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Richard Dent
Richard Dent
from Wikipedia

Richard Lamar Dent (born December 13, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Chicago Bears. He was the MVP of the Super Bowl XX. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Key Information

Professional career

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Chicago Bears

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After playing four years at Tennessee State University and graduating in 1983, Dent was selected in the eighth round by the Bears, with the 203rd overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft. At 6 ft 5 in, 265 lb (120 kg), Dent was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed and thrived in defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan's aggressive 46 defense. He was part of the core of great players who made the Bears' defenses of the 1980s legendary. Between 1984 and 1985, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks while recording a then team-record 17.5 sacks in the former season.[1]

1985 season

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When the Bears went on to defeat the New England Patriots in a 46–10 landslide in Super Bowl XX,[2] Dent was selected as the game's MVP. During the game, he had 1.5 sacks, forced two fumbles, and blocked a pass. Dent made a mere $90,000 in base salary for his efforts in 1985[3] ($269,000 in 2025 dollars).[4] He was a featured soloist of the "Shuffling Crew" in the video, the "Super Bowl Shuffle" in 1985.

After Chicago

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Dent would remain with the team until the end of the 1993 season, after the Bears had won just one playoff game since their loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1988 NFC Championship Game, and head coach Mike Ditka had been replaced by Dave Wannstedt.

Dent won another Super Bowl ring after spending the 1994 season under contract with the 49ers, though he spent almost the whole year injured. Injuries would continue to hamper Dent after his return to Chicago in 1995. He would spend 1996 and 1997 with the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, playing the so-called designated pass rusher for them.

Dent retired after the 1997 season. His lifetime statistics included 137.5 sacks and eight interceptions; he returned these picks for 89 yards and one touchdown. He also recovered 13 fumbles, returning them for 56 yards and one touchdown. He had 124.5 sacks during his first stint with the Bears, from 1983 to 1993. At the time of his retirement, his 137.5 sacks ranked him third in NFL history behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith.

Post-retirement

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During Super Bowl XLIV, Dent joined other members of the 1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the "Super Bowl Shuffle" in a Boost Mobile commercial.[5]

Dent was nominated numerous times for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and in 2005–2009 he was among the top 15 finalists in the selection process. After several years of unsuccessful nominations, he was finally selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on February 5, 2011.[6] His induction speech was notable for omitting any mention of both Ditka and Ryan.[7] Since his retirement Dent has had a difficult relationship with Ditka because he publicly blamed Ditka for the Bears' inability to repeat as Super Bowl champions. In a 2012 interview on WSCR, Dent argued that the Bears would have won at least three Super Bowls if they had been able to find any consistency at quarterback.[8]

In addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dent was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.[9]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Super Bowl MVP
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Int Yds TD FF FR
1983 CHI 16 3 12 3.0 0 0 0 1 0
1984 CHI 16 10 39 17.5 0 0 0 4 1
1985 CHI 16 16 38 17.0 2 10 1 7 2
1986 CHI 15 14 75 11.5 0 0 0 4 0
1987 CHI 12 12 34 12.5 0 0 0 4 2
1988 CHI 13 12 61 10.5 0 0 0 3 1
1989 CHI 15 15 70 9.0 1 30 0 2 2
1990 CHI 14 14 81 12.0 3 21 0 2 3
1991 CHI 16 16 84 10.5 1 4 0 0 1
1992 CHI 16 16 82 8.5 0 0 0 6 1
1993 CHI 16 16 64 12.5 1 24 0 1 0
1994 SF 2 2 8 7 1 2.0 0 0 0 0 0
1995 CHI 3 1 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
1996 IND 16 1 15 13 2 6.5 0 0 0 2 0
1997 PHI 15 0 13 10 3 4.5 0 0 0 1 0
Career 203 150 677 31 6 137.5 8 89 1 37 13

Personal life

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According to a DNA analysis, he descended mainly from Mende people of Sierra Leone and Balanta people of Guinea Bissau.[10] He is the godfather of football player Ahmaad Smith.[11]

Richard lives in Chicago and has four children: Mary, Sarah, R.J., and Shiloh. His son R.J. is a football player who played WR at Stevenson High School, and now plays at Miami University Ohio.[12]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Richard Dent (born December 13, 1960) is an American former professional who was a in the () for 15 seasons from 1983 to 1997. Best known for his dominant tenure with the , Dent was a key member of the team's ferocious 1985 defense that led the in points allowed and forced turnovers, culminating in a 46–10 victory over the in , where Dent earned honors with three tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Selected in the eighth round (203rd overall) of the out of , Dent appeared in 203 regular-season games across his career, recording 137.5 sacks—which ranked third in NFL history at the time of his retirement—along with eight interceptions, one , and 13 recoveries. He earned four selections (1984, 1985, 1990, 1993), four honors (one first-team, three second-team), and five All-NFC nods, while leading the NFC in sacks with 17.5 in 1984 and posting double-digit sack totals in eight of his ten seasons from 1984 to 1993. Dent split his career primarily with the Bears (1983–1993, 1995), but also played for the (1994, a member of their XXIX-winning roster but inactive for the game), (1996), and (1997). Born in , Georgia, and a standout at J.C. Murphy High School, Dent transitioned to at Tennessee State under coach before his professional breakthrough. He was inducted into the in 2011 as part of the Class of 2011, recognized as the "definition of dominating" for his explosive pass-rushing ability and impact on multiple championship-caliber defenses.

Early life and education

Childhood and high school

Richard Dent was born on December 13, 1960, in , Georgia. He grew up as the sixth of nine children in a working-class family, with seven brothers and one sister. His father, Horace Dent, worked as a printer, while his mother, Mary Dent, operated a service to help support the large household amid limited resources. The family's emphasis on hard work and staying together shaped Dent's early sense of resilience in Atlanta's urban environment during the and . Local sports icons like , , , and inspired his interest in athletics. Dent attended J.C. Murphy High School (later renamed Alonzo A. Crim High School) in , where he did not participate in any organized sports until his junior year. Under the guidance of coach William Lester, who provided transportation to school for two years, Dent began playing football and quickly showed promise as a defensive standout. Despite his late start and the challenges of emerging from a smaller program in a competitive talent pool, Dent's raw athleticism and determination earned him recognition, including induction into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame in 2022 for his impact during the 1970s. His mother's compassion and the family's supportive dynamic further fueled his drive to succeed beyond his circumstances. This foundation led Dent to Tennessee State University, where he continued his football development at a historically Black college.

College career

Richard Dent attended , a historically Black college and university (HBCU) in , from 1979 to 1983, where he played as a for the Tigers in the . During his time there, he lettered all four years under head coach John Merritt, with defensive coordinator Joe Gilliam Sr., focusing on developing his pass-rushing skills while contributing to the team's defensive efforts in FCS-level competition. Dent's performance on the field was standout, particularly in his senior year of , when he led the team with a school-record 17 sacks, including a single-game high of 4.5 against Eastern . Over his career, he amassed 158 tackles, 39.5 sacks—a Tigers record at the time—and six fumble recoveries, earning recognition as a two-time All-American. His disruptive presence helped Tennessee State compete in conference play, though the program operated at a smaller scale compared to Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Coming from an HBCU in a non-major conference, Dent's accomplishments were initially overlooked by many NFL scouts, affecting his draft prospects despite his dominant statistics; he was selected by the in the eighth round (203rd overall) of the . Dent graduated from Tennessee State in 1983, balancing his athletic commitments with academic requirements.

Professional football career

Draft and early years with Chicago Bears

Richard Dent was selected by the Chicago Bears in the eighth round of the 1983 NFL Draft, 203rd overall, out of Tennessee State University. As a late-round pick, he signed a modest rookie contract typical for that draft position, reflecting the Bears' low initial expectations for the slender defensive end who had struggled with weight issues in college. Despite his unheralded status, Dent joined a defensive line already featuring established players like Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael, forming the early core of what would become one of the NFL's most formidable units under defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. In his season of 1983, Dent saw limited action due to his position on the depth chart and the need to bulk up for the level, appearing in all 16 games but starting only three. He recorded 12 tackles and 3.0 sacks, showing flashes of pass-rushing potential in rotational duty while learning from veterans like Hampton, who initially viewed the newcomer as scrawny and unproven. This modest debut allowed Dent to adapt to Ryan's aggressive schemes, which emphasized pressure on quarterbacks through multiple rotations on the line. Dent's development accelerated in , his second year, as he earned a larger role in the Bears' defense, starting 10 games and emerging as a key pass rusher with 17.5 sacks, leading the NFC and setting a franchise record at the time. Under Ryan, who began incorporating elements of his innovative during the season—named for Doug Plank's jersey number—Dent thrived in secondary pass-rush rotations alongside Hampton and McMichael, contributing to the unit's growing reputation for disrupting offenses. His integration into the line's dynamics helped build momentum for the Bears' defensive dominance, as the group focused on coordinated blitzes and gap control to maximize individual talents like Dent's speed off .

1985 season and Super Bowl XX

Dent's 1985 season represented a pinnacle of his early career, as he emerged as the Chicago Bears' premier pass rusher within defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan's aggressive 46 defense scheme, which overloaded the line with blitzes and leveraged Dent's explosive speed off the edge to disrupt opposing offenses. Recording a league-leading 17 sacks alongside 38 combined tackles, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and seven forced fumbles over 16 starts, Dent anchored a unit that allowed just 12.4 points per game and propelled the Bears to a 15-1 regular-season record. His dominance earned him his first Pro Bowl selection and a First-Team All-Pro designation from the Associated Press. Dent's impact shone in several marquee matchups, including the Bears' lone defeat—a 38-24 loss to the on December 2—where he registered a sack and recovered a amid a fierce defensive effort that kept the game close until late. In the postseason, his ferocity fueled back-to-back s: he tallied a playoff-record 3.5 sacks on Giants quarterback during a 21-0 divisional-round victory over New York on January 5, 1986, limiting the Giants to 32 rushing yards. One week later, in the against the on January 12, Dent contributed two sacks on quarterback , including a strip sack returned 61 yards for a by linebacker , sealing a 24-0 and clinching Chicago's berth. Overall, Dent amassed six sacks and four forced fumbles across the three playoff games. In on January 26, 1986, at the Louisiana Superdome, Dent delivered a masterful performance that earned him MVP honors in the Bears' 46-10 demolition of the . He recorded 1.5 sacks—split between quarterbacks and —forced two s (one leading to a and another setting up a ), and deflected a pass, as Chicago's defense held to 123 total yards and seven first downs. Dent's early pressure, including a first-quarter sack and on Eason, forced the Patriots into a conservative game plan, allowing the Bears' offense to pull away with 27 unanswered points in the second half. Beyond the field, Dent's breakout season amplified the Bears' cultural phenomenon status, particularly through their participation in the "Super Bowl Shuffle" rap video released in December 1985, where he delivered a verse boasting, "Now I'm a Chicago Bear, and I'm here to stay / I'm Richard Dent, and I sack all day." The track, which topped Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and raised over $300,000 for Chicago charities, captured the team's swagger and cemented Dent's nickname "Sackman" as emblematic of the "Monsters of the Midway" moniker for the fearsome defense.

Later career moves and teams

Following his standout 1985 season, Dent remained a key part of the Chicago Bears' defense from 1986 to 1993, maintaining solid productivity despite recurring injuries. He earned Pro Bowl selections in 1991 and 1994, recording double-digit sacks in six of those years, including a career-high tying 12.5 in 1987 during the strike-shortened season and another 12.5 in 1993. However, injuries began to impact his availability, such as a strained back in 1986 that caused him to miss a practice and a knee injury in 1989 that lingered into the following year, limiting his explosiveness at times. In 1994, after becoming a , Dent signed a two-year contract with the , reuniting him with former Bears coordinator on the defensive line. He started the first two games, notching two sacks, but suffered a torn in his right knee during Week 2 against the , sidelining him for most of the regular season. Dent returned for the playoffs, contributing to the 49ers' victory over the with one sack on . Dent briefly returned to the Bears in 1995, appearing in three games with one start but no sacks before being released. He then joined the in 1996 as a situational pass rusher, playing all 16 games but starting only one, while registering 6.5 sacks. In his final season, Dent signed with the , serving in a role across 15 games with no starts and 4.5 sacks, primarily on passing downs. Dent retired after the 1997 season at age 37, having played 15 years in the NFL amid the cumulative physical toll of the sport, including chronic pain from repeated injuries and heavy reliance on painkillers during his career, which later contributed to nerve damage and an enlarged heart. His longevity as a pass-rushing specialist, even in reduced roles late on, underscored his enduring quickness off the edge, though the demands of the position accelerated his physical decline.

Career statistics and awards

Regular season and postseason stats

Richard Dent played in 203 regular season games over 15 NFL seasons from 1983 to 1997, recording 137.5 sacks, 8 interceptions, 2 touchdowns (one from an interception return and one from a fumble recovery), 1 safety, and 13 fumble recoveries. His sacks total ranks 10th in NFL history. Official NFL sack statistics have been tracked since the 1982 season, so all of Dent's sack data is officially recorded without the estimation issues affecting earlier eras.

Regular Season Statistics

The following table summarizes Dent's regular season performance, focusing on games played, sacks, interceptions, and touchdowns.
YearTeamGSacksIntTD
1983CHI163.000
1984CHI1617.500
1985CHI1617.021
1986CHI1511.500
1987CHI1212.500
1988CHI1310.500
1989CHI159.010
1990CHI1612.031
1991CHI1610.510
1992CHI168.500
1993CHI1612.510
1994SFO22.000
1995CHI30.000
1996IND166.500
1997154.500
Career Total203137.582
Dent led the in sacks during the season with 17.0. He also recorded his career-high 3 interceptions in 1990. In the postseason, Dent appeared in 12 games, tallying 10.5 sacks with no interceptions or touchdowns. His most notable playoff performance came in , when he recorded 6.0 sacks across three games, including 1.5 in .

Postseason Statistics

The following table details Dent's postseason performance, emphasizing games and sacks.
YearTeamGSacks
1984CHI23.0
1985CHI36.0
1986CHI10.5
1987CHI11.0
1990CHI20.0
1991CHI10.0
1994SFO10.0
1996IND10.0
Career Total1210.5

Major awards and honors

Dent's exceptional performance throughout his career garnered significant recognition at both the collegiate and professional levels. During his time at , he earned All-American honors twice, highlighting his dominance as a in NCAA Division I-AA football. In the NFL, Dent was selected to four Pro Bowls, representing the Chicago Bears in 1984, 1985, 1990, and 1993. He also received Associated Press All-Pro honors, earning first-team selection in 1985 after leading the league with 17 sacks, and second-team accolades in 1984, 1988, and 1990. Dent's pinnacle achievement came in the postseason, where his disruptive play in against the earned him the game's award; he recorded three tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in the ' 46–10 victory. This performance cemented his reputation as one of the league's premier pass rushers and contributed to the Bears' championship success. Dent's lasting impact was affirmed by his induction into the as part of the Class of 2011, recognizing his 137.5 career sacks and role in transforming the Bears' defense during the 1980s. Additionally, as a , he was honored with the Chicago Bears' Ring of Excellence in 2016 alongside other franchise legends.

Post-retirement activities

Coaching roles

Following his retirement from the in 1997, Richard Dent entered the coaching ranks, drawing on his credentials to mentor defensive players. In 2003, he served as the assistant defensive line coach for the , with a primary focus on developing the team's techniques. Under head coach , the Bears finished the season 7-9 and third in the during Dent's tenure. This role marked Dent's only documented position in professional football coaching, allowing him to impart lessons from his own career as the MVP and the Bears' all-time sacks leader.

Other professional and public endeavors

Following his distinguished career as a for the , where he earned four selections and MVP honors, Richard Dent pursued diverse professional endeavors outside of football. In the sector, Dent founded RLD Resources LLC in around 2000, a that advises municipalities and small businesses on reducing costs through and efficiency programs, such as smart thermostats and optimization. The company, which employs about seven people, has partnered with entities like Integrys Energy Services to facilitate large-scale deals and testified before the in 2012 to advocate for lower electric bills via . Dent has maintained a visible media presence, often reflecting on his playing days and offering insights into the Bears franchise. He featured prominently in ESPN's 2016 "30 for 30" documentary The '85 Bears, where he discussed team camaraderie, coaching decisions under , and the pressures of their championship season. Additionally, Dent has appeared on and broadcasts, including a 2024 episode analyzing the 1985 team's dynamics and contract challenges, as well as interviews commenting on modern Bears players like Floyd's pass-rushing technique and the situation during the 2017 season. In advocacy, Dent emerged as a lead plaintiff in the 2014 class-action lawsuit Dent v. , accusing the league of illegally distributing prescription painkillers like Toradol and opioids to players during his career, masking injuries and fostering without proper medical oversight. The suit detailed Dent's dependency on these drugs while with the Bears in the , leading to long-term health complications including renal failure, high , and ongoing expenses post-retirement. By 2021, the case advanced toward trial after appellate rulings rejected the NFL's preemption defenses under labor laws; however, in 2023, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of to the NFL, resulting in the dismissal of the case. Dent's community involvement centers on philanthropy through the Make a Dent Foundation, established in 1989 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to fund education scholarships for underprivileged children and young adults, inspired by his late mother Mary's community service ethos. The foundation supports initiatives in , health, and civic programs, including job training and school matching grants, while Dent serves on boards such as the National College Foundation to promote educational access. Post-induction into the in 2011, he has participated in hall events, including hosting segments on The Mission podcast to share stories of camaraderie with figures like .

Personal life

Dent lives in , . He has three confirmed children: daughter , who is a volleyball coach at Frankenmuth High School in , and sons R.J. and Shiloh. R.J. Dent is a player, currently competing as a at Ellsworth as of 2025. He has a longtime partner, DeEtta Jones, with whom he has collaborated on professional endeavors, including co-authoring content and leading the Make a Dent Foundation. Dent is the godfather of former NFL player Ahmaad Smith. In 2008, Dent sued for custody of his then-2-year-old son from a former girlfriend.

References

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