Jim McMahon

With an unconventional style both on and off the field, Jim McMahon is a former NFL quarterback who helped the Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl. The 1985 Chicago Bears team that won the franchise’s first ever Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX was famous for being full of eccentric and zany players, but McMahon was the ultimate, most flamboyant of them all. Named an all-pro in 1985, after seven years in Chicago he became a journeyman playing for Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.

Born in New Jersey, McMahon moved to San Jose, California when he was three years old and began to try every sport that he could. He excelled at college football at BYU, becoming a two-time All-American and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Thanks to his incredible collegiate success, it was no surprise when McMahon was selected fifth overall by the Bears in the 1982 NFL Draft.

McMahon enjoyed his best success in 1985 with the Bears, but the following year a shoulder injury ended his season early. Although he went on to play for many more years, injuries affected him throughout the rest of his career and beyond, with numerous concussions and a broken neck that he was never told about at the time all leading to health problems including depression and early dementia. Never one to be defeated, McMahon has been helped by various treatments, and he has become a spokesperson for the Cannabis Sports Policy Project after calling cannabis a “godsend” for managing his chronic pain.

One of the most unique individuals to ever play American football, a documentary covering his fascinating life entitled Mad Mac: The Memory Of Jim McMahon, began shooting in 2020.