Interview with former football player Bill Wade, the quarterback for the Bears' 1963 Championship team. Wade, standing in a suit and tie across from his current place of work, comments on the 1985 Chicago Bears team and offers his thoughts on the philosophy of football, staying in shape, and his time on the Bears. Following the interview are clips from the Bears' historic 1963 season. Shot for the documentary Once A Star.
00:00Copy video clip URL Color bars.
00:50Copy video clip URL Bill Wade, the starting quarterback for the 1963 Chicago Bears championship team, stands in front of the Third National Bank in Nashville Tennessee wearing a suit and tie. Between laughs, he tells about a recent Bears game he had watched where William “The Refrigerator” Perry, caught a pass and ran it in for a touchdown. “I just had to holler! . . . I know of nothing that’s been that exciting.”
02:01Copy video clip URL Wade credits Bears head coach Mike Ditka, as well as offensive consultant Jim Dooley for the Bears recent success. He goes on to refer to coach Ditka as “a perfect figurehead for the Bears” and Dooley as “the greatest football mind in the world.”
02:43Copy video clip URL Continuing about the 1985 Chicago Bears team, Wade also praises hall-of-fame running back Walter Payton, comparing his humanitarianism and style of playing to that of legendary running back Gayle Sayers. Wade goes on to talk about Sayers’s incredible work ethic, saying that he would oftentimes tire his legs out by the end of the year, due to running so often during practice.
03:39Copy video clip URL Wade recalls a game in which Gayle Sayers was able to score 6 touchdowns. This incredible athletic prowess, Wade says, is what he believes makes the game of football so special. “The excitement, the thrill, people getting together and cheering for Chicago. . . it binds a city together.”
05:17Copy video clip URL On the topic of athletic excellence, Wade tells about his belief that many factors account for a player’s success. “To me, it’s deeper than a game of football.” He recounts a story about renowned coach Vince Lombardi, when, after winning his second Superbowl Championship, he was asked what he told his players. Lombardi responded, “I tell my players to put their faith first, their family second, and their business third.” Wade says that he agrees with this way of thinking, going on to state his belief that football has the ability to teach life lessons. “It is beyond excellence in many, many ways; it is existence of mankind.”
06:43Copy video clip URL Wade’s personal philosophy on football, he says, the idea that it is much more than simply a game, is what informed his work ethic on the field, and what drives him to continue his efforts at the present time. “It was an opportunity to do something every day, to get better, to improve yourself.” He proceeds to talk about his love of practice, detailing the drills he would run, which he now uses to teach younger players to be better quarterbacks.
07:33Copy video clip URL Wade talks about staying in shape, which despite a few hiccups, he says he has been successful in doing in his retired years. He goes on to say that if it were up to him, he would love to be able to play football again. “I’d do it all over again. . . I’d love to be playing football right now.”
08:17Copy video clip URL Wade discusses the quarterback camps he runs in the summertime around the country, in which he teaches young players to be better football players, and runs what he calls a “devotion”, where he attempts to help them come to a “deeper understanding of why they exist.”
08:59Copy video clip URL Wade again brings up the importance of working out and staying in shape as one gets older, offering his personal thoughts on the subject.
09:21Copy video clip URL A woman pedestrian walks into frame and Wade talks to her for a moment.
11:03Copy video clip URL Wade says that he needs to get back to work, then points to a new building being constructed and equates it to the rebuilding of the Chicago Bears franchise with the current team. He then greets the Bears fans in Chicago, and states his desire for the team to win the Superbowl. Wade then walks across the street and into the bank.
12:38Copy video clip URL Clips from a newscast covering the classic 1963 game between George Halas’s Chicago Bears and Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers.
14:06Copy video clip URL The clip fast forwards to a newscaster sitting in the stands of Wrigley Field, commenting on the 1963 Chicago Bears season.
15:00Copy video clip URL Clip of Larry Morris, former Bears linebacker, intercepting a pass and nearly running it back to the endzone, as Morris narrates over the video.
15:36Copy video clip URL Another clip from the newscast, showing a touchdown pass from quarterback Bill Wade to fullback Joe Marconi, running back Willie Galimore running through the defense into the endzone, and an interception by Dave Whitsell, which led to a Bears victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
16:20Copy video clip URL Highlights from the Bears’ win over the Baltimore Colts, showing Joe Marconi running 63 yards on a pass from Bill Wade, followed by a touchdown dive by Wade and a scoring pass from Wade to Rick Casares.
17:05Copy video clip URL Clips from the newscast setting up the game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers teams, showing key figures like tight end Mike Ditka, and coaches George Halas and Vince Lombardi. The clip then fast forwards to Bears highlights from the game, showing a pass from Wade to Ditka, a 29-yard field goal, and Willie Galimore’s 28-yard touchdown rush.
18:22Copy video clip URL A clip of Bennie McRae’s touchdown run, followed by a clip of Bill Wade rushing to a touchdown to give the Bears the lead over the Packers.
18:49Copy video clip URL Clips of Bears fans braving the cold to see the Bears play the New York Giants in the 1963 Championship Game.
19:33Copy video clip URL Highlights from the Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, showing Bill Wade rushing into the endzone to tie the game.
19:58Copy video clip URL Clip of Wade throwing to Ditka, followed by a clip of Wade running the ball into the endzone for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter of the game.
20:34Copy video clip URL Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle throwing a “Hail Mary” pass, which was intercepted by the Bears to give Chicago the victory.
20:53Copy video clip URL End of tape.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.