{"id":706179,"date":"2026-01-26T11:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/706179\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T11:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:16:18","slug":"bears-beat-new-england-patriots-to-win-super-bowl-xx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/706179\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears beat New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XX"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Jan. 26, according to the Tribune\u2019s archives.<\/p>\n

Is an important event missing from this date? Email us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Front page flashback: Jan. 27, 1967<\/p>\n

\"SnowSnow began falling at 5:02 a.m. on Jan. 26, 1967, and didn\u2019t stop until a record-breaking 23 inches had accumulated the next day, according to the National Weather Service, making it the worst snowstorm recorded in Chicago history. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

1967: The \u201cBlizzard of \u201867\u201d dropped 23 inches of snow<\/a> on Chicago \u2014 the largest amount on record for the city. Mountains of snow accumulated in drifts, whipped by winds of 50 mph or more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, the storm was preceded by unseasonable warmth \u2014\u00a0it was 65 degrees<\/a>\u00a0just two days before the snow appeared.<\/p>\n

Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago<\/a>)<\/p>\n

High temperature: 62 degrees (1944)
\nLow temperature: Minus 16 degrees (1897)
\nPrecipitation: 1.66 inches (1967)
\nSnowfall: 16.4 inches (1967)<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta with neighborhood children in their new apartment at 1550 S. Hamlin Ave. in Chicago on Jan. 26, 1966. King and his family moved into the poor neighborhood to shed light on the living conditions of Blacks in Chicago in 1966. (Tom Kinahan\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

1966: Almost three weeks after announcing his intention to lead \u201cthe first significant freedom movement in the North,\u201d<\/a> the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family moved into a third-floor apartment<\/a> in the North Lawndale neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\"TheWilliam Perry plows into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run during Super Bowl XX on Jan. 26, 1986, during the rout of the Patriots. (Ed Wagner Jr.\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

1986: The Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX<\/a> in New Orleans with a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

The Bears entered the game as the only team ever to record two straight playoff shutouts. With the circus invading New Orleans, there were more stories than the 26 Tribune reporters on site could wish for, Tribune reporter Don Pierson remembered.<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears\u2019 1985 Super Bowl run: Don Pierson\u2019s game-by-game breakdown from the \u2018most memorable season\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Bears had seven sacks and held the Patriots to seven yards rushing. But it was Bears quarterback Jim McMahon who plunged for two touchdowns<\/a>\u00a0and directed an offense to the 46 points that cemented Buddy Ryan\u2019s \u201c46\u201d defense into football immortality. McMahon\u2019s only regret was not defying Mike Ditka again and letting Walter Payton score the final touchdown instead of William Perry, a mistake also regretted by Ditka and lamented by Payton more than he let on at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I was surprised,\u201d said Payton of not getting the ball in close. \u201cYes, I was disappointed.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Also disappointed? The\u00a0Honey Bears<\/a>. The cheerleaders performed their last routine as part of the Bears organization at halftime of Super Bowl XX.<\/p>\n

A touchdown would have helped ease the memory of Payton\u2019s fumble on the second play of the game that set up a Patriots field goal and prompted Patriots fans to march through the New Orleans airport the next day chanting, \u201cWe scored first! We scored first!\u201d<\/p>\n

Vintage Chicago Tribune: Bears playoff appearances \u2014 including the \u2018Sneakers Game,\u2019 \u2018Fog Bowl\u2019 and \u2018Double Doink\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

On the eve for the Super Bowl, Ryan had strongly hinted he would soon be named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, prompting Steve McMichael to throw a chair that stuck into the blackboard of their meeting room. The defense responded by terrorizing quarterback Tony Eason, who was replaced after completing none of his six passes.<\/p>\n

The Bears had just completed what Pierson believes remains the most memorable season in NFL history. The game drew a television audience of 127 million<\/a>, replacing the final episode of \u201cM*A*S*H\u201d as the largest in TV history. But the day after the freezing celebration parade in Chicago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded after takeoff in Florida, putting an abrupt end to national merriment.<\/p>\n

\"SearsSears published advertisements in the Tribune on Jan. 26, 1986, and bought time for “kick-off commercials” to run during Super Bowl XX to announce the launch of its Discover Card credit card. (Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Also in 1986: The Discover Card<\/a>, created by Sears, debuted during the broadcast of Super Bowl XX. It became a challenger to MasterCard, Visa and American Express.<\/p>\n

Want more vintage Chicago?<\/p>\n

Subscribe to the free\u00a0Vintage Chicago Tribune<\/a>\u00a0newsletter, join our\u00a0Chicagoland history Facebook group,<\/a>\u00a0stay current with\u00a0Today in Chicago History<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for more from Chicago\u2019s past.<\/p>\n

Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at\u00a0krumore@chicagotribune.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0mmather@chicagotribune.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t