying the two-minute warning timing rules, streamlining the flow of the modern game.

College Football: Sooners Supremacy and “Bo Knows”

The 1985 collegiate season was just as thrilling, highlighted by spectacular individual performances and a classic national championship race.

• The Oklahoma Sooners: Under head coach Barry Switzer, the Oklahoma Sooners captured the National Championship. Featuring a dominant defense led by linebacker Brian Bosworth and a potent wishbone offense, the Sooners finished 11–1. They secured the undisputed #1 ranking by defeating the previously undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions 25–10 in the Orange Bowl.
• A Historic Heisman Race: Auburn running back Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns. The vote was the closest in Heisman history at the time, with Jackson edging out Iowa quarterback Chuck Long by a mere 45 points. Jackson’s rare combination of speed and power solidified his status as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.

A Deep Dive into 1985 Football History and Highlights

• January 1, 1985 – At the annual Rose Bowl Game, Ohio State made a valiant comeback but fell short in the fourth quarter, losing to USC, 17-20. The Trojans sported two MVPs as QB Tim Green and Linebacker Jack Del Rio earned the honors.
• January 6, 1985, but across the country at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the NFC Championship game was played. The San Francisco 49ers, with Joe Montana under center, advanced to the Super Bowl as they blanked the Chicago Bears, 23-0.
• January 6, 1985 – At the Miami Orange Bowl, where the Dan Marino-led Miami Dolphins outlasted the Pittsburgh Steelers, 45-28, to move on to the big game.
• January 20, 1985, Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California –At Super Bowl XIX, the San Francisco 49ers knocked off the Miami Dolphins, 38-16.
• January 27, 1985 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu –Then came the NFL Pro Bowl for the 1984 season, and this time the AFC knocked off the NFC, 22-14. Mark Gastineau, the animated defensive end of the New York Jets, won the Most Valuable Player Award. (source)
• April 30, 1985 –Virginia Tech defensive end Bruce Smith was the first pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1985 NFL Draft. For the full 1985 Draft coverage, check out our post.
• May 31, 1985 – The New Orleans Saints are sold to Tom Benson from John Mecom Jr. for $70,204,000. The final hurdles to the sale were the New Orleans City Council and the School Boards. Each of these approved surrendering its share of sales tax revenue to keep the Saints in New Orleans as part of the deal. This was no small sacrifice either. The nearly $2.8 in revenue surrendered by the two groups went back to the Saints, but the caveat was that Benson signed a 21-year lease with the Superdome. Benson stepped forward in March of 1984 to help on the day when negotiations with the A.N. Pritzker family from Chicago fell apart in February. Mr. Benson, at the time of this writing, still owns the team and has kept the franchise in the Superdome in New Orleans long beyond his initial 21-year obligation. He has employed coaches such as Jim Mora, Mike Ditka, and Sean Payton. He has even clutched a Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts, just a couple of years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area.
• September 29, 1985 – Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon is sacked an NFL record 12 times by an aggressive Dallas Cowboys defense.
• October 5, 1985 – Legendary Grambling State University Head Coach Eddie Robinson notched a record 324th win in a football game. Coach ended up serving as head coach at Grambling for 56 years and eventually retired, with a whopping 408 victories.
• October 6, 1985 – Bernie Kosar’s Pro debut with the Cleveland Browns.
• October 14, 1985, East Rutherford, New Jersey – The New York Jets franchise retired Joe Namath’s jersey #12 on nationally televised Monday Night Football. Namath had sealed his legend in the Big Apple with many of his great plays, but especially by making good on his famous promise of leading his underdog 1969 Jets team to a Super Bowl III victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts, coached by Don Shula. Pro-football-reference.com informs us that the Jets had a great night against a Don Shula team in the 1985 game, too, as they defeated the Miami Dolphins, 23-7 this time.
• November 17, 1985 – The Meadowlands, New Jersey – The New York Jets had the franchise’s best offensive production ever. According to elitesportsny.com, the 1985 season was one of the best in Jets history. Tampa Bay quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind two TD passes by Steve DeBerg. But the Jets promptly made some adjustments, and boy, were they ever effective! The home team thrilled the New York faithful as they scored 31 unanswered points on their way to a franchise record 41 points by halftime. Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien finished 23-of-30 for 367 yards and a career-high five TD passes, with three of those landing in the hands of tight end Mickey Shuler. The Jets’ defense allowed only two more scores by the Bucs that day in the 62-28 blowout! It was really hard for the Buccaneers in the final stanza, as the Jets’ offense controlled the ball for an excellent 14 minutes and 37 seconds of the fourth quarter, including an 11-minute, 13-second, 18-play drive to their final touchdown. It isn’t easy to be productive in 23 seconds! Gang Green finished with 11 wins and had the third-highest point differential in team history at a plus 129.
• November 18, 1985 – Joe Theismann’s NFL career ended with what may have been one of the most vivid injuries witnessed in a nationally televised game, as you could see the bone in his leg break during a sack by legendary NY Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor on November 18, 1985 
• November 24, 1985 – Olympic Stadium, Montreal – The 73rd CFL Grey Cup had the BC Lions defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37-24. Onthisday.com informs us that it was the final CFL game played with a 25-yard-long end zone. (source)
• November 27, 1985 – South Bend, Indiana – The University of Notre Dame named Lou Holtz as its 25th coach, per the Irish Legends web page. Holtz had a great run as the head coach of the Irish from 1986 through the 1996 season, leading them to a 100-32-2 record and coaching more ND football games than anyone in history. His win total was second only to the great Knute Rockne. Under his guidance, the Golden Domers played in 9 New Year’s Day bowl games, finished in the top 6 of the AP rankings five times, and went undefeated and claimed the National Championship, plus earned the Coach of the Year Award from more than a few sources.
• November 30, 1985 – Legion Field, Birmingham – AL.com shares a great article with us about the 50th Iron Bowl. This game has come down to be remembered by many as “the Kick.” You have to watch the video below and read the AL.com story to fully appreciate what happened in the last 57 seconds of this classic SEC contest, which saw Alabama come from behind to beat Auburn 25-23! In particular, you must see the block that Bama quarterback Mike Shula lays on an unsuspecting defender to spring a runner on the crucial 4th down play!
• December 2, 1985 – During the Chicago Bears’ only loss of their historic 1985 season, head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan nearly fought in the halftime locker room as the out-of-sync Bears suffered a 38-24 defeat against the Miami Dolphins.
• December 5, 1985 – The first Polycarbonate helmet was introduced. The helmet prevented player injuries because it was lighter than plastic and stronger, according to a story on Atavus.com.  
• December 7, 1985 – Bo Jackson, the running back from the Auburn Tigers, won the 51st Heisman Trophy Award. Bo’s Bio on the Awards website states that he was a two-time All-America selection and ran for 4,303 yards during his college career. Even while battling injuries during the 1985 season, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards and scored 17 touchdowns for the Tigers. After college, Bo was a professional two-sport star, playing in the MLB and the NFL with the LA Raiders.
• December 20, 1985, Sportscaster Howard Cosell retired from television sports with ABC. On August 23, 1984, it was reported that Cosell had resigned from his job as a Monday Night Football broadcaster.
• December 22, 1985 – Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Stephone Paige put up 309 yards of receiving against the San Diego Chargers defense, which was an NFL record. According to Bleacher Report, Stephone averaged 38 yards per catch in the game and had two different QBs throwing to him, as Todd Blackledge and Bill Kenney each were in as signal callers for the Chiefs! The record was broken in 1989 by Flipper Anderson of the Los Angeles Rams, who finished a game with 336 yards against the New Orleans Saints, but Anderson reached his lofty mark with some catches in overtime, whereas Paige earned all of his yardage in the regular 60 minutes. KC needed every bit of Paige’s efforts, too, as they overcame the Chargers 38-34 in the contest.